San Diego is a city in the U.S. state of California located alongside the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. With a population of over 1.3 million residents, the city is the eighth-most populous in the United States and the second-most populous in California after Los Angeles. The city is located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border and is the seat of San Diego County, which has a population of nearly 3.3 million people as of 2021. San Diego is known for its mild year-round Mediterranean climate, extensive beaches and parks, its long association with the United States Navy, and its recent emergence as a healthcare and biotechnology development center.
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. In Fall 2022, SDSU hit an all time high enrollment record student body of nearly 37,000 and an alumni base of more than 300,000.
The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), and in 1988 was renamed the Big West Conference. The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season.
San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 1997. From 1997 to 2017, the stadium's naming rights were owned by San Diego-based telecommunications equipment company Qualcomm, and the stadium was known as Qualcomm Stadium or simply The Q. The naming rights expired on June 14, 2017, and were purchased by San Diego County Credit Union, renaming the facility as SDCCU Stadium on September 19, 2017; those naming rights expired in December 2020. Demolition of San Diego Stadium began in December 2020 with the last freestanding section of the stadium's superstructure felled by March 22, 2021. Following the demolition of San Diego Stadium, the San Diego State Aztecs' new Snapdragon Stadium, which opened in August 2022, was built in a different area of the parking lot.
Marshall William Faulk is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time.
LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college football career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers selected him as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. He spent nine years with the Chargers, earning five Pro Bowl appearances, three Associated Press first-team All-Pro nominations, and two NFL rushing titles. Tomlinson was also voted the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2006 after breaking the record for touchdowns in a single season. He played two further seasons with the New York Jets, before retiring. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Natrone Jermaine Means is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers from 1993 to 2000.
Eric Andre Allen is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Oakland Raiders from 1988 to 2001. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Allen retired from playing after the 2001 season and is currently an NFL analyst for Pac-12 Networks. In his NFL career, he recorded 54 interceptions for 827 yards and eight touchdowns, while also recovering seven fumbles. His 54 interceptions is tied for 21st in NFL history. He now lives in San Diego, California with his wife Lynn Allen, with whom he has four children.
James Joseph Harbaugh is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the 20th and current head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons from 1987 to 2000 with his longest tenure as a player with the Chicago Bears. He served as the head coach of the San Diego Toreros (2004–2006), the Stanford Cardinal (2007–2010), and the NFL's San Francisco 49ers (2011–2014). In 2015, Harbaugh returned to coach his alma mater, the University of Michigan, where he won the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2024.
Ryan David Leaf is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.
San Diego Mesa College is a public community college in Clairemont Mesa in San Diego, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges and the San Diego Community College District. It is the largest community college in the city of San Diego and the 16th largest community college in the state.
Pechanga Arena is an indoor arena built in 1966 and located in the Midway area of San Diego, California.
The 2001 NFL Draft was the 66th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on April 21–22, 2001.
The San Diego State Aztecs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). San Diego State sponsors six men's and eleven women's sports at the varsity level.
Peterson Gymnasium is a 3,668-seat multi-purpose arena in San Diego, California on the campus of San Diego State University (SDSU). The gym opened in 1961 and currently serves as the home of the San Diego State Aztecs women's volleyball team. The facility is named after Charles E. Peterson, who during his 37-year career at San Diego State University served as athletic director, football coach, track coach, basketball coach, Dean of Men and alumni executive secretary.
The San Diego State Aztecs football team represents San Diego State University in the sport of American football. The Aztecs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the West Division of the Mountain West Conference (MW). They are coached by Brady Hoke and started playing at the new Snapdragon Stadium in 2022. They have won 21 conference championships and three national championships at the small college division.
The UC San Diego Tritons are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, San Diego. UC San Diego has 23 varsity sports teams, as well as esports teams, and offers student participation in a wide range of sports. As of July 1, 2020, all UC San Diego teams participate at the NCAA Division I (DI) level in the Big West Conference. During their time in NCAA Division II and the California Collegiate Athletic Association starting in the 2000–01 season, UC San Diego placed in the top 5 in the Division II NACDA Directors' Cup standings nine times, including three 2nd-place finishes. NCSA Athletic Recruiting ranked the Tritons as the nation's top Division II program for eight consecutive years.
Claude L. Gilbert is an American former college football coach. He served as head football coach at San Diego State University from 1973 to 1980, and San Jose State University from 1984 to 1989, compiling a career record of 99–56–3.
The San Diego Toreros football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of San Diego. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Pioneer Football League.
Cameron Thomas is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State and was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
