Cal State Fullerton Titans football

Last updated
Cal State Fullerton Titans football
First season1970
Last season1992
Head coach Gene Murphy (final coach)
Stadium Titan Stadium
(capacity: 10,000)
Field surfaceGrass
Location Fullerton, California
Conference Big West Conference
All-time record107–150–3 (.417)
Bowl record0–1 (.000)
ColorsNavy blue, white, and orange [1]
     

The Cal State Fullerton Titans football program represented California State University, Fullerton from the 1970 through 1992 seasons. The Titans originally competed as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association from 1970 to 1973 before moving to the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (now the Big West) in 1974 where they remained through the 1991 season. The Titans would compete in their final year as an I-A Independent prior to the program being disbanded. Fullerton played its home games at multiple stadiums throughout their history with the most recent being Titan Stadium, in Fullerton, California.

Contents

History

Early history and success (1969–1984)

The CSUF Titans football team traces its roots to 1969 when in May, former USC assistant coach Dick Coury was hired as the program's first head coach. [2] The team would win their inaugural game against Cal Poly Pomona by a score of 31–0 on September 19, 1970, and play to a 0–0 tie in their inaugural home game against Cal Lutheran at Anaheim Stadium. [2] Following moderate success in the inaugural 1970 season with a record of 6–4–1, the 1971 season opened with a home game at Santa Ana Stadium versus Southern Utah State with the rest of their home games played at Anaheim Stadium except for a matchup against the Grambling State University Tigers played before their largest ever home crowd of 60,415 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. [2] Just two weeks prior to the Grambling game, tragedy struck the program when a plane crash on November 13, 1971, resulted in the deaths of three Titan assistant coaches: Joe O'Hara, Dallas Moon and Bill Hannah.

Entering the 1972 season, Pete Yoder started the season as the program's second all-time head coach and the team moved all home games from Anaheim Stadium to Santa Ana Stadium. After completing a pair of 7–4 seasons, the Titans would suffer their first losing season following a 4–7 campaign in the 1974 season. [2] It was during this year that Fullerton would make the move from the California Collegiate Athletic Association into the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (now the Big West). [2]

For the 1975 season, Fullerton would hire former Pacific assistant coach Jim Colletto, as the third head coach in program history and the following season in 1976, the team moved their home games to Falcon Stadium at Cerritos College. During the Colletto era, the Titans would not have a winning season, with the lone bright spot of his tenure coming in 1978 with Obie Graves rushing for 1,789 total yards including 291-yards in a 34–9 upset of Long Beach State. [2] Colletto would resign from his position following the 1979 season with Gene Murphy being announced as the program's fourth all-time head coach on December 16, 1979. [2]

Entering Murphy's first season in 1980, the Titans would move their home games to an on-campus stadium, Titan Field, and continue to not see success on the field with losing seasons from the 1980 through the 1982 seasons. [3] For the 1983 season, Fullerton split their home games between Anaheim Stadium and Glover Stadium, while the team played in the 1983 California Bowl after winning their first conference championship. [2] The Titans would build upon their successes in finishing the 1984 season again as conference champion with a record of 11–1, while moving home games back to Santa Ana Stadium. Following the season, Murphy was named UPI West Coast Coach of the Year and the Titans would finish in the final top 20 UPI poll. [2]

Decline and cancellation (1985–1992)

The Titans would never again reach the highs of the 1984 season and would embark on a steady decline through the late 1980s and into the early 1990s. [3]

By the late 1980s, the program was in financial trouble. The team played the 1992 season at on-campus Titan Stadium, but during that year, the Fullerton Academic Senate voted 24–7 to recommend disbanding the program. That decision was halted by then-university president Milton A. Gordon on December 7, 1992 and Fullerton announced that it would suspend the program effective immediately for one year, with the intention of returning to play at the Division I-AA level for the 1994 season. [2] [4] However, citing budget restraints, Cal State Fullerton decided in February 1994 against bringing back football. [5]

Efforts to reinstate football

By 1995, the notion of resurrecting the program began to take shape. In fall 1995, the Fullerton Students Athletic Advisory Committee asked the student body in an election if they supported Titan football. At that time, 89 percent of respondents voted favorably for the reinstatement of football. [6]

Cal State Fullerton alumni established the organization Bring Back Titan Football in 2007 to advocate the return of the football program. [7] [8] In 2008, Cal State Fullerton established a task force exploring the feasibility of bringing back football. [9]

NCAA records

Although the Titans have not played a game since 1992, Fullerton is still the NCAA record holder in several categories. These records include: both most fumbles and most fumbles lost for a single season with 73 and 41 respectively during the 1992 season; [10] the most kickoff returns per game with an average of 7.3 per game for the 1990 season; [11] the 10th highest number of rushing yards in a single game with 357 by Mike Pringle on November 4, 1989, against New Mexico State; [12] and being part of the fourth highest combined score in a tied game with their 41–41 contest against San Diego State on September 23, 1989. [13]

Conference championships

Cal State Fullerton won two conference championships during its tenure as a football program. Both of these seasons saw the record amended due to violations from UNLV that resulted in Cal State Fullerton gaining a win for both the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Due to this, the team went undefeated in conference play for both seasons.

SeasonConferenceCoachOverall RecordConference Record
1983 Big West Conference Gene Murphy 8–46–0
1984 Big West Conference Gene Murphy 12–07–0

Head coaches

Cal State Fullerton had four head coaches during their 23 seasons as a college football program.

TenureCoachYearsRecordPct.
1970–71 Dick Coury 213–8–1.614
1972–74 Pete Yoder 318–15–0.546
1975–79 Jim Colletto 517–38–1.313
1980–92 Gene Murphy 1359–89–1.399

Records

Seasons

Conference Champions *Bowl game berth ^
SeasonHead coachConferenceSeason resultsBowl result
Conference finishWinsLossesTies
1970 Dick Coury California Collegiate Athletic Association —641—
1971California Collegiate Athletic Association—740Won 1971 Mercy Bowl against Fresno State Bulldogs, 17–14 ^
1972 Pete Yoder California Collegiate Athletic Association—740—
1973California Collegiate Athletic Association—740—
1974 Pacific Coast Athletic Association —470—
1975 Jim Colletto Pacific Coast Athletic Association—290—
1976Pacific Coast Athletic Association—371—
1977Pacific Coast Athletic Association—470—
1978Pacific Coast Athletic Association—570—
1979Pacific Coast Athletic Association—380—
1980 Gene Murphy Pacific Coast Athletic Association—470—
1981Pacific Coast Athletic Association—380—
1982Pacific Coast Athletic Association—390—
1983 *Pacific Coast Athletic Association1st750Lost 1983 California Bowl to Northern Illinois Huskies, 13–20 ^
1984 *Pacific Coast Athletic AssociationT—1st1110—
1985Pacific Coast Athletic Association—650—
1986Pacific Coast Athletic Association—390—
1987Pacific Coast Athletic Association—660—
1988Big West Conference—560—
1989Big West Conference—641—
1990Big West Conference—1110—
1991Big West Conference—290—
1992 Independent —290—
Total1071483(only includes regular season games)
020(only includes bowl games)
1071503(all games)
References: [3]

Bowl games

Cal State Fullerton participated in two bowl games. They had a bowl record of 1–1, although only the first counted under NCAA standards.

YearBowlOpponentResult
December 11, 1971 Mercy Bowl II Fresno State Bulldogs W 17–13
December 17, 1983 California Bowl NIU Huskies L 14–17

All-Americans

NamePositionYearTeam
Obie Graves RB1978AP-3rd Team

Titans in the Pros

In the NFL

California State University, Fullerton has 22 alumni that have played in the National Football League. [14]

NamePositionYearOverall PickTeam
Mike ErnstQB1972Free agent Denver Broncos
Johnnie Gray S1975Free agent Green Bay Packers
M. L. Carter CB1979Free agent Kansas City Chiefs
Grady Richardson TE1979Free agent Washington Redskins
Lucious Smith CB1980Free agent Los Angeles Rams
Bobby Kemp DB1981202 Cincinnati Bengals
Daren GilbertOT198538 New Orleans Saints
Mark Collins DB198644 New York Giants
Vince Gamache P1986Free agent Seattle Seahawks
James Pruitt WR1986107 Miami Dolphins
Vince Abbott K1987Free agent San Diego Chargers
Alex Espinoza QB1987Free agentKansas City Chiefs
Rick CalhounRB1987Free agent Los Angeles Raiders
Hank GoebelOT1987Free agent Los Angeles Rams
A.J. JenkinsDE/LB1987228 Pittsburgh Steelers
Wade LockettWR1987Free agentLos Angeles Raiders
Ronald McLeanDE/NT1987Free agentDenver Broncos
Cornelius RedickWR1987Free agentGreen Bay Packers
Marvin Williams TE1987Free agentWashington Redskins
Michael Rhyan QB1988332 Denver Broncos
Mike Pringle RB1990139 Atlanta Falcons
Reggie Redding OG/T1991Free agentAtlanta Falcons
Mike RoganOG1991Free AgentChicago Bears
Kurt BloedornP1993,1994,1995Free agentBuffalo Bills, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys

In the CFL

In addition to the players that competed in the NFL, there have been several former Titans that have had significant careers in the Canadian Football League. The three players of note include: Mike Pringle who is the league's all-time leading rusher, [15] Damon Allen, the league's second all-time leading passer and former all-time pro football passing leader with 72,381 passing yards, [16] and Allen Pitts, the league's all-time leading receiver until 2008 when he was surpassed by Milt Stegall. [17]

Amazingly, during the period between 2006 and 2008, the CFL all-time leaders in passing, rushing and receiving yardage were simultaneously former Cal State Fullerton Titans.

In the Arena Football League

Stadiums

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The 1977 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team represented California State University, Fullerton as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. Led by third-year head coach Jim Colletto, Cal State Fullerton compiled an overall record 4–7 with a mark of 0–4 in conference play, placing last out of five teams in the PCAA. The Titans played home games at Falcon Stadium on the campus of Cerritos College in Norwalk, California.

The 1971 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team represented California State College at Fullerton—now known as California State University, Fullerton—as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. Led by Dick Coury in his second and final season as head coach, Cal State Fullerton compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 3–1 in conference play, placing second in the CCAA. At the end of the season, the Titans took part in the second Mercy Bowl, a benefit for the families of three Cal State Fullerton assistant coaches who had perished in a plane crash a month earlier. Cal State Fullerton played home games at three different sites: four games Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, one at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana, California, and one at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

The 1979 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team represented California State University, Fullerton as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Jim Colletto in his fifth and final season as head coach, Cal State Fullerton finished the season with an overall record of 3–8 and a mark of 1–4 in conference play, placing fifth in the PCAA. The Titans played home games at Falcon Stadium on the campus of Cerritos College in Norwalk, California.

The 1983 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team represented California State University, Fullerton as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Gene Murphy, Cal State Fullerton finished the season with an overall record of 7–5 and a mark of 5–1 in conference play, winning the PCAA title. As conference champion, the Titans were invited to play in the California Bowl in Fresno, California against the champion of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Northern Illinois. Cal State Fullerton won the game, 20–13.

The 1984 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team represented California State University, Fullerton as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Gene Murphy, Cal State Fullerton finished the season with an overall record of 11–1 and a mark of 6–1 in conference play, placing second in the PCAA behind UNLV, who dealt the Titans their only defeat of the season. Cal State Fullerton played its home games at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana, California. This was the fourth home venue for the Titans in three years, but they continued playing in Santa Ana Stadium for the next eight season.

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References

  1. ↑ "University Colors | CSUF Brand" . Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Carr, Janis (December 8, 1992). "CS Fullerton drops football – Program scheduled for reinstatement in 1994 at lower level, smaller budget". The Orange County Register. Retrieved June 22, 2019– via NewsBank.
  3. 1 2 3 Cal St.-Fullerton Yearly Totals Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine College Football Data Warehouse, cfbdatawarehouse.com. Accessed December 9, 2008.
  4. ↑ Miller, Scott (April 28, 1993). "Titan Coaches Trying to Stop Football Plans". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  5. ↑ Turner, Miki (February 23, 1994). "Football won't make comeback this fall". The Orange County Register. p. D2. Retrieved June 22, 2019– via NewsBank.
  6. ↑ Carr, Janis (November 16, 1995). "Movement to resurrect Titans football gaining steam". The Orange County Register– via NewsBank.
  7. ↑ Aird, Donovan (June 5, 2008). "How the West was undone". Mustang Daily. p. 14. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ Fader, Mirin (November 11, 2013). "A game plan to bring back Titan football". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  9. ↑ Fisher, Marla Jo (February 6, 2009). "Could football come back to Cal State Fullerton?". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  10. ↑ Fumbles "Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Records," NCAA, July 2008. p. 27. Accessed 2008-12-11
  11. ↑ Kickoff Returns "Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Records," NCAA, July 2008. p. 27. Accessed 2008-12-11
  12. ↑ Rushing – Single Game Yards "Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Records," NCAA, July 2008. p. 34. Accessed 2008-12-11
  13. ↑ Highest-Scoring Tie Games "Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Records," NCAA, July 2008. p. 128. Accessed 2008-12-11
  14. ↑ "NFL Players who attended California State University, Fullerton". databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  15. ↑ "Regular Season All-Time Records: Individual Records -Rushing". CFL.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  16. ↑ "Regular Season All-Time Records: Individual Records – Passing". CFL.ca. Archived from the original on 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  17. ↑ "Regular Season All-Time Records: Individual Records – Receiving". CFL.ca. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
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