COACHING: Bay Area native Dan Ferrigno is in his third season in charge of Cal's tight ends and special teams. Known for his enthusiastic style of coaching, Ferrigno has worked with virtually every position on both sides of the football during his career.
He came to Cal after spending the previous nine years at Oregon State, where he served under two head coaches, Dave Kragthorpe and Jerry Pettibone. All nine of those years, he was in charge of the Beaver special teams. When Ferrigno arrived at OSU, he spent the first four seasons (1987-90) also coaching running backs, and in 1991, he served as secondary coach. He coached outside linebackers from '92-94 before moving back to the secondary in '95.
Prior to his stint at OSU, Ferrigno was an assistant at Western Michigan from 1982-86, coaching running backs and the offensive line. During his final two seasons, he was the Broncos offensive coordinator, doubling as quarterback coach in '86.
Ferrigno began his coaching career as an assistant at St. Ignatius HS in San Francisco ('75-77) and then took his first college job as San Francisco State's wide receiver and tight end coach under Vic Rowen in 1978. In 1979, he was receiver and tight end coach at the University of the Pacific. He spent the 1980 and '81 seasons as a graduate assistant at Cal under Roger Theder, working with tight ends the first season and then assisting with the offensive line.
PLAYER: Ferrigno still holds the San Francisco State career records for receptions, receiving yardage and TDs. He received honorable mention small college All-America honors in 1973 and '74 and signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos the following year. He also starred at Riordan HS where he earned All-Nor Cal honors and played in the North-South Shrine All-Star game.
PERSONAL: Ferrigno, 45, was born March 24, 1953 in San Francisco. He graduated from San Francisco State in 1975 and received a teaching credential from there in 1978. He was inducted into the SF State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. An avid jogger, he has completed a pair of marathons, with a best time of 3:18 in the 26-mile race. He has three children, Brendan, Meagan and Hannah.
THE FERRIGNO FILE
Favorite Coaching Moment: While at Oregon State, beating Oregon in 1988 for the first time in 14 years.
Favorite Book: Trinity by Leon Uris
Favorite Movie: Ben Hur
Most Influential Coaches in Career: 1. Vic Rowen, 2. Gil Haskell, 3. Ron Lynn
Favorite Off-field Activity or Hobby: Jogging
