Head coach Mike Bellotti describes the relationship between his Oregon Ducks and the California Golden Bears – his opponent on Saturday – as one rich with “intimate knowledge.”
And if you glance at the list of California’s coaching and support staff, it’s easy to see why that is.
From the top – with head coach Jeff Tedford, who was the Ducks’ offensive coordinator during arguably the greatest years in school history from 1998-2001 – on down to the recruiting assistant Kevin Parker and strength and conditioning coach John Krasinski, a total of eight Cal coaches and assistants have ties to Oregon.
“I think they’re a great group of coaches,” Bellotti said. “They’ve done a tremendous job. I root for them all the time except when they play us.”
The reunion of coaches takes place at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calf., this Saturday as the No. 11 Ducks and No. 16 Bears, a pair of undefeated teams in the Pac-10, battle for the right to challenge USC for the conference crown.
The connection between the two programs essentially started after Tedford bolted for the Bay Area following the 2001 season when, under Bellotti, he helped guide Oregon to the Fiesta Bowl
and a No. 2 national ranking, which made him one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country.
Many followed Tedford from Oregon to Cal, including his current defensive coordinator, his linebacker’s coach, the director of football operations and the latest to join his staff, wide receiver’s coach Dan Ferrigno, who held the same post at Oregon from 2001 until last season.
“I had a great experience at Oregon,” said Ferrigno, a San Francisco native who joins his mother, wife and 10 siblings in the Bay Area. “I loved working for coach Bellotti. It’s a great program. I left a great job and fortunately have been able to come to a great job. That doesn’t happen very often in our business.”
Ferrigno’s first year at Oregon was Tedford’s last, but when an opportunity arose to join his family and Tedford at Cal, Ferrigno jumped at the chance.
“I enjoyed working with Jeff,” Ferrigno said.
“Both programs are run extremely well by both head coaches and there’s a lot of similarities there,” he said. “Things are done right at both places. I don’t know that there are a lot of differences. This is a very equal match.”
Ferrigno was instrumental in recruiting Oregon’s current corps of receivers that features sophomore Jaison Williams, a 6-foot-5-inch, 243-pounder who leads the conference with 28 receptions for 462 yards and four touchdowns in four games.
“J-Will’s doing a good job for them and I’m glad to hear that,” Ferrigno said. “He was a developing guy. We redshirted him his first year and he’s just learned and gotten better and better. He was a guy that you knew the potential was there but (Oregon receivers coach) Robin (Pflugrad) is getting him to play very, very well.”
Ferrigno has a talented receiving corps at Cal led by the speedy DeSean Jackson (6 feet, 166 pounds).
Ferrigno said the biggest difference between the receivers at Cal and Oregon is size. Oregon’s top four receivers average a height of 6 feet 4 inches and average nearly 225 pounds while the Bears’ average height is 5 feet 11 inches and average weight is around 182 pounds for its four leaders in receptions.
Both present potential problems to opposing secondaries and Ferrigno is excited to see his former players live and up close, though he admits it may be slightly bizarre to be on the other sidelines Saturday.
“Anytime you play your former team, at least the first year, it’s a little bit strange,” Ferrigno said. “I’m looking forward to watching them compete. You like playing against your friends.”
This is simply Cal’s sixth game of the season, nothing more, nothing less, Ferrigno said.
“It’s just another game on the way to winning the next one,” Ferrigno said. “This is a game we need to win. Just like we need to win the one after. It won’t have any more effect on me, win, lose or draw.”
Oregon running backs coach Gary Campbell, who has been with the program for 24 seasons, echoed Ferrigno’s statements – while it’s special to reunite with former coaches, the gloves come off when the lights go on.
“We’re close to those guys and we root for them most of the time depending on who they’re playing and what the situation is. But we wish them all the luck in the world,” Campbell said. “When it comes to playing us, obviously we want to win and we don’t care who it’s against, friend or foe.”
Tedford, who is 1-2 against Oregon, also deflected any added meaning of playing his former team.
“Not just because it’s Oregon, (but) because it’s a huge game to stay in the conference race,” Tedford said. “My time at Oregon, I really enjoyed it, great people there. I have a lot of respect for them and we won a lot of games there. This is a big test for our team. Oregon’s one of the finest teams in the nation.”
It’s fitting that the Cal-Oregon matchup marks the Bears’ homecoming game and not only for the coaching connections. Often times the recruiting paths of the two schools cross; The Ducks’ current roster boasts 15 players within approximately two hours of Cal’s Berkeley campus. One of those is quarterback Dennis Dixon, the unquestioned leader of Oregon’s potent spread offense, who is from nearby San Leandro.
“It’s pretty much like a homecoming for me, like a reunion,” said Dixon, who was heavily recruited by Cal but wanted to get away from home. “I’ve got so many friends on Cal. I’m really looking forward to playing that game at that house. I’ve been there so many times before, but now it’s my shot to go on in there.”
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