Considering the years alone, it was enough for Bob Biggs to make an announcement.

The longtime UC Davis football coach confirmed Thursday that he will indeed coach one more season for the Aggies, next fall, and then retire his headset. He will retire from teaching at UCD in 2013.

All told, Biggs has been on the UCD sideline for 35 seasons, 19 as head coach, and it's been what he deemed "a 24/7, year-round job."

"It's time," Biggs said, the sound of relief evident in his voice. "My emotions are great, honestly. Everyone is concerned – the fact we didn't have as good a season as we had hoped, or if there was any pressure on me to step down. None of that is true.

"Everyone at some point in their career reaches a moment, and I've been so fortunate to have had such a great career. But 35 years coaching, 20 as the head, that's a lot."

A youthful 60, Biggs has gone 140-78-1 at UCD, his alma mater. He presided over some of UCD's greatest seasons during its seasons-long dominance in Division II, and he transitioned the program up in class to Division I-AA, where the challenges were greater and the wins just as cherished. UCD went 4-7 this season with a young team, its poorest showing since winning three games in 1969.

Biggs said he isn't sure what he will do in retirement, but he plans to spend more time with his family, play tennis, some golf, learn Spanish, learn to play the guitar.

That 3-7 Aggies season of '69 was a year before Jim Sochor took over as coach and two seasons before Biggs quarterbacked the "Miracle Game" win over Cal State Hayward with UCD scoring 16 points in the final 20 seconds. That effort ignited the Aggies' record run of 20 consecutive conference titles under Sochor.

Biggs returned to UCD as a coach in 1978, became offensive coordinator in 1987 and head coach in 1993. UCD peeled off records from 1998 to 2001 in D-II of 10-2, 10-2, 12-1 and 10-3. The D-I-AA era that started in 2004 has not produced any seasons of more than six wins. A UCD milestone moment occurred in 2005 when the Aggies beat Stanford 20-17.

"Bob is very professional, a class act – the way he's done things at Davis, and he's always done it the right way," Sacramento State coach Marshall Sperbeck said. "He's had a great run. Not too many college coaches can say that."

UCD won the Great West Conference in 2005 and 2010, and Biggs has gone 15-4 in Causeway Classic games against rival Sac State, including a season-ending 23-19 win Nov. 19. The postgame scene included an emotional Biggs hugging many players, coaches and family members.

Biggs told his team of his decision Tuesday and has been moved by the outpouring of support.

"Only the people in the trenches know the time and effort, the blood, sweat and tears, we all put into this, and it was so important to play well against Sac State, and we did," Biggs said. "Me hugging people, it was more of a relief that we'll be OK, that everything will be great."

In an era of change – a new chancellor, a yet-to-be-named new athletic director, moving to the Big Sky Conference next season – Biggs said his move makes all the more sense.

"With a new AD to be named, it's an opportunity for him or her to seek out the coach they want to best lead the program, and I'll help in the transition, and I look forward to that," Biggs said.

Biggs added, "I'm deeply proud of what we've done here. It's so refreshing. Sometimes you get into your cocoon and it's go, go, go, and you don't have time to smell the roses and listen to the people who are so appreciative of what we've done. You don't measure great coaches with wins and losses, X's and O's, but more on producing good people. Wins and losses are part of it, don't get me wrong. But what's really lasting are the other qualities."

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