C.J. Anderson joins the Cal football staff

The California Golden Bears have added an all-time great to the coaching staff as former NFL running back C.J. Anderson has traded in his cleats for a headset.

According to a tweet from Adam Schefter, Anderson has accepted a role as a volunteer offensive coach under head coach Justin Wilcox. Anderson announced his retirement from the NFL just last month and has confirmed on his social media accounts that he indeed did take the role at Cal.

A native of Berkeley himself, Anderson played for Cal in 2011-12 before becoming a Super Bowl Champion in the NFL.

Despite not being selected in the 2013 NFL Draft, Anderson earned a spot on the Denver Broncos team in 2013, becoming a valuable asset in 2014 when he took over as the starting running back that season. He ran for 849 yards on 179 carries and eight scores while grabbing another 34 passes for 324 yards and two more scores in what was his lone Pro Bowl season.

He was a valuable member of the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50 the next season before rushing for 1,000 yards the year after. He then signed with the Carolina Panthers and the then-Oakland Raiders before a brief tenure with the Los Angeles Rams.

His time with the Rams saw him also make the Super Bowl for the third time in his career and he then later went on to play two games for the Detroit Lions in 2019 before retiring this summer.

Anderson finished his NFL career with 3,497 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground. He also scored five times through the air with 108 receptions for 900 yards in his career.

Anderson ran for 1,135 yards during his two-year Cal career, scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground. He showed his receiving prowess early on, hauling in 22 passes for 350 yards and two scores while a member of the Cal Bears as well.

Welcome back to Berkeley, C.J.!