Page One

Cal head football coach Tom Holmoe announced Thursday that associate head coach and defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich has agreed to a new two-year contract.  

Setencich, who recently completed his fourth season with the Golden Bears, is regarded as one of the top defensive coaches in college football. His new agreement will carry him through the 2002 football season.  

Holmoe said he was pleased to have Setencich remain a part of the Cal football program. “Lyle is a huge part of what we are trying to accomplish here at Cal and I’m real happy that he’s going to be with us for the next two seasons and hopefully much longer,” said Holmoe. “He’s perhaps the premier defensive coordinator in the country and he is a valued counsel to me in all matters relating to our football program.”  

Setencich had turned down overtures from several schools around the country to remain at Cal. “I believe in what we’re building here at Cal and I wanted to show my commitment to the program and to Tom Holmoe,” said Setencich. “I’ve been around long enough in the coaching profession to know when there’s a solid foundation for long-term success and I think we have that here at Cal.”  

Setencich has orchestrated a turnaround in Cal’s defensive fortunes, taking a defense that ranked last in the Pac-10 in total defense in 1996, the year before he came to Cal, to the No. 1 spot in the conference in 1999.  

He has helped develop several NFL players, including first team All-Americans Deltha O’Neal in 1999 and Andre Carter this past season. During the course of Setencich’s tenure, 14 Cal defensive players have gone on to sign NFL contracts, including nine last spring.