Sonny Dykes:
Cal fires its head coach, above, after four seasons and a 19-30 record.
In a move that was shocking in its timing, Cal fired head coach Sonny Dykes on Sunday morning.
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will serve as interim head coach.
Dykes, 47, completed his fourth season at the helm of the Golden Bears on Nov. 26, posting records of 19-30 overall and 10-26 in Pac-12 play. He’s one of the highest-paid employees in the entire University of California system, making about $3 million a year. His contract runs through 2019.
The news, first reported by Fox Sports,
hinged on several factors, one source said, including Dykes’ interest in other jobs, slow season-ticket sales and a “stagnation” in the program. Dykes reportedly interviewed for the head-coaching position at Missouri last offseason and the job at Baylor this offseason.
Another source suggested Dykes’ public search for other jobs over the past two years essentially triggered Sunday’s decision.
“This morning I learned that the Cal administration was moving in a different direction and terminating my employment as head football coach without cause,” Dykes said in a statement. “I was surprised and disappointed, but I have no choice but to accept the decision and move on.
“Cal is a special place, and it has been a pleasure to be part of one of the greatest learning environments in the world. I am proud of the academic turnaround and athletic successes we have had in Berkeley. We got the academic ship righted and set records on the field. I wish the football program, the university, and the entire Bear family nothing but the best in the future.”
Athletic director Mike Williams wouldn’t discuss the details of his Sunday morning meeting with Dykes, but the AD several times mentioned wanting a head coach who wanted to make a long-term commitment to Cal.
“First and foremost, we want somebody who is committed to building a winning football program on the field,” Williams said. “We want somebody who is committed to academic achievement. We want to make sure that our studentathletes have a tremendous experience. We believe all three of those things can be held at the same time. Every other program at Cal reaches that standard, and we want to do the same thing with football.
“We also want somebody who is committed to Cal for the long term, somebody who really wants to be at Cal and somebody who really wants to build a winning program.”
Cal Chancellor Nicholas Dirks, in a news release, said, “I have been in close contact with Director of Athletics Mike Williams in recent days about this matter. I fully support his decision and am convinced that it is in the best interests of our student-athletes, the program, and the University.”
Williams said he has a short list of candidates, but he declined to discuss names until the end of the hiring process.
Among the candidates to replace Dykes are Ron Rivera, head coach of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and a former All-America linebacker at Cal; Wisconsin defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, who played at Oregon and was linebackers coach at Cal for three years (2003-05); and Spavital, the young and highly regarded offensive coordinator who joined Dykes’ staff last year.
The Bears probably have little chance of attracting former 49ers/Eagles/Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, given his likely salary demands.
“We’d like to have a head coach as soon as possible, but we will be thoughtful and thorough in our search,” Williams said. “I think that what we need to do as a community, is to commit to championship football. I think that might be the one we’re lacking, because we have the resources, we get the right student-athletes, and Cal is a place that produces champions in virtually every other sport.
“I think, if we have that same commitment in football, we’ll have championship football teams.”
Williams said he used software to inform the players and coaching staff of the Dykes firing within 10 minutes of the meeting. With about a month remaining in the recruiting cycle, the Bears’ assistant coaches have contacted the committed recruits.
Dykes and his “Bear Raid” offensive attack produced plenty of points — Cal ranked fourth in the nation in passing offense in 2016 and 10th in total offense. But the defense was atrocious during his four years; it ranked 125th out of 128 teams this past season.
The Bears finished the season 5-7 and didn’t qualify for a bowl game. They went 8-5 in 2015, led by record-setting quarterback Jared Goff — who would become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft — including a win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.