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Mark Tommerdahl is in his fourth season as the special teams coordinator at Cal in 2016 and his second with the added duties as the program’s assistant head coach. Tommerdahl has served on coaching staffs of 14 bowl teams as well as six league champions and two division winners at some of the top Division I football programs in the country over his first 32 seasons as a collegiate coach.
The Cal program has experienced a seven-win turnaround on the field over the last two seasons from a 1-11 record in 2013 to an 8-5 mark in 2015 that is tied for the second best in school history behind only the eight-win improvement from a 2-10 mark in 1946 to a 10-1 record in 1948.
Cal's 8-5 record in 2015 was the team's first eight-win season since the 2009 squad was also 8-5 with only 29 teams since the beginning of Cal football in 1882-83 winning eight or more and only 17 either nine or 10. Cal capped its 2015 season with its first bowl victory since 2008 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl with the spot in postseason play its first since 2011.
Tommerdahl's special teams unit have had several special moments during his Cal tenure including in a trio of games in 2015 including Matt Anderson's 26-yard field goal with no time remaining to lift the Golden Bears to a 48-46 comeback victory over Arizona State in the regular-season finale.
In his first season as the team's starter in 2015, Anderson made his final 12 regular-season field goal attempts, as well as 17 of his last 18 and 18-of-21 overall while leading the team with 104 points overall by adding 50-of-52 extra points. Anderson ranked third in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (85.7%), sixth in PATs made (50) and tied for sixth in field goals made (1.38 fgmpg). The business administration major was also a first-team Pac-12 All-Academic choice with a 3.75 cumulative GPA that led the team for the third consecutive year.
Other notable special teams moments of the 2015 campaign came at Oregon and vs. Washington State.
Raymond Hudson and Hamilton Anoa'i blocked Oregon's only two punt attempts in a game in Eugene to make Cal one of the only two teams to block a pair of punts in 2015. Cal's total of three blocked punts in 2015 ranked tied for second nationally and led the Pac-12 with Matt Rockett recording the campaign's other block in the season-opener against Grambling State.
In a home victory over Washington State, Anderson's onside kick successfully recovered by Darius Powe was the only one by a Pac-12 team during the campaign.
The Bears also allowed only six punt returns to rank second nationally and set a school record with one less than the previous school-record low of seven during the 2014 campaign. The team's 62 punt return yards tied for the second-lowest in the nation.
In 2014, the Bears also several special moments including a game-winning field goal on the final play of a 59-56 double overtime victory against Colorado when James Langford nailed a 34-yarder in the second overtime. Trevor Davis had one of the most memorable games by an individual in the history of Cal football in 2014 in a wild 60-59 win at Washington State when he equaled NCAA and Pac-12 single-game records by becoming the 20th player in FBS history and the third in the Pac-12 to bring back two kick returns for touchdowns in a single game on consecutive kick returns of 100 and 98 yards. His 99.0 yards per return average was also a single-game school record and his 100-yard kick return the longest by a Cal player since 1999.
Tommerdahl’s 2014 special teams units were highlighted by Davis, who averaged a single-season school-record 32.6 yards per kick return to rank second in the nation in 2014 and also tied for second nationally with a pair of kick returns for touchdowns to earn first-team All-Pac-12 honors from Phil Steele among a long list of honors.
In Tommerdahl’s first season in 2013 placekicker Vincenzo D’Amato and punter Cole Leiningerreceived All-Pac-12 honors after showing great improvement.
D’Amato was a second-team All-Pac-12 choice of the league’s coaches and a third-team selection of Athlon and Phil Steele. He was also a national semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, a final candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, an honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic pick, and played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl following the season. D’Amato made 17-of-20 (85.0%) field goal attempts to rank tied for second in the Pac-12 and tied for 23rd nationally in field goal percentage. He was also tied for third in the conference and tied for 25th nationally in field goals made per game (1.42 fgmpg).
Leininger was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection according to College Sports Madness as a 2013 sophomore after his 42.9 yards per punt average that was a full three yards better than his 2012 mark and ranked third in the Pac-12 and 33rd nationally while checking in at eighth on Cal's all-time single-season list.
Leininger was Cal's starting punter for four seasons and posted a career 41.1 yards per punt average that ranked just percentage points outside Cal's career top 10. He was a member of the watch list for the Ray Guy Award honoring the nation’s top punter during both his sophomore and junior campaigns, starting his junior season on the list after being added midseason as a sophomore. He was also an honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic selection in each of his final three campaigns.
Cal opponents posted the lowest net punting average in the Pac-12 during both the 2014 (34.2) and 2015 (35.0) campaigns.
“Mark Tommerdahl is one of the elite special teams coaches in the country who has been a key member of staffs at the top level of college football,” head coach Sonny Dykes said. “He has an impeccable track record in developing top specialists and producing some of the strongest special teams play in the nation. It’s been a bit of a struggle on special teams since we’ve got here with our lack of depth and some of the injuries we’ve had to deal with. I don’t think we’ve been satisfied with our teams up to this point, but I would expect us to be much improved this year. We’re in a great spot right now. Matt Anderson had a good season individually last year as a kicker, and I think we’re going to be good at punter. I think we also have an opportunity to have an outstanding return game. As we develop more and more depth on our football team, it’s going to show in our special teams. We’re still going to be a little bit young this year, but we’re going to have the talent and depth that we need in order to be successful at this level. I think special teams will become one of the strengths of our ballclub.”
His assistant head coaching duties also include being the primary point of contact among the coaches for the academic support staff that has helped the program turn around previous academic deficiencies as evidenced by a single-season Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 997 in the most recent data released by the NCAA in April of 2016. Cal’s 997 APR for the 2014-15 academic year ties for the highest in the Pac-12 and the 19-point jump (941 to 960) in the multi-year rate from the previous report a year prior is the best among the conference's football programs.
Tommerdahl also worked with the team’s inside receivers of Cal’s record-breaking offense in both 2013 and 2014, while also coaching the team’s fullbacks in 2014.
CAL PLAYERS ON MARK TOMMERDAHL
“I am incredibly fortunate to have Coach Tommerdahl as my special teams coach. He has pushed me to become both a better person and a better man. Having his experience on the sideline helps me perform to the best of my ability come gametime.”
– Junior PK Matt Anderson
“Coach Tommerdahl is the type of coach you would want to go through a wall for.”
– Senior ST Patrick Worstell
Prior to his arrival in Berkeley, Tommerdahl spent four seasons at Louisiana Tech from 2009-12, including the final three as the special teams coordinator and inside receivers coach under Dykes. During his tenure with the Bulldogs, he tutored a pair of All-Americans in two-time first-team selection punter Ryan Allen (2011, ’12) and tight end Dennis Morris (2009), with Allen punting in all 48 regular-season games and seven postseason contests for the Super Bowl XLIX champion New England Patriots from 2013-15 after signing an undrafted free agent contract with the NFL team following his 2012 collegiate season.
In addition to leading the country in scoring offense and total offense with a unit that posted the fifth-highest per-game scoring average ever by a team in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Louisiana Tech was among the NCAA’s top 20 in 2012 in passing offense (3rd, 350.75 ypg), fewest sacks allowed (7th, 0.83 spg), turnover margin (10th, +1.08 per game) and rushing offense (18th, 227.17 ypg). The Bulldogs scored more than 40 points in 11 of 12 games and over 50 points on eight occasions.
Louisiana Tech also led the nation in 2012 in net punting with a 43.51 average behind the performance of Allen, who became the first back-to-back and second two-time winner of the Ray Guy Award that was first given in 2000. Allen led the nation in punting in 2012 with a school-record 48.04 yards per punt average, punting 45 times for 2,162 yards. He had 21 punts of 50 yards or more, including the nation’s longest punt of the season with an 85-yarder at New Mexico State. Allen also pinned opponents inside the 20-yard-line on 20 occasions with only five touchbacks.
Allen’s 2012 campaign followed a 2011 season in which he was the only player from a non-BCS school to win a national award after averaging 46.12 yards per punt to rank fifth nationally. The Bulldogs were eighth in the country in net punting (40.12 ypg) and also led the nation in kickoff coverage.
In 2010, Louisiana Tech led the WAC and ranked 10th nationally in punt returns with an average of 13.63 yards per return, while ranking fourth in the conference and 25th nationally in kick returns (23.52 ypg). Much of the Bulldogs’ prowess was due to the play of Phillip Livas, who led the WAC and ranked sixth nationally with an average of 15.50 yards per punt return. Livas was also fifth in the WAC and 49th nationally in kick returns with a 24.63 yard average. Livas played his final two seasons for Tommerdahl during a career in which he tied an NCAA all-time record with a combined eight kick and punt return touchdowns, bringing back four of each for scores.
Morris garnered All-American honors and was named the Tight End Performer of the Year by the College Football Performance Awards in 2009 with 38 catches for 623 yards receiving and 12 touchdown catches that were the most nationally among tight ends that season. In addition, Tommerdahl’s punt return squad led the WAC and ranked 25th nationally (12.33 ypr).
Tommerdahl spent the 2008 season as an assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Louisiana-Monroe. He developed first-team All-Sun Belt tight end Kenneth Zacharie and also had a kickoff coverage team that led the conference.
For five seasons from 2003-07, Tommerdahl was the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Texas A&M. During his tenure with the Aggies, Tommerdahl helped lead the program to the Cotton Bowl (2004), Holiday Bowl (2006) and Alamo Bowl (2007).
Tommerdahl’s special teams units at Texas A&M were also among the nation’s best, ranking in the top 25 in the nation in net punting in 2006 (37.00 nypp, 25th) and 2007 (39.17 nypp, 5th), and in kickoff returns in 2003 (23.90 ypr, 10th), 2006 (26.08 ypr, 3rd) and 2007 (23.54 ypr, 20th).
He coached current New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett, who has been in the NFL since 2008 after ending his Texas A&M career as the program’s all-time leader at the position in receptions and yards receiving. During the 2005 season at Texas A&M, Tommerdahl coached a pair of Freshman All-Americans in Bennett and punter Justin Brantly.
Tommerdahl spent the 2001 and 2002 seasons at Alabama as the program’s special teams coordinator and tight ends coach, helping the Crimson Tide to the 2001 Independence Bowl and 2002 SEC West Division title when the squad finished 11th in the final AP Top 25.
Tommerdahl also served as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach during stints at TCU (1998-2000), New Mexico (1997) and Minnesota (1995-96), coaching a Lou Groza Award semifinalist at all three schools. He also had recruiting coordinator duties at Minnesota.
TCU won a pair of Western Athletic Conference titles in 1999 and 2000 on its way to appearances in the Mobile Alabama Bowl each season. Tommerdahl’s special teams groups made significant contributions, with a kickoff return unit that was ranked first nationally both campaigns while his special teams squads led the league in three of four statistical categories each season.
In 1997 at New Mexico, four of the Lobos’ special teams units were ranked in the top 20 in the country as the team won the WAC Mountain Division title and played in the Insight.com Bowl.
A native of Fergus Falls, Minn., Tommerdahl began his collegiate coaching career in 1984 with a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at Wyoming, where he spent 11 seasons serving in numerous capacities including offensive coordinator, backfield coach, tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped lead the Cowboys to four bowl appearances and three WAC titles during his tenure.
Tommerdahl earned a bachelor’s degrees in business and physical education from Concordia College in Minnesota in 1983, and an MBA with an emphasis in marketing from Wyoming in 1986. He is married to the former Annette Jondahl.
Mark Tommerdahl File
Birthdate: February 20, 1961
Hometown: Fergus Falls, MN
High School: Fergus Falls HS
College: Concordia College (Minnesota), 1982, Bachelor's in Business and Physical Education; Wyoming, 1986; MBA with an emphasis in Marketing,
Family: Wife, Annette
Pronunciation: TUM-ur-doll
Collegiate Coaching History
Season: School – Position
1984: Wyoming – Graduate Assistant
1985: Wyoming – Graduate Assistant
1986: Wyoming – Recruiting Coordinator
1987: Wyoming – Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
1988: Wyoming – Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
1989: Wyoming – Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
1990: Wyoming – Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends
1991: Wyoming – Backfield
1992: Wyoming – Backfield
1993: Wyoming – Backfield
1994: Wyoming – Backfield
1995: Minnesota – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
1996: Minnesota – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
1997: New Mexico – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
1998: TCU – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
1999: TCU – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2000: TCU – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2001: Alabama – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2002: Alabama – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2003: Texas A&M – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2004: Texas A&M – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2005: Texas A&M – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2006: Texas A&M – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2007: Texas A&M – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2008: Louisiana Monroe – Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2009: Louisiana Tech – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2010: Louisiana Tech – Special Teams Coordinator/Inside Receivers
2011: Louisiana Tech – Special Teams Coordinator/Inside Receivers
2012: Louisiana Tech – Special Teams Coordinator/Inside Receivers
2013: Cal – Special Teams Coordinator/Inside Receivers
2014: Cal – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends/Fullbacks
2015: Cal – Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
2016: Cal – Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
Bowl History (14 Games)
Season: School – Bowl
1987: Wyoming – Holiday Bowl
1988: Wyoming – Holiday Bowl
1990: Wyoming – Copper Bowl
1993: Wyoming – Copper Bowl
1997: New Mexico – Insight.com Bowl
1998: TCU – Sun Bowl
1999: TCU – Mobile Alabama Bowl
2000: TCU – Mobile Alabama Bowl
2001: Alabama – Independence Bowl
2004: Texas A&M – Cotton Bowl
2006: Texas A&M – Holiday Bowl
2007: Texas A&M – Alamo Bowl
2011: Louisiana Tech – Poinsettia Bowl
2015: Cal – Armed Forces Bowl
*Season in which bowl game was played
Last Updated
July 8, 2016
