Justin Wilcox is pulling Steve Greatwood out of retirement in hopes of fixing Cal's struggling offense. The Cal head coach announced Tuesday the longtime offensive line coach will re-join the program as an analyst.
Greatwood retired in 2019 after 40 years in coaching. A Eugene native and a former Oregon Duck himself, Greatwood coached at his alma mater from 1980-94 and again from 2000-16.
He left in 2017 to join Wilcox, another former Duck, at Cal. Though Greatwood and Wilcox never wore Oregon green and yellow at the same time, the pair have a relationship going back decades thanks to the many Wilcoxes that played for Oregon through the years. And so coming off a loss to winless Colorado, Wilcox has called in one of his most trusted friends and advisors.
“It’s a performance-based business, for the coaches and players alike,” Wilcox said, via Bear Insider. “We have made a couple adjustments with our lineup this season and there’s a potential that could still evolve this week and in coming weeks. In terms of personnel, we added an analyst to the staff who’s familiar with us, Steve Greatwood. He joined us Sunday. An extra set of eyes and a person who’s universally respected, not only as an offensive line coach but as an offensive coach. Eyes and ears and maybe a little fresh perspective.
“Any chance to help make the program better and he’s here to support our staff and we welcome him back.”
At the midpoint of the season, Cal is 3-3 overall and 1-2 in Pac-12 play. The Golden Bears are 11th in the Pac-12 in yards per play (5.58), scoring offense (23.7 points per game), passing efficiency (126.78), and 10th in rushing offense (128.67).
The Bears have three ranked teams on their second-half schedule, plus improved Washington and Oregon State squads. Cal hosts Washington on Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
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