Few human beings have spent more time evaluating offensive line play than Steve Greatwood, and he'll do it for the final time on Monday.
Greatwood announced Saturday that he will retire following Cal's appearance in the Redbox Bowl against Illinois (4 p.m. ET, FOX).
"I've had the pleasure of doing what I love to do for my entire adult life," Greatwood said. "I've been a pretty lucky guy in that respect and maybe even luckier to have been able to spend so much time with so many tremendous people. It's tough to leave this job that I love so much and a program that is on such an upswing under the leadership of Justin Wilcox, but there comes a time when you know it's just right to move on and that's where I'm at in my life. It's been an unbelievable job for the last 40 years and I'll cherish all of the memories forever."
A Eugene native and a former Oregon lineman, Greatwood began coaching for his alma mater and spent 40 consecutive years coaching offensive linemen and tight ends. His first full-time job came at Oregon in 1981, where he remained through 1984. He left to coach for the St. Louis Rams in 1995 and '96, and later took jobs at Maryland and USC.
Greatwood returned to Oregon in 2000 as the Ducks' defensive line coach, then moved to offensive line in 2005, where he was a major cog in the golden era of Oregon football.
Greatwood remained at Oregon through 2016, then joined Justin Wilcox's staff at Cal in 2017.
"Steve Greatwood is one of the best offensive line coaches in the history of our game and an even better person," Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. "I have the utmost respect for coach Wood and the work he has done over the last four decades. He was the first person I hired at Cal three years ago. The impact he made both on and off the field in the lives of our young men and his fellow coaches during his three seasons with our program will have a positive influence on our program for many years to come. I wish we could keep him around longer because he will be very difficult to replace, but he has built a tremendous foundation for our offensive line unit to build upon in the years ahead. If anyone has earned the right to enjoy his retirement and enjoy life, it's coach Wood."
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