# List of California Golden Bears head football coaches

The California Golden Bears college football team represents the University of California, Berkeley in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Until 2023 it formed part of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). The Golden Bears compete as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 34head coaches since it began play during the 1886 season. As of 2017, Justin Wilcox is the head football coach of California Golden Bears.
Jeff Tedford (2002–12) is the leader in seasons coached (11), games won (82), and bowl appearances (8). Pappy Waldorf (1948–56) led the team to three Rose Bowl games from 1948 to 1950. Andy Smith (1916–25) has the highest winning percentage (.799) of any coach (minimum 3 seasons).

## Key

Key to symbols in coaches list :
| General | General | Overall | Overall | Conference | Conference | Postseason | Postseason |
| No. | Order of coaches | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties | C% | Conference winning percentage | | |
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage | | | | |

## Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards :
| No. | Name | Season(s) | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | CC | NC | Awards |
| 1 | Oscar S. Howard | 1886 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0.722 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Lee McClung | 1892 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.625 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Pudge Heffelfinger | 1893 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0.786 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Charles O. Gill | 1894 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Frank Butterworth | 1895–1896 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0.700 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Charles P. Nott | 1897 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.200 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Garrett Cochran$^†$ | 1898–1899 | 19 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0.868 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Addison Kelly | 1900 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0.643 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Frank W. Simpson | 1901 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0.950 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | James Whipple | 1902–1903 | 17 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0.882 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | James Hopper | 1904 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.813 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | J. W. Knibbs | 1905 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0.714 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Jimmie Schaeffer | 1915 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0.615 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | Andy Smith$^†$ | 1916–1925 | 97 | 74 | 16 | 7 | 0.799 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 0.750 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 1920 1921 1922 1923 | — |
| 15 | Nibs Price | 1926–1930 | 47 | 27 | 17 | 3 | 0.606 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 0.440 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 16 | Bill Ingram$^†$ | 1931–1934 | 45 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 0.644 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 0.595 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 17 | Stub Allison | 1935–1944 | 102 | 58 | 42 | 2 | 0.578 | 34 | 27 | 2 | 0.556 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 1937 | — |
| 18 | Buck Shaw | 1945 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0.450 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0.357 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 19 | Frank Wickhorst | 1946 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.222 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0.143 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 20 | Pappy Waldorf$^†$ | 1947–1956 | 103 | 67 | 32 | 4 | 0.670 | 40 | 21 | 4 | 0.646 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | — |
| 21 | Pete Elliott$^†$ | 1957–1959 | 31 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 0.323 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0.444 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | — |
| 22 | Marv Levy | 1960–1963 | 40 | 8 | 29 | 3 | 0.238 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0.188 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 23 | Ray Willsey | 1964–1971 | 83 | 40 | 42 | 1 | 0.488 | 18 | 25 | 1 | 0.420 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 24 | Mike White | 1972–1977 | 66 | 35 | 30 | 1 | 0.538 | 21 | 19 | 1 | 0.524 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — |
| 25 | Roger Theder | 1978–1981 | 45 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 0.378 | 13 | 19 | 0 | 0.406 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 26 | Joe Kapp | 1982–1986 | 55 | 20 | 34 | 1 | 0.373 | 12 | 30 | 1 | 0.291 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 27 | Bruce Snyder | 1987–1991 | 57 | 29 | 24 | 4 | 0.544 | 15 | 19 | 4 | 0.447 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 28 | Keith Gilbertson | 1992–1995 | 46 | 20 | 26 | 0 | 0.435 | 11 | 21 | 0 | 0.344 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 29 | Steve Mariucci | 1996 | 12 | 6 | 6 | — | 0.500 | 3 | 5 | — | 0.375 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 30 | Tom Holmoe | 1997–2001 | 51 | 12 | 39 | — | 0.235 | 6 | 31 | — | 0.162 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 31 | Jeff Tedford | 2002–2012 | 139 | 82 | 57 | — | 0.590 | 50 | 45 | — | 0.526 | 5 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — |
| 32 | Sonny Dykes | 2013–2016 | 49 | 19 | 30 | — | 0.388 | 10 | 26 | — | 0.278 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 33 | Justin Wilcox | 2017–present | 92 | 42 | 50 | — | 0.457 | 23 | 43 | — | 0.348 | 1 | 3 | — | 0 | — | — |