Ex-UW Huskies DC fired as Cal coach; ex-WSU coach Rolovich takes over

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Cal fired coach Justin Wilcox on Sunday, one day after the Golden Bears suffered a lopsided loss to Stanford in the Big Game.

Former WSU Cougars and Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich, who was an offensive assistant on Wilcox’s staff, will coach the team in the season finale against No. 25 SMU on Saturday.

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The move to relieve Wilcox, who was UW Huskies defensive coordinator from 2012-13, was the biggest one made yet by first-year general manager Ron Rivera, who was tasked with building the Bears into a winning program.

“I want to thank Justin for all of his contributions to our football program, our athletic department and our university,” Rivera said in a statement. “He has always comported himself with class and professionalism. After careful consideration, we believe the time has come for new leadership. We wish Justin the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

ESPN first reported the firing.

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Rivera had talked before the season about the potential of winning at least eight games and the Golden Bears did show some progress in strong play from freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and a win two weeks ago with a 29-26 overtime win at No. 14 Louisville for Cal’s first win against a ranked team since 2020.

Rivera declined the chance to give Wilcox a vote of confidence at a news conference before the Big Game and any optimism was wasted with a dismal performance in the rivalry game against Stanford. Cal lost three fumbles — two that were returned for touchdowns — and committed 13 penalties for 123 yards in a 31-10 loss that was the most lopsided for the Bears against Stanford since 2014.

“I understand their pain,” Wilcox said after the game about the fan base. “I understand the frustration. We’re working as hard as we possibly can to play as good as we can, and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Wilcox was in his ninth season at Cal and was never able to turn the Bears into a consistent contender. He had a 48-55 record with a 26-47 record in conference games in the Pac-12 and ACC.

The loss to Stanford on Saturday assured that Cal never had a winning record in conference play under Wilcox. The Bears hadn’t won more than six games in a season since going 8-5 in 2019 when they beat Illinois in the Redbox Bowl for their only bowl win under Wilcox.

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