When Jim Tedford went in search of his first head-coaching position last winter, it didn’t hurt to have a reference like Super Bowl champion quarterback Trent Dilfer.

"I believe Jeff’s one of the finest minds in all of football," said Dilfer, who developed into an All-American when Tedford was the quarterbacks coach at Fresno State. "He taught me more about toughness and the game of football than any coach I’ve ever played for, and I’ve had some awfully good coaches. To this day, I still consult him on all major issues that I’m facing in football."

Since leaving Fresno State, Tedford has been a vital part of Oregon’s rise to national prominence, serving as offensive coordinator for four seasons and developing a pair of NFL top-three picks in Akili Smith and Joey Harrington. That caliber of success has Tedford sounding confident that Cal can evolve into a perennial winner despite its tough academic standards.

"Without a doubt," Tedford said. "Cal plays in a great conference. It’s a great university and it’s located in a great area. There is a new commitment to football at Cal, and I feel we can recruit quality student-athletes to come here."

His first order of business is reversing the mindset of a team that started 0-10 last season, before beating Rutgers to close the year. Most of the losses were lopsided, such as 44-17 to Illinois, 44-16 to BYU and 51-20 to Washington State. Cal led Washington by 11 at the half before losing, 31-28.

More blowouts followed, with Cal stumbling by 48-7 against Oregon and by 56-17 to UCLA. The Bears fell, 19-10, at Oregon State, before consecutive home losses to Arizona (38-24) and Southern Cal (55-14). Then in the Big Game, Cal gave bowl-bound Stanford a scare, losing 35-28.

It won't help that the program was recently hit by NCAA sanctions. The team is not eligible to play in a bowl game this season and will be on probation for five years. The university plans to appeal the penalty, which was a reaction to academic fraud, recruiting violations and eligibility violations.

Tedford also loses nine scholarships over the next four years.

In 1999, Kyle Boller arrived at Berkeley as the California High School Player of the Year, having thrown for a state-record 4,838 yards and 59 touchdowns during a magnificent senior season. Heralded as the best quarterback to come out of the San Fernando Valley since John Elway, Boller was ranked No. 1 at his position by PrepStar and Max Emfinger.

Glitzy credentials to be certain, but on his first collegiate play Boller fumbled the snap, and perhaps that set the tone for his career at Cal. During his three seasons as the Bears' starting quarterback, Boller (6-4, 205) has produced decent stats but precious few wins. Cal owns an 8-25 record during that span, and more than any other player, Boller is hopeful that Tedford’s touch can result in a change of fortunes. Last season at Oregon, Tedford’s offense scored on 37-of-39 trips (94 percent) into the red zone, which led the Pac-10.

Boller also could benefit from the arrival of George Cortez, his third offensive coordinator at Cal. Cortez most recently spent four seasons scheming plays for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, where Jeff Garcia developed before becoming a multi-millionaire for the San Francisco 49ers.

Boller is only a 45-percent career passer.

Sophomore Reggie Robertson (6-2, 185), who finished spring as the No. 2 quarterback, has the combination of mobility and arm strength to remind Tedford of Akili Smith. Seeing action in four games, Robertson completed 28-of-65 passes for one touchdown and an interception.

Nigerian-born tailback Joe Igber (5-8, 200) was on his way to leading Cal in rushing for a third consecutive season until he suffered a broken clavicle in Week 7 against Oregon State. Four weeks earlier he had failed to get a carry in the Washington State game after sustaining a leg injury.

As it turns out, Igber finished second on the team with 399 yards -- averaging 4.2 yards per carry -- and two touchdowns. His season-opening performance against Illinois (21 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns) was his best.

Terrell Williams (6-0, 195) was coming along slowly as a freshman backup until Igber went down. Suddenly asked to carry the load, Williams put together three 100-yard games during the final five weeks, including a freshman school-record 185-yard outburst against Rutgers. His 688 rushing yards ranked eighth in the Pac-10, earning him a spot on The Sporting News’ Pac-10 All-Freshman team. He also caught 14 passes for 132 yards.

At fullback, team MVP Marcus Fields has graduated. A dependable lead blocker who also hauled in 26 catches for 301 yards, Fields most likely will be replaced by senior Ryan Stanger (6-2, 245). Stanger started for much of 2000 before serving as Field’s backup last season.

As cornerbacks go, LaShaun Ward (6-1, 195) turned out to be a pretty good receiver. He made three interceptions and broke up eight passes in a little more than two seasons in the secondary, but he switched to offense before the fourth game last season and wound up averaging 23.1 yards per catch. His speed also showed on four end-around carries that gained 69 yards.

Ward went three games without a catch, but during the final five weeks he made 18 catches for 416 yards and four touchdowns. He hurt Arizona with four catches for 135 yards and two scores and added five receptions for 86 yards against Stanford.

The rest of the receiving corps appears wide open, leading Tedford to forecast fierce competition. Junior Geoff McArthur (6-1, 200) will try to regain the form of his freshman season, when he made 20 receptions for 336 yards and two scores. His injury-riddled sophomore season resulted in only four catches for 32 yards.

Another junior, Chase Lyman (6-4, 200), figures to play a larger role after starting three games last season. He caught nine passes for 106 yards and one score, and possesses the size to be an adequate possession receiver.

Former walk-on Burl Toler (6-2, 180) made 12 catches for 174 yards during his freshman season, playing in 10 games and starting two. Sophomore Christian Prelle (6-3, 195), who made six catches for 97 yards, also could be a factor, along with junior college signee Jonathan Makonnen (6-0, 175) and freshmen David Gray (6-3, 205) and Randy Bundy (6-0, 165).

Cal returns its top three tight ends from last season, but don’t be stunned if they wind up playing behind newcomer Brandon Hall , a junior college standout at Orange Coast College. Hall (6-4, 240) spurned offers from Florida and Nebraska after catching 26 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Senior Tom Swoboda (6-4, 235) started eight games in 2001 and may be the best blocking tight end on the roster. He made eight catches for 89 yards.

The right side of the offensive line features a pair of all-conference candidates in senior guard Scott Tercero (6-5, 295) and junior tackle Mark Wilson (6-6, 295). Tercero has made 27 starts in his career, which began with him being selected third-team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News.

Arthroscopic knee surgery forced Tercero to miss the 2000 preseason and left him in pain for much of his sophomore year, but he started nine games nonetheless and graded 90 percent or better five times. As a junior, Tercero was healthy again, made 11 starts and was selected by his teammates as Cal’s best lineman.

Wilson has started all 22 games since red-shirting as a freshman. Wilson’s long arms and excellent agility -- he was an all-state high school basketball standout -- make him a load for pass rushers. He also has added 40 pounds to his frame, bulking up to become a more powerful run blocker. There is also experience at center, where former walk-on Ryan Jones (6-4, 270) returns for his senior season after making seven starts.

On the left side, guard-center Brandon Ludwig and tackle Langston Walker have graduated, leaving new offensive line coach Jim Michalczik with a rebuilding job. Junior Nolan Bluntzer (6-4, 280) figures to get first crack at the guard spot, having played there in seven games last season. The rest of the cast is up for grabs. Juniors Derek Deutsch (6-3, 270) and Chris Murphy (6-6, 300) are two-year letterman who have been used primarily on special teams, while red-shirts Andrew Cameron (6-5, 290), Aaron Merz (6-4, 310), Keith Ornelas (6-4, 290) and Alex Khojikan (6-5, 275) provide a pool of possibilities.

The place kicking job seems secure with 26-year-old senior Mark Jensen (6-2, 195) returning, but strong-legged freshman Kevin Johnson (6-3, 184) could pose a challenge.

Jensen, who previously served a two-year Mormon mission in Germany, made 11-of-14 field goals (the second-best percentage in the Pac-10) and was perfect on his 22 PATs last season. The native of Denmark is 26-of-38 in his career, including 59-of-61 on extra-points. Jensen’s career long field goal is 47 yards and he has experience with kickoffs.

Eight returnees make this unit the most experienced on the squad, but considering Cal’s defensive troubles of a season ago, the defensive linemen had better exhibit worlds of improvement. The only preseason all-star candidate is left end Tully Banta-Cain (6-4, 260) who was fourth in the league with eight sacks as a junior. However, four of those sacks came in the final game of the season, so the new coaching staff would like to see Banta-Cain be more productive over the entire season. Banta-Cain, the cousin of Boston Celtics forward Rodney Rogers, finished with 33 tackles last season, including 17 behind the line of scrimmage.

At the opposite end, junior college import Monte Parson (6-3, 270) looks tough to beat. The 25-year-old U.S. Navy veteran was recruited by Southern Cal, UCLA, Michigan, Illinois, South Carolina and Auburn after making 57 tackles and seven sacks last season.

If Parson doesn’t make a quick transition to Division I football, look for senior Tom Canada (6-3, 265) to get the starting nod. Canada played in 11 games, starting three, and finished with 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Senior Josh Gustaveson (6-3, 255) could contribute as well -- he made five starts last season and registered 12 tackles before being sidelined with a neck injury.

The defensive tackle positions feature two returning starters, led by senior Daniel Nwangwu (6-4, 290), who made four sacks and 22 tackles last year. He made three of those sacks against UCLA, and later recovered a fumble to set up a touchdown against USC.

The high-revving Josh Beckham (6-2, 280) made nine starts as a sophomore, splitting time at both tackle spots. Better against the run, Beckham made 27 tackles and forced a fumble.

Perhaps the most talented tackle is sophomore Lorenzo Alexander (6-3, 280), who made 24 tackles and one sack. A Parade All-American in high school, Alexander earned Pac-10 All-Freshman honors from The Sporting News.

The Bears return a pair of solid linebackers, though neither is exceptionally athletic. Senior John Klotsche (6-0, 240) made a team-leading 71 tackles, including eight tackles for loss. An overachiever, Klotsche has come a long way since his prep days when only Division I-AA schools offered scholarships. Since walking on at Cal, he has worked his way up the depth chart, performing well on special-teams units before becoming a full-time starter last season.

Like Klotsche, senior Matt Nixon (6-1, 220) didn’t attract much attention from major-college recruiters. Nixon turned down several Ivy League schools and Nevada before signing with Cal. Nixon made 15 tackles for loss as a red-shirt sophomore and followed that up with 53 tackles last season (seven behind the line).

The backups inside are senior Paul Ugenti (6-0, 210) and sophomore Wendell Hunter (6-1, 235).

The only starter lost from the linebacking unit is Scott Fujita, whose 60 tackles were second on the team. Senior Calvin Hosey (6-4, 235) exited spring practice as the starter, not a shock considering that no other outside linebacker on the roster has any game experience. Hosey played in 11 games during 2001, making eight tackles.

The secondary shouldered much of the blame for the Bears finishing last in the conference in pass defense (296.3 yards per game). But the unit anticipates improvement this fall as five players with starting experience return.

Senior free safety Nnamdi Asomugha (6-2, 210) could become an All-Pac-10 performer this season, after steadily improving during his career. Asomugha came out of high school ranked as one of the nation’s top defensive backs, choosing Cal over UCLA, Notre Dame and Michigan. His freshman season was trimmed by a broken ankle in the eighth game, but he rebounded to post a team-best 76 tackles as a sophomore, returning his lone interception for a score during an upset of UCLA. Asomugha’s junior campaign was equally solid, as he made 54 tackles, three interceptions and blocked a field goal. His best outing came against Stanford, when he made five stops, picked off two passes and broke up two more.

Three players have experience at strong safety, led by senior Bert Watts (6-1, 210), who made three starts.

Junior James Smith (6-1, 190) and sophomore Perron Wiley (6-0, 210) also will compete for playing time.

The Bears have four returnees at cornerback, the best pair being juniors Atari Callen (5-9. 190), who had 41 tackles and eight passes broken up, and James Bethea (6-0, 190), who had 39 tackles and five passes broken up. Jemeel Powell (6-1, 185), who has five career interceptions, and fellow senior Ray Carmel (5-11, 185) could see action in the nickel package, but Tedford recruited a premium group of defensive backs -- any of whom might climb the depth chart this fall if the upperclassmen don’t meet expectations.

Junior Tyler Fredrickson (6-3, 205) saw a lot of action last season -- too much for the tastes of Golden Bears fans. Fredrickson punted 75 times, averaging 39.5 yards, which tied for fifth in the conference. He placed 17 punts inside the 20, but Tedford would prefer to see less of Fredrickson this fall.

The Bears ranked eighth in the conference in punt returns (7.1 average) and kick returns (18.8) last season, so special teams coach Dave Ungerer has his work cut out for him. Powell and Ward handled the chores in 2001, but a number of fleet-footed freshmen could get a chance this fall.

Needing to upgrade at virtually every position, Tedford’s first recruiting class was as good as can be expected.

"We feel like that we have addressed a lot of needs with this recruiting class," Tedford said. "We had a chance to recruit some local young men that we are very excited about. We have addressed some needs in the secondary, and have addressed some needs with speed. We feel like we have acquired some athletic offensive linemen that can do a lot of things. They are guys that we feel have a great potential, and that will be a key part of our program here."

Tedford especially loaded up on athletes who will be converted to defensive backs, hoping to bolster a secondary that struggled in the pass-happy Pac-10. Among those recruits about to change positions is Donnie McCleskey (5-10, 180), who rushed for 2,236 yards and 29 touchdowns at Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, Cal. McCleskey drew offers from Florida, Nebraska, Washington and Oregon.

Nick Banks (5-11, 185) was one of San Diego’s best tailbacks at Kearny High, but his 4.4 speed will be just as helpful at cornerback. The same goes for David Beverly (6-0, 190) of Long Beach -- who possesses 4.52 speed and a 31-inch vertical -- and Wale Forrester (5-10, 190) of Venice High School, who ran a 4.5 and jumped 32 inches.

O’Keith is one tailback who won’t be shifting. His development during August will be pivotal in determining whether Williams takes a red-shirt.

Junior-college signees Hall and Makonnen could pay immediate rewards in the passing attack. Meanwhile, Gray narrowed his finalists to Colorado, Illinois and Arizona State, but he needs to improve his 4.69 speed. Bundy ran a 4.5 and subsequently drew attention from UCLA and Arizona State.

The only quarterback signee is Steven Levy (6-1, 220) from Cornwall, N.Y. Levy didn’t make any prep All-American teams, but over his final two seasons he threw 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions, while running for 15 scores and leading Don Bosco Prep to consecutive playoff berths. He also showed some toughness during his sophomore season, moving to middle linebacker for the final five games after fracturing his thumb. He was recruited by LSU, Clemson, North Carolina and Iowa.

Tedford faces a monumental challenge making Cal respectable in a conference that appears to be developing more and more football depth with each passing season. The Bears should be more exciting on offense and more stern on defense, but that improvement won’t necessarily translate into more wins.

The non-conference schedule includes match-ups against Michigan State and Air Force, so the Bears won’t be able to pad their record before encountering the rigors of conference play. A .500 season would be a miracle, but Cal is more likely doomed to spend another season in the Pac-10 cellar. The one-year bowl ban shouldn't make much difference.