Ron Gould, UC Davis’ new head football coach, said what really excites him about the prospect of leading Aggie football is “the opportunity to have it all — to have the academics as well as the athletics.”

Gould was introduced to the Aggie community at a morning press conference on Monday (Dec. 17). A 16-year veteran of the University of California, Berkeley, coaching staff, Gould was most recently the Golden Bears' associate head coach and coordinated its running game.

Gould isn’t the only one excited about his new opportunity. UC Davis Director of Athletics Terry Tumey, beaming with pride, called Gould “a perfect fit for UC Davis.”

“Ron has the ability…to invest fully in students on the field of play, in the classroom, in their lives. So for Ron, the game isn’t over at the end of the fourth quarter. The game is over once the game of life is over, because he will be a teacher and an advocate for his students for the rest of their lives. … I had to have him for UC Davis because I felt as though UC Davis students deserve an exceptional coach of this nature.”

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi applauded the choice, saying, "Ron is known as a coach who invests in his players so they will succeed with football and with their studies. He will not only be an outstanding coach. In the UC Davis tradition, Ron will be an outstanding mentor and teacher, too."

Gould was a candidate for the 2010 American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year Award and has served internships with six NFL teams, including the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. He brings extensive coaching experience, particularly in the running game. As Cal's run game coordinator, he helped the team feature one of the most potent rushing attacks in the Pac-12 Conference while developing nine 1,000-yard rushers during the last 11 years of his tenure.

See a photo gallery about Gould’s career in football and read a Q&A with our new coach. UC Davis has also announced the 2013 football schedule.

Ron Gould said he was attracted to UC Davis for “the rich, long-standing football tradition, world-class academics and the opportunity to combine the two into a great experience for student-athletes.” Mark Honbo/UC Davis photo