Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford won’t coach Bulldogs in bowl game due to health issue

Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford will not be with the Bulldogs in a postseason bowl game that has yet to be determined due to a personal health issue.

His status beyond that bowl is unknown at this point. Tedford informed the team of his decision during a meeting Friday morning.

Assistant head coach and linebackers coach Tim Skipper will serve as acting coach for the bowl.

Tedford returned to his alma mater in 2017 and became the first coach in history to take an 1-11 program and win 10 or more games in his first two seasons, the Bulldogs going 10-4 with a victory in the Hawaii Bowl and then 12-2 with a Mountain West Conference championship and Las Vegas Bowl victory.

But he had to step away after an injury-plagued 4-8 season in 2019, during which he was dealing with heart-related health issues, and had a cardiac ablation procedure. He took time to recuperate and to spend time away from the rigors of running a football program with his family, his wife Donna and sons Taylor and Quinn.

“My wife and sons have sacrificed a lot,” he said, full of emotion on that December morning in 2019 when he stepped away. “And, now, it’s time to live.”

The COVID-19 pandemic waylaid many plans, but Tedford did that, for a time.

But when coach Kalen DeBoer was hired away by Washington late in the 2021 season, Tedford was ready for a return and pulled off another college football first.

The Bulldogs lost quarterback Jake Haener with an ankle injury in the third game of the 2022 season and started 1-4, but became the first team in history to finish with 10 wins after a 1-4 start. The Bulldogs ended up 10-4 with another Mountain West championship and a victory over Washington State in the L.A. Bowl.

Tedford, who is 62, is in the second year of a five-year contract worth $8.25 million and $1.55 million this season.

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He came into the season not only feeling healthier, but better about a balance between life and a high-stress job.

“I’m much happier as coach now than I’ve ever been,” Tedford said, at the Mountain West Media Days in July. “Being away and thinking that I’m never going to do it again, I appreciate it much more. I love going to work. I love being around the players. I could coach for another 10 years. I really feel that way. I’m so energized right now. I can’t wait to get back to work. I can’t wait to do this.

“I’m not sure that was what it was five or 10 years ago. I think it was, ‘Oh, here we go with the grind again.’ Well, I don’t look at it that way anymore. That time off gave me time to reflect on all the cool things about what we do - the kids, the competition, the coaching staff, the strategy. I think I really do have a different mindset. Not that I work any less or anything, because I still do all that stuff, I just do it through a different lens.”

Skipper and the Bulldogs will start bowl practices once a matchup is determined — the only Mountain West team locked into a bowl at this point is San Jose State, which is headed to the Hawaii Bowl.

Skipper has previous experience as an assistant head coach at Central Michigan in 2021 and at Colorado State in 2013 and ‘14 under coach Jim McElwain at both stops.