San Diego State Aztecs football

San Diego State University was originally two separate schools. San Diego Normal School had school colors of white and gold. San Diego Junior College had school colors of blue and gold. They decided to merge schools in 1921 to form San Diego State College. The first school colors of SDSC were blue, white and gold. During the 1921 school year they had their first football game. The central athletic figure at San Diego State at the time was Charles E. Peterson. He had originally been appointed in 1916 as a physical education instructor. After serving in World War I, President Hardy prevailed upon him to return and oversee the school's athletics program. Initially, Peterson taught all the men's physical education classes and coached all the intercollegiate teams. After the athletic teams were established in 1921, media referred to the teams as "Staters" or "professors". The school newspaper tried to encourage "Wampus Cats" during its coverage of the 1923–24 school year. In the fall of 1924, Athletic Director C.E. Peterson urged the students to select a nickname and the school newspaper, The Paper Lantern, invited suggestions. Over the next few issues, names such as Panthers, Balboans and Thoroughbreds were suggested and submitted to a committee of Dean Al Peterson, C.E. Peterson and a student. In 1925, student leaders chose the nickname "Aztecs" over such other suggestions as "Balboans". They felt the terminology was more representative of a southwest image and the selection met with no dissent. In February 1925, President Hardy gave his formal approval to the "Aztec" nickname and teams adopted that identity within a week.

Purple and gold were adopted for the 1922–23 term but this became a problem because the colors were the same as San Diego's St. Augustine High School. It didn't go over very well when one couldn't tell the difference between an Aztec letterman's sweater and a high school sweater. Also, purple and gold were the colors of Whittier College, a fierce conference rival at the time. Not to mention the fact that manufacturers of Aztec merchandise in that era refused to guarantee the color fastness of San Diego State's purple hues. Associated Students president Terrence Geddis led the movement for a change and, after pushing for reconsideration of school colors, students finally got a chance to vote on the matter in December 1927. That was followed by two days of voting the following month where students were to decide between Scarlet and Black and the previous colors, Purple and Gold. On January 19, 1928 the tally was 346–201 in favor of Scarlet and Black and it has remained that ever since.

Don Coryell became the SDSC head coach in 1961, while in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. He led the Aztecs to two "small college" undefeated seasons in 1966 and 1968 and from the College Division (now split into Divisions II and III, with the current D-II championship considered to be the successor to the College Division championship) to the University Division (now NCAA Division I, since divided into FBS and FCS) in 1969.

San Diego State was a charter member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, which was founded on July 1, 1969 and later became the Big West Conference.

Coryell was head coach for a total of 12 seasons with the Aztecs, using the philosophy of recruiting only junior college players. There, he compiled a record of 104 wins, 19 losses and 2 ties including a total of three undefeated seasons in 1966, 1968, and 1969. His teams had winning streaks of 31 and 25 games, and won three bowl games during his tenure. It was at SDSC that Coryell began to emphasize a passing offense and he recounted, "We could only recruit a limited number of runners and linemen against schools like USC and UCLA. And there were a lot of kids in southern California passing and catching the ball. There seemed to be a deeper supply of quarterbacks and receivers. And the passing game was also open to some new ideas." Coryell added, "Finally we decided it's crazy that we can win games by throwing the ball without the best personnel. So we threw the hell out of the ball and won some games. When we started doing that, we were like 55–5–1." John Madden served as Coryell's defensive assistant at SDSC. Madden had first met Coryell attending a coaching clinic on the I formation led by McKay. "We'd go to these clinics, and afterward, everyone would run up to talk to McKay", said Madden. "Coryell was there because he introduced (McKay). I was thinking, 'If (McKay) learned from him, I'll go talk to (Coryell).'" At San Diego State, Coryell helped develop a number of quarterbacks for the NFL, including Don Horn, Jesse Freitas, Dennis Shaw and future NFL MVP Brian Sipe. Wide receivers who went on to the NFL include Isaac Curtis, Gary Garrison, Ken Burrow, and Haven Moses. Coryell also coached two players who later became actors: Fred Dryer and Carl Weathers. Following the 1972 season, he moved to the NFL and became head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals.[4]

During the 1980s at San Diego State, the Aztecs were led by record-setting quarterbacks Todd Santos and Dan McGwire, who later became the tallest quarterback in the history of the NFL (in 1991). The Aztecs won the WAC Championship in 1986 and played at home in the Holiday Bowl against Iowa, but lost by a point 39–38. In 1990, the team played Miami in a game that featured violent fights and a near upset.[5][6]

Marshall Faulk was a standout high school athlete who played both running back and cornerback. Faulk received several recruitment offers from the top colleges in the NCAA, but because of his standout performance on defense, intercepting 11 passes as a senior, he was primarily recruited to play as a defensive back. He ended up accepting an athletic scholarship to attend San Diego State, because they were the first school to offer him a scholarship to play the running back position. Faulk was recruited by Curtis Johnson, and coached by Bret Ingalls and future New Orleans Saints head coach, Sean Payton. In one of the most prolific performances of his entire career, he ran all over the University of the Pacific in just his second collegiate game on September 14, 1991. In 37 carries, he racked up 386 yards and scored seven touchdowns, both records for freshmen (the 386 yards were then an NCAA record). "Faulk had scoring runs of 61, 7, 47, 9, 5, 8 and 25 yards." That performance sparked one of the greatest freshman seasons in NCAA history, gaining 1,429 yards rushing, with 23 total touchdowns (21 rushing), and 140 points scored. Faulk went on to better 1,600 yards rushing in his sophomore year. In Faulk's junior season in 1993, he was finally able to showcase his all-purpose ability by catching 47 passes for 640 yards and 3 touchdowns to go with 1,530 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. These numbers put Faulk 3rd in the nation in all-purpose yardage that year, and 2nd in scoring.

Faulk left San Diego State with many of the school's offensive records, among them 5,562 all-purpose yards and 62 career touchdowns, which is the 8th most in NCAA history. After his 1992 season at SDSU, Faulk finished second in the Heisman Trophy award, losing to quarterback Gino Torretta in what was considered a notable snub in the history of the award Torretta's Miami Hurricanes had again gone undefeated in the regular season and was ranked No. 1 in the country before the Heisman balloting, Faulk's team finished with a middling 5–5–1 record, continuing a trend of the Heisman going to the most notable player on one of the nation's best teams. He was a Heisman finalist as well in 1991 (9th) and 1993 (4th). With a year of eligibility remaining, Faulk declared for the NFL draft and was the second overall selection in April 1994. He went on to make 7 Pro Bowls and win three NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards during his NFL career. In 2017, he was enshrined to the College Football Hall of Fame.

The Aztecs attempt a field goal during a 2007 game against Mountain West Conference opponent Air Force in 2007

In the year 2000, San Diego State became a charter member of the Mountain West Conference.

In December 2008, Brady Hoke was hired as the 17th head football coach at San Diego State. Hoke signed a five-year contract with a guaranteed payment of $3.525 million, plus incentives for hitting revenue marks and bowl berths. San Diego State was also required to pay $240,000 to buy out the remaining two years on Hoke's contract at Ball State. San Diego State compiled a 2–10 record the year before Hoke arrived. In 2009, Hoke led the Aztecs to a record of 4–8. During the 2010 season, Hoke's team improved to 9–4. Two of the Aztecs' losses in 2010 came in close matches against ranked opponents. The Aztecs gave the undefeated, No. 2 TCU team its closest game of the regular season, losing by a score of 40–35. Hoke's team also lost a close game against No. 12 Missouri by a score of 27–24. The team concluded its season with a 35–14 win over Navy in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl. Prior to the 2010 season, San Diego State had not won nine games in a season since 1977 when they went 10–1 finishing 16th in the API and had not played in a bowl game since the 1998 team lost in the Las Vegas Bowl. After the 2010 season, a reporter for the Orange County Register wrote that Hoke had given San Diego State "swagger."

After Hoke accepted the head coaching job at Michigan defensive coordinator Rocky Long was immediately named the new head coach. Long served as the head coach of New Mexico from 1998–2008 where he compiled 65 victories and 5 bowl game appearances in 10 years. During his first five years as head coach of the Aztecs (2011–2015), he led the Aztecs to five bowl games and won San Diego State's first MW title in 2012 (shared), followed by an outright MW Championship in 2015. As of January 1, 2016, he has a 43–23 overall record as head coach of the Aztecs with a 30–9 conference record. In 2015, San Diego State earned an 11–3 record under Long, culminating with a 42–7 victory over Cincinnati.

With the backing of San Diego State's "Win 21" campaign, the Aztecs notched their 21st conference championship in 2016 by winning the Mountain West championship game vs. the Wyoming Cowboys.

SDSU has won 3 NCAA national championships at the Division II level.[3]

† Co-champions

Following the 1995 season the Western Athletic Conference split into Mountain and Pacific divisions with the division champions meeting in the WAC Championship Game. San Diego State left the WAC after the 1998 season to become a charter member of the new Mountain West Conference. Following the 2012 season, the Mountain West Conference split into Mountain and West divisions with the division champions meeting in the Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game. San Diego State has been champion (or co-champion) of a division six times and have appeared in three conference championship games.

† Co-champion and did not qualify for conference championship game

Official record against all current MW opponents as of November 14, 2021.[8]

Balboa Stadium

The Aztecs (formerly "Staters") began playing football when SDSU was still known as San Diego Normal School and then San Diego State Teacher's College, and located on Park Boulevard in University Heights. During this period, the football team called Balboa Stadium home (formerly "City Stadium"). At the time, the seating capacity for Balboa Stadium was 15,000. It was later expanded to 34,000 capacity and served as the home stadium for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) from 1961 to 1966.

Aztec Bowl (historic site as it exists today) is now the site of Viejas Arena

After the University relocated from University Heights to its current location in 1931, accommodations were made on the new campus for a football stadium to be constructed beginning in 1933. The Aztecs played their home games in the on-campus Aztec Bowl during the 30-year period between 1936 and 1966. At the time of its completion in 1936, Aztec Bowl could accommodate 7,500 fans and was the only state college stadium in California. The stadium's capacity was later expanded to a seating capacity of 12,592 fans in 1948. Given the growth of the college and its fan base, the Aztecs found themselves in need of a larger venue, but the previously proposed expansion to 45,000 seats was delayed until 1966. During this final year in Aztec Bowl, the Aztecs won their first of three consecutive "small college" (Division II) National Championships. About 80% of Aztec Bowl was covered up (rather than demolished) in 1996 to make way for Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl (formerly named Cox Arena), current home of the San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball and women's basketball teams. Formerly listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a portion of Aztec Bowl remains visible on the north side of Viejas Arena.

SDCCU Stadium – SDSU Aztecs vs UCLA College Football

From its opening in 1967 through the 2019 season, San Diego Stadium had been the home of San Diego State University Aztecs football. San Diego Stadium, also known as Jack Murphy Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, and SDCCU Stadium during its existence, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Mission Valley area of San Diego, about 5 miles from campus. The campus and stadium have been connected by the San Diego Trolley since 2005.

The stadium had also been home to the NFL's San Diego Chargers from 1967 to 2016, and also hosted the San Diego Padres from 1969–2003. It also hosted the Holiday Bowl and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl college football games every December. The stadium hosted three Super Bowl games, two Major League Baseball All-Star Games, and two World Series. It is the only stadium ever to host both the Super Bowl and the World Series in the same year (1998).

Playing in a professional sports facility provided some benefits including improved concessions, luxury suites, "jumbo-tron" screens and other amenities for Aztecs fans. However, the increasing capacity of the stadium (from 52,596 in 1967 to 70,561 in 2015) created a mismatch for a college football program that drew an average of 29,065 fans to home games in 2015—during an 11–3 MW Championship season, which was their best performance since joining Division I in 1969. The facility was frequently filled to less than 40% of capacity. In their final years in the facility, the Aztecs tarped off significant sections of the upper seating bowl for their games, creating a reduced capacity of 54,000.

On September 15, 2020, the school announced that the stadium would be demolished in early 2021, rather than being demolished after completion of Aztec Stadium as planned.[10] As a result of the delay of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019 season was the final season of Aztecs football at the stadium. The final home game was on November 30, 2019 against BYU, where San Diego State won 13–3.

On September 15, 2020, the school announced that the Aztecs would play football at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California for the 2020 and 2021 football seasons while the program's new Snapdragon Stadium was being built. The decision was made primarily to allow for SDCCU Stadium to be demolished in spring 2021 to allow for construction of the new stadium to be expedited.[11]

In 2015, the San Diego Chargers stepped up their efforts to relocate to Los Angeles, pending a vote of National Football League owners and a partnership with the Oakland Raiders or St. Louis Rams. In the face of this development, contingency plans were generated for the future use of the then-current SDCCU Stadium site in Mission Valley. One proposal put forward by State Senator Marty Block was for San Diego State to take over use of the site in order to expand the campus and also provide for a new multi-use 40,000-seat stadium for Aztecs football and a Major League Soccer team. There were two plans for the newly-vacant stadium land. The first was SDSU West, later renamed SDSU Mission Valley, which called for expanding the campus to Mission Valley and creating a stadium built primarily for San Diego State athletics, as well as new educational facilities for students. The second plan, entitled Soccer City, would use the land solely to build a new stadium housing both San Diego State athletics and an MLS team.[12]

On January 13, 2016, the Chargers gained NFL approval to join the Rams in a move to Los Angeles. On January 12, 2017, the Chargers announced that they would move to Los Angeles for the 2017 season. On November 6, 2018, SDSU Mission Valley would be approved on the San Diego ballot, besting Soccer City (committee supporting the MLS soccer route instead of expanding the campus and making an on-campus stadium).

On December 5, 2019, the school announced receipt of a $15 million gift to help finance the new stadium, which would be named Bashor Field at Aztec Stadium. The school announced plans to begin construction of Aztec Stadium in April 2020, with anticipated completion in time for the 2022 season and the Aztecs' September 3, 2022 matchup against Arizona.[13] During construction, Qualcomm, which had once sponsored San Diego Stadium, entered into a naming rights contract with the university. The new stadium will accordingly open as Snapdragon Stadium, bearing the name of Qualcomm's system-on-chip.[14]

Night games have become a San Diego State University football tradition. The first SDSU night game was played on September 25, 1930 at Lane Field. Over 5,000 fans attended the game to watch the Aztecs beat the San Diego Marines 39–0. Since that day, over 75% of all Aztec games, home and away, have been played at night.

The first Aztec Warrior figure associated with the university initially appeared at a San Diego State athletic event over six decades ago. Art Munzig played the original role in a skit during halftime at the San Diego State-Pomona football game kicking off the 1941 football season. The school's Rally Committee came up with the idea based on the ruler of the Aztec empire in the early 1500s, Moctezuma II. The character, affectionately known as "Monty" to generations of SDSU alumni, evolved through the years to become emblematic of San Diego State's athletic teams.

For decades the role was filled mostly by students. In 1983, however, Director of Athletics Mary Hill directed Montezuma to adopt a more dignified persona. During that football season, Monty sat atop a pyramid among his attendants on the sidelines at Jack Murphy Stadium. That lasted one year. The next season Moctezuma resumed his more traditional role of involvement and encouragement of Aztec football fans.

Beginning in 2000, some student groups began to propose the university alter its Aztec identity. The new mascot made his first public appearance February 23, 2004 to reveal some costume changes and the modified moniker, "Aztec Warrior." For all but a few years from the early 1990s through 2006, Carlos Gutierrez took over the role of mascot, raising the position's profile and expanding public appearances throughout the San Diego community. In April 2006, the SDSU Alumni Association sponsored student auditions for a new Aztec Warrior.

The team accompanied by the San Diego State Marching Aztecs Drumline, additional members of the spirit squad, and fans walk from the stadium parking lot to the tunnel which leads the team onto the field. This usually occurs two hours before kickoff.

An honorary team captain, usually a former player of the team, leads the team onto the field before kickoff.

An Aztec warrior shield that the accompanies the team on the sidelines during home and away games. The shield is held high by the captains during the singing of the Fight Song following victories.

This bitter rivalry dates back many moons. The trophy is retained by the victor, the Aztecs of San Diego or the Bulldogs of Fresno. As of December 2019, the Old Oil Can resides in San Diego County.

The Battle for the Oil Can

No other opponent has a more extensive history against SDSU. The Fresno State-San Diego State rivalry, also known as the Battle for the Oil Can, dates back to 1923 when the two teams competed in the SCJCC. The Aztecs winning the initial meeting 12–2 at home. Since then, the sides have met 51 more times, including every year from 1945 to 1979, when the two competed in the same conference or were independents. After not facing one another between 1979 and 1991, the schools resumed the annual series from 1992 to 1998, when both were members of the Western Athletic Conference. The two teams have met twice since then, in 2002 and 2011. With Fresno State joining the Mountain West Conference in 2012 and the addition of the divisional format, the Aztecs and the Bulldogs will compete on an annual basis once again.

One of the most memorable games between the two schools was known as "The Fog Bowl" in 1962. The fog was so thick that the Aztec radio announcer at the time Al Couppee couldn't see the plays, so he went down to the field and into the huddle to give the play-by-play. The Aztecs won the game 29–26 in a thrilling fashion.

The two schools started competing in 2011 for the Oil Can trophy. The Oil Can trophy comes from a 1930s-era oil can hailing from Fresno that was found at a construction site at San Diego State. "The oil can likely came from a time when Aztec and Bulldog fans traveled to football games between the two schools via the old, twisting, precipitous Grapevine section of Highway 99 over Tejon Pass", said Jacquelyn K. Glasener, executive director of the Fresno State Alumni Association. "Cars in those days carried extra oil and water to be sure they could make it through difficult trips", added Jim Herrick, executive director of the San Diego State Alumni Association. The game was dubbed by fans the Battle for the Oil Can. The first trophy game was played in 2011. The Aztecs were favored but however they found themselves trailing 21–0 in the first half. They battled back scoring four unanswered touchdowns to win 35–28, with Ronnie Hillman scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to win the game. The Aztecs ended the season with an 8–4 record and made it to the New Orleans Bowl and the Bulldogs ended the season 4–8. San Diego State leads the all-time series with a record of 27–22–4, including a 14–11–2 mark in San Diego, Fresno State leads the trophy series 3–2. In 2016, the series is tied. Fresno State assumed a 4–2 lead in the trophy series with their 27–3 victory over the Aztecs on October 21, 2017 at SDCCU (formerly Qualcomm) Stadium.

San Diego State leads the series 30–27–4 as of February 2023.