BERKELEY, Calif. -- Jeff Tedford made a downtrodden program relevant as coach at California, putting out competitive teams for a decade, developing dozens of NFL players and spearheading a facilities upgrade. When he was unable to match his own early on-field success in recent years he was fired after 11 years as coach. Cal fired Tedford on Tuesday, ending a tenure that began with great promise and ended with a disappointing run of mediocrity capped by his worst season as coach. "This was a difficult decision made after considerable thought and analysis and reflection," athletic director Sandy Barbour said. "Jeff Tedford is a good man who has brought great success and celebration and to his university and deserves to occupy a place of honour in the Cal family. His legacy is unquestioned." Tedford engineered an impressive turnaround for the Bears after taking over a one-win team following the 2001 season. He won a school-record 82 games, churned out numerous NFL prospects and was a major factor in a $321 million stadium renovation. But after winning 10 games twice in his first five years and taking a share of the 2006 conference title, Tedford was unable to keep the Bears near the top of the Pac-12 conference anymore. The program bottomed out this season, losing the final five games to finish 3-9 for Tedfords worst season. The Bears lost to rival Stanford for the third straight season and the year was capped by the most lopsided losses of Tedfords career, a 59-17 home loss to Oregon followed by a season-ending 62-14 loss at Oregon State. Barbour met with Tedford the previous two days to discuss the future of the program and announced her decision Tuesday. "I certainly wanted the answer to be Jeff," she said. "But I have that obligation to do whats right for Cal. It was a matter of did I believe that we could turn around some of these worrisome trends competitively and academically. Ultimately my conclusion was it wouldnt be deep enough to take us to where we need to be." Tedford released a statement thanking the school for the opportunity to coach there. "All involved can feel a great sense of pride with their sacrifice, contributions and commitment that have made it possible to have the winningest tenure in Cal football history," he said. "We all can be very proud of helping to build a renovated Memorial Stadium that will have a positive impact on many athletes, fans and staff members for years to come." Tedford is still owed $6.9 million over the final three years of his contract, although Barbour said the sides are working on a settlement. She also said no state funds or student fees will be used to pay Tedford or the new coach. Barbour said she would consider both NFL and college coaches and wanted to find a replacement quickly. Cal which will be aided by the firm of DHR International in the search. The Cal players gave Tedford a standing ovation after getting the news. "Everybody really respects coach a lot and loves coach a lot," offensive lineman Jordan Rigsbee said. "It really meant a lot to us to send him off in that way." Tedford established himself at Cal as a quarterback guru, helping develop Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers into first-round picks in his first three seasons after tutoring No. 3 overall pick Joey Harrington as offensive co-ordinator at Oregon. But if there was one reason for Tedfords downfall it was his inability to find another big-time quarterback after Rodgers left following the 2004 season. The Bears ran through a group of pedestrian passers like Joe Ayoob, Nate Longshore, Kevin Riley, Brock Mansion and Zach Maynard. The inability to pair an elite passer with the top-level talent at the skill positions proved to be Tedfords undoing. The Bears often put together some of the best recruiting classes on the West Coast and had 40 players drafted into the NFL, including eight first-round picks, under Tedfords leadership. Cal had 25 players on NFL rosters at the start of this season, ninth most in the nation. That includes stars like Rodgers, DeSean Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. But those star players were unable to get the Bears back to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1958 season. The closest Cal came was in Rodgers final season in 2004 when the Bears had a 10-1 regular season, losing 23-17 to eventual national champion Southern California. Texas beat out Cal for a Rose Bowl spot much to the dismay of the fan base. The Bears shared the conference title with USC in 2006 but lost the head-to-head matchup and settled for the Holiday Bowl. Cals fortunes turned downward that next season after a 5-0 start. With the Bears poised to move into the No. 1 spot in the polls following a loss by LSU, they lost to Oregon State in the closing seconds. Starting with that game, Tedford had a 34-37 record over his final 5 1/2 seasons. The Bears even got passed by Stanford in the Pac-12 hierarchy to the dismay of the alumni, with the Cardinal in position to get that Rose Bowl bid that has eluded Cal over the years despite losing star quarterback Andrew Luck to the NFL. Adding to negatives for Tedford was news last month that Cal graduated only 48 per cent of football players who entered school between 2002 and 2005 -- the lowest rate in the Pac-12. Barbour said in a letter to donors that the low graduation rate was a "great concern." The one bright spot in Tedfords final seasons came when Memorial Stadium reopened this fall following the major renovation. The modernized stadium and adjacent $150 million on-campus High Performance Center finally give Cal the facilities to compete with the rest of the conference. While Tedfords work rebuilding the program and fundraising for the project were integral in its success, his successor will ultimately reap the benefits. "This is a great job," Barbour said. "Its been made better by Jeff Tedford. This is a very attractive job that will attract a number of candidates that will meet these criteria. We will have an opportunity to make a great choice." Cheap Jerseys China . Villaneuva, who is 1-5 over his last eight starts, matched up against Buchholz on Sept. 9 at Fenway Park and pitched six innings in a no-decision. Hes 2-1 in eight games (3 starts) against Boston. Cheap Jerseys NFL . An article in The Georgia Straight alleges that John Furlong physically and mentally abused native children while teaching Phys. http://www.nfljerseyschinawholesalecheaponsale.com/ . The three-year veteran tried to play through the injury in during training camp, but coach Mike Munchak said Sunday that McRath had decided to have the surgery. Cheap Jerseys From China . So when they got one Monday night, they made the most of it. DJ LeMahieu had a career-best four hits, Jeff Francis pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Rockies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-6. nfljerseyschinawholesalecheaponsale .cas NFL Editor Justin Boone and Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen compare fantasy football rankings and provide justification for some of the more notable differences in their opinions.CHICAGO -- Chris Sale made his pitch. Did he ever. The Chicago White Soxs young lefty convinced general manager Ken Williams that the discomfort he felt in his elbow was normal soreness and not pain from a major injury. An MRI came out clean to back up his claim and on Friday the White Sox decided to put him back in the starting rotation, a week after he was sent to the bullpen as a precautionary measure. Hes scheduled to start Saturday against Kansas City. "At the end of the day, were all on the same side. Theyve had my best interest in mind since the day I got here. Theyd rather be too cautious than not cautious enough. I got no complaints, because at the end of the day, they truly are looking out for my best interests," Sale said Friday after a meeting that included Williams, manager Robin Ventura and members of the medical and coaching staff. "It was just something that might have been maybe a little early, as far as making a move before getting an MRI, making sure 100 per cent that I wasnt able to do it," Sale added. "At the end of the day, it all came through and worked out well." The team sent him to the bullpen May 4, worried that the lanky 6-foot-6 Sale, who worked out of the bullpen in 2010 and 2011, might be doing too much too soon in his first season as a starter and concerned about his report of pain to the medical staff. He went 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA in five starts. After the switch, he pitched a game in relief and blew the ssave.dddddddddddd The teams first-round draft choice in 2010, Sale phoned Williams with a passionate plea to go back in the rotation in a strong conversation that Williams said nearly crossed the line. "The forcefulness in which he wanted to get back on the mound told us something. It told us the soreness wasnt something he felt was painful enough where we had to pull the plug on him," Williams said. "If Chris Sale believes in something he will stand up for himself and he doesnt care who he stands up against. He had some very strong things to say to me." Sales main point was that his arm was just sore not injured and thats why he asked for the MRI. "Thats something I knew from day one. It was never pain," he said. "I never had to skip a start or put on my clothes a different way. It was just sore. At the end of the day, it just was. Im thankful for that." Sale, whose fastball has been clocked at 100 mph, will be monitored and Williams said theres a chance he could skip starts. Sale was 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 58 games out of the bullpen last season and pitched in only 11 minor league games before being called up in 2010. But Williams said the White Sox drafted Sale out of Florida Gulf Coast to be a starter. "Hes unique. He earned the right through his performance to get to the majors quickly," Williams said. "To a certain degree were treading on new ground, but were treading on cautious ground." ' ' '