Cal State Fullerton Titans football
Encyclopedia
The Cal State Fullerton Titans football
team 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 1970-1973 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
.
was hired as the program's first head coach. 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. Following moderate success in the inaugural 1970 season with a record of 6–4–1, the 1971 season was marked with tragedy 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. Just two weeks following the incident, Fullerton played before their largest ever home crowd of 60,415 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
against the Grambling State University Tigers
.
Entering the 1972 season, the Titans would move their home games from Anaheim Stadium to the Santa Ana Bowl, with Pete Yoder
starting the season as the program's second all-time head coach. 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. 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).
For the 1975 season, Fullerton would hire former Pacific assistant coach Jim Colletto
, as the third head coach in program history. 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. Colletto would be removed 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.
Entering Murphy's first season, the Titans would move their home games to a temporary on-campus stadium, and continue to not see success on the field with losing seasons from the 1980 through the 1982 seasons. For the 1983 season, Fullerton would again move their home games, this time to Cerritos College
in addition to making the 1983 California Bowl
after winning their first conference championship. The Titans would build upon the successes in finishing the 1984 season again as conference champion with a record of 11–1. 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. 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.
By the late 1980s, the program was in financial trouble with the Fullerton Academic Senate voting 24–7 to recommend disbanding the program. Although halted by then-university president Milton A. Gordon, on December 7, 1992, Fullerton announced that it would suspend the program effective immediately for a year, with the intention of returning to play at the Division I-AA level for the 1994 season. However the move to I-AA never occurred and Fullerton has been without football since 1992.
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. The effort to resurrect the program continues to this day, complete with a petition to reinstate the football team.
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; the most kickoff returns per game with an average of 7.3 per game for the 1990 season; the 10th highest number of rushing yards in a single game with 357 by Mike Pringle on November 4, 1989, against New Mexico State; 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.
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="80%"
!bgcolor="#003473"| Tenure
!bgcolor="#003473"| Coach
!bgcolor="#003473"| Years
!bgcolor="#003473"| Record
!bgcolor="#003473"| Pct.
|- align="center"
| 1970-71 || Dick Coury
|| 2 || 13-8-1 || .614
|- align="center"
| 1972-74 || Pete Yoder
|| 3 || 18-15-0 || .546
|- align="center"
| 1975-79 || Jim Colletto
|| 5 || 17-38-1 || .313
|- align="center"
| 1980-92 || Gene Murphy
|| 13 || 59-89-1 || .399
|-
!bgcolor="#003473"| Totals
!bgcolor="#003473"| 4 coaches
!bgcolor="#003473"| 23
!bgcolor="#003473"| 107-150-3
!bgcolor="#003473"| .417
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="#ddffdd"|Conference Champions *
|bgcolor="#ffe6bd"|Bowl game berth ^
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; width:98%;"
|-
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|Season
!rowspan="2" style="width:14%;"|Head coach
!rowspan="2" style="width:13%;"|Conference
!colspan="4"|Season results
!rowspan="2" style="width:25%;"|Bowl result
|-
!Conference finish
!Wins
!Losses
!Ties
|-
|align="center" Colspan="8" style="background:#003473;color:#003473"|Cal State Fullerton Titans
|-
|align="center"|1970
|align="center" rowspan=2|Dick Coury
|align="center"|California Collegiate Athletic Association
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1971
|align="center"|California Collegiate Athletic Association
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|0
|align="center" style="background: #ffe6bd;"| Lost 1971 Mercy Bowl
to Fresno State Bulldogs
, 14–17 ^
|-
|align="center"|1972
|align="center" rowspan=3|Pete Yoder
|align="center"|California Collegiate Athletic Association
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1973
|align="center"|California Collegiate Athletic Association
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1974
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1975
|align="center" rowspan=5|Jim Colletto
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1976
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1977
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1978
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1979
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1980
|align="center" rowspan=13|Gene Murphy
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1981
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1982
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center" style="background: #ddffdd;"|1983 *
|align="center" style="background: #ddffdd;"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|0
|align="center" style="background: #ffe6bd;"| Lost 1983 California Bowl to Northern Illinois Huskies
, 13–20 ^
|-
|align="center" style="background: #ddffdd;"|1984 *
|align="center" style="background: #ddffdd;"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|11
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1985
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1986
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1987
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1988
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1989
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1990
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|11
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1991
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1992
|align="center"|Independent
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
!align="center" rowSpan="3" colSpan="4"|Total
!align="center"|107
!align="center"|148
!align="center"|3
!colSpan="2" align="center"|(only includes regular season games)
|-
!align="center"|0
!align="center"|2
!align="center"|0
!colSpan="2" align="center"|(only includes bowl games)
|-
!align="center"|107
!align="center"|150
!align="center"|3
!colSpan="2" align="center"|(all games)
|-
|-
|colspan="8" style="font-size: 8pt" align="center"|References:
|}
|-style="background: #003473" align=center
| Date || Bowl || Location || W/L || Opponent || PF || PA
|-align=center
| December 11, 1971 || Mercy Bowl II
|| Fresno, California
|| L || Fresno State Bulldogs
|| 13 || 20
|-style="background: #808080" align=center
|-align=center
| December 17, 1983 || California Bowl
|| Fresno, California
|| L || Northern Illinois Huskies
|| 14 || 17
|-style="background: #808080" align=center
| Total || 2 bowl games || || 0-2 || || 27 || 37
|}
.
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="60%" text-align:"center"
!bgcolor="#003473"|Name
!bgcolor="#003473"|Position
!bgcolor="#003473"|Year
!bgcolor="#003473"|Overall Pick
!bgcolor="#003473"|Team
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Mike Ernst || QB || 1972 || Free Agent || Denver Broncos
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Johnnie Gray
|| S || 1975 || Free Agent || Green Bay Packers
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| M. L. Carter || CB || 1979 || Free Agent || Kansas City Chiefs
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Grady Richardson
|| TE || 1979 || Free Agent || Washington Redskins
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Lucious Smith
|| CB || 1980 || Free Agent || Los Angeles Rams
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Bobby Kemp
|| DB || 1981 || 202 || Cincinnati Bengals
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Daren Gilbert || OT || 1985 || 38 || New Orleans Saints
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Mark Collins
|| DB || 1986 || 44 || New York Giants
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Vince Gamache || P || 1986 || Free Agent || Seattle Seahawks
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| James Pruitt
|| WR || 1986 || 107 || Miami Dolphins
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Vince Abbott
|| K || 1987 || Free Agent || San Diego Chargers
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Alex Espinoza
|| QB || 1987 || Free Agent || Kansas City Chiefs
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Rick Calhoun || RB || 1987 || Free Agent || Los Angeles Raiders
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Hank Goebel || OT || 1987 || Free Agent || Los Angeles Rams
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| A.J. Jenkins || DE/LB || 1987 || 228 || Pittsburgh Steelers
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Wade Lockett || WR || 1987 || Free Agent || Los Angeles Raiders
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Ronald McLean || DE/NT || 1987 || Free Agent || Denver Broncos
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Cornelius Redick || WR || 1987 || Free Agent || Green Bay Packers
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Marvin Williams || TE || 1987 || Free Agent || Washington Redskins
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Jim Thornton
|| TE || 1988 || 105 || Chicago Bears
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Mike Pringle || RB || 1990 || 139 || Atlanta Falcons
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Reggie Redding || OG/T || 1991 || Free Agent || Atlanta Falcons
|} Ramon Washington DE/T 1989 Free Agent Cleveland Brown
. The three players of note include: Mike Pringle who is the league's all-time leading rusher, Damon Allen
, the league's all-time leading passer and former all-time pro football passing leader with 72,381 passing yards, and Allen Pitts
, the league's all-time leading receiver until 2008 when he was surpassed by Milt Stegall
.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team represented California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
from the 1970
1970 college football season
The 1970 college football season was marked by tragedy, due to two airplane crashes. On October 2, one of the planes carrying the Wichita State football team crashed on the way to a game against Utah State, killing 31 people on board, including 14 players...
through 1992 seasons
1992 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first year of the Bowl Coalition, and ended with Alabama's first national championship in thirteen years—their first since the departure of Bear Bryant...
. The Titans originally competed as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association
California Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
from 1970-1973 before moving to the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (now the Big West) in 1974 where they remained through the 1991 season
1991 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split champion for the second consecutive season. Both the Miami Hurricanes and the Washington Huskies finished the season undefeated and with the top ranking in a nationally recognized poll...
. 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
Titan Stadium (Cal State Fullerton)
Titan Stadium is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of California State University, Fullerton in Fullerton, California.-History:...
, in Fullerton
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History
The Cal State Fullerton football team traces its roots to 1969 when in May, former USC assistant coach Dick CouryDick Coury
Dick Coury is a former American football coach who served as head coach of the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the United States Football League from 1983 to 1985. He was named as the USFL coach of the year in 1983....
was hired as the program's first head coach. The team would win their inaugural game against Cal Poly Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, or Cal Poly Pomona, is a public university located in Pomona, California, United States...
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
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...
at Anaheim Stadium. Following moderate success in the inaugural 1970 season with a record of 6–4–1, the 1971 season was marked with tragedy 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. Just two weeks following the incident, Fullerton played before their largest ever home crowd of 60,415 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
against the Grambling State University Tigers
Grambling State Tigers
The Grambling Tigers represent Grambling State University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Grambling's sports teams participate in Division I as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference...
.
Entering the 1972 season, the Titans would move their home games from Anaheim Stadium to the Santa Ana Bowl, with Pete Yoder
Pete Yoder
Peter Lampman Yoder was an American football coach in the United States. He served as a running backs coach at the University of Southern California under John McKay before accepting the head coaching position at California State University, Fullerton, where he compiled an 18–15 record in...
starting the season as the program's second all-time head coach. 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. It was during this year that Fullerton would make the move from the California Collegiate Athletic Association
California Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
into the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (now the Big West).
For the 1975 season, Fullerton would hire former Pacific assistant coach Jim Colletto
Jim Colletto
-External links:* *...
, as the third head coach in program history. 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
Obie Graves
Obie Graves is a former Citrus College and Cal State Fullerton football player, who went on to play two seasons in the Canadian Football League.-Football career:...
rushing for 1,789 total yards including 291-yards in a 34–9 upset of Long Beach State. Colletto would be removed from his position following the 1979 season with Gene Murphy
Gene Murphy
Gene Murphy was an American football player and coach. He was a quarterback for the University of North Dakota from 1960-1962. He then moved into an assistant coaching position, where he remained until 1977. He served as head coach for the team from 1978-1979...
being announced as the program's fourth all-time head coach on December 16, 1979.
Entering Murphy's first season, the Titans would move their home games to a temporary on-campus stadium, and continue to not see success on the field with losing seasons from the 1980 through the 1982 seasons. For the 1983 season, Fullerton would again move their home games, this time to Cerritos College
Cerritos College
Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955 located in Norwalk, California. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century...
in addition to making the 1983 California Bowl
California Bowl
The California Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game played annually at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California, from 1981 to 1991. The games matched the championship teams from the Big West Conference with teams from the Mid-American Conference...
after winning their first conference championship. The Titans would build upon the successes in finishing the 1984 season again as conference champion with a record of 11–1. 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. 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.
By the late 1980s, the program was in financial trouble with the Fullerton Academic Senate voting 24–7 to recommend disbanding the program. Although halted by then-university president Milton A. Gordon, on December 7, 1992, Fullerton announced that it would suspend the program effective immediately for a year, with the intention of returning to play at the Division I-AA level for the 1994 season. However the move to I-AA never occurred and Fullerton has been without football since 1992.
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. The effort to resurrect the program continues to this day, complete with a petition to reinstate the football team.
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; the most kickoff returns per game with an average of 7.3 per game for the 1990 season; the 10th highest number of rushing yards in a single game with 357 by Mike Pringle on November 4, 1989, against New Mexico State; and being part of the fourth highest combined score in a tied game with their 41–41 contest against San Diego State
San Diego State Aztecs football
The San Diego State football team represents the San Diego State Aztecs in college football. The Aztecs, a Division I FBS team and a member of the Mountain West Conference, play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The field is natural grass and has a maximum capacity of...
on September 23, 1989.
Head coaches
{| border="0" width="100%"| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="80%"
!bgcolor="#003473"| Tenure
!bgcolor="#003473"| Coach
!bgcolor="#003473"| Years
!bgcolor="#003473"| Record
!bgcolor="#003473"| Pct.
|- align="center"
| 1970-71 || Dick Coury
Dick Coury
Dick Coury is a former American football coach who served as head coach of the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the United States Football League from 1983 to 1985. He was named as the USFL coach of the year in 1983....
|| 2 || 13-8-1 || .614
|- align="center"
| 1972-74 || Pete Yoder
Pete Yoder
Peter Lampman Yoder was an American football coach in the United States. He served as a running backs coach at the University of Southern California under John McKay before accepting the head coaching position at California State University, Fullerton, where he compiled an 18–15 record in...
|| 3 || 18-15-0 || .546
|- align="center"
| 1975-79 || Jim Colletto
Jim Colletto
-External links:* *...
|| 5 || 17-38-1 || .313
|- align="center"
| 1980-92 || Gene Murphy
Gene Murphy
Gene Murphy was an American football player and coach. He was a quarterback for the University of North Dakota from 1960-1962. He then moved into an assistant coaching position, where he remained until 1977. He served as head coach for the team from 1978-1979...
|| 13 || 59-89-1 || .399
|-
!bgcolor="#003473"| Totals
!bgcolor="#003473"| 4 coaches
!bgcolor="#003473"| 23
!bgcolor="#003473"| 107-150-3
!bgcolor="#003473"| .417
|-
|}
Seasons
{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="#ddffdd"|Conference Champions *
|bgcolor="#ffe6bd"|Bowl game berth ^
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; width:98%;"
|-
!rowspan="2" style="width:5%;"|Season
!rowspan="2" style="width:14%;"|Head coach
!rowspan="2" style="width:13%;"|Conference
!colspan="4"|Season results
!rowspan="2" style="width:25%;"|Bowl result
|-
!Conference finish
!Wins
!Losses
!Ties
|-
|align="center" Colspan="8" style="background:#003473;color:#003473"|Cal State Fullerton Titans
|-
|align="center"|1970
|align="center" rowspan=2|Dick Coury
Dick Coury
Dick Coury is a former American football coach who served as head coach of the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the United States Football League from 1983 to 1985. He was named as the USFL coach of the year in 1983....
|align="center"|California Collegiate Athletic Association
California Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1971
|align="center"|California Collegiate Athletic Association
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|0
|align="center" style="background: #ffe6bd;"| Lost 1971 Mercy Bowl
Mercy Bowl
The first Mercy Bowl was played between Fresno State University and Bowling Green State University at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on November 23, 1961 as a special fundraiser in memory of sixteen Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo football players killed in a plane crash...
to Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State Bulldogs football
The Fresno State Bulldogs football team represents California State University, Fresno in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The green “V” on the Bulldogs' helmets, uniforms, field symbolize California Central Valley, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural valley from which they...
, 14–17 ^
|-
|align="center"|1972
|align="center" rowspan=3|Pete Yoder
Pete Yoder
Peter Lampman Yoder was an American football coach in the United States. He served as a running backs coach at the University of Southern California under John McKay before accepting the head coaching position at California State University, Fullerton, where he compiled an 18–15 record in...
|align="center"|California Collegiate Athletic Association
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1973
|align="center"|California Collegiate Athletic Association
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1974
|align="center"|Big West Conference
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1975
|align="center" rowspan=5|Jim Colletto
Jim Colletto
-External links:* *...
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1976
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1977
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1978
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1979
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1980
|align="center" rowspan=13|Gene Murphy
Gene Murphy
Gene Murphy was an American football player and coach. He was a quarterback for the University of North Dakota from 1960-1962. He then moved into an assistant coaching position, where he remained until 1977. He served as head coach for the team from 1978-1979...
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1981
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1982
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center" style="background: #ddffdd;"|1983 *
|align="center" style="background: #ddffdd;"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|0
|align="center" style="background: #ffe6bd;"| Lost 1983 California Bowl to Northern Illinois Huskies
Northern Illinois Huskies football
The Northern Illinois Huskies football team represents Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference of the NCAA's Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision.-History:...
, 13–20 ^
|-
|align="center" style="background: #ddffdd;"|1984 *
|align="center" style="background: #ddffdd;"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|11
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1985
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1986
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1987
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1988
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1989
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1990
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|11
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1991
|align="center"|Big West Conference
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
|align="center"|1992
|align="center"|Independent
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|0
|align="center"|—
|-
!align="center" rowSpan="3" colSpan="4"|Total
!align="center"|107
!align="center"|148
!align="center"|3
!colSpan="2" align="center"|(only includes regular season games)
|-
!align="center"|0
!align="center"|2
!align="center"|0
!colSpan="2" align="center"|(only includes bowl games)
|-
!align="center"|107
!align="center"|150
!align="center"|3
!colSpan="2" align="center"|(all games)
|-
|-
|colspan="8" style="font-size: 8pt" align="center"|References:
|}
All-time bowl results
{| class="wikitable"|-style="background: #003473" align=center
| Date || Bowl || Location || W/L || Opponent || PF || PA
|-align=center
| December 11, 1971 || Mercy Bowl II
Mercy Bowl
The first Mercy Bowl was played between Fresno State University and Bowling Green State University at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on November 23, 1961 as a special fundraiser in memory of sixteen Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo football players killed in a plane crash...
|| Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
|| L || Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State Bulldogs football
The Fresno State Bulldogs football team represents California State University, Fresno in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The green “V” on the Bulldogs' helmets, uniforms, field symbolize California Central Valley, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural valley from which they...
|| 13 || 20
|-style="background: #808080" align=center
|-align=center
| December 17, 1983 || California Bowl
California Bowl
The California Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game played annually at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California, from 1981 to 1991. The games matched the championship teams from the Big West Conference with teams from the Mid-American Conference...
|| Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
|| L || Northern Illinois Huskies
Northern Illinois Huskies football
The Northern Illinois Huskies football team represents Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference of the NCAA's Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision.-History:...
|| 14 || 17
|-style="background: #808080" align=center
| Total || 2 bowl games || || 0-2 || || 27 || 37
|}
In the NFL
California State University, Fullerton has 22 alumni that have played in the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="60%" text-align:"center"
!bgcolor="#003473"|Name
!bgcolor="#003473"|Position
!bgcolor="#003473"|Year
!bgcolor="#003473"|Overall Pick
!bgcolor="#003473"|Team
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Mike Ernst || QB || 1972 || Free Agent || Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Johnnie Gray
Johnnie Gray
Johnnie Lee Gray was a safety who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers. Gray attended California State University, Fullerton.- References :...
|| S || 1975 || Free Agent || Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| M. L. Carter || CB || 1979 || Free Agent || Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Grady Richardson
Grady Richardson
Grady Gene Richardson is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at California State University, Fullerton....
|| TE || 1979 || Free Agent || Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Lucious Smith
Lucious Smith
Lucious Irvin Smith is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. He was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 1980. He played college football at Cal State-Fullerton and San Diego State.Smith also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills,...
|| CB || 1980 || Free Agent || Los Angeles Rams
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Bobby Kemp
Bobby Kemp
Bobby Kemp is a former American football safety who played seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League....
|| DB || 1981 || 202 || Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Daren Gilbert || OT || 1985 || 38 || New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Mark Collins
Mark Collins (American football)
Mark Anthony Collins is a former American football cornerback and safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He played college football at Cal State-Fullerton.Collins also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay...
|| DB || 1986 || 44 || New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Vince Gamache || P || 1986 || Free Agent || Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| James Pruitt
James Pruitt
James Bouvias Pruitt is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for six seasons for the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts .-References:...
|| WR || 1986 || 107 || Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Vince Abbott
Vince Abbott
Vincent Steven Abbott is a former American football player. Born in London, Abott graduated the University of Washington, and was undrafted free agent. He played for a time in the USFL for the Los Angeles Express...
|| K || 1987 || Free Agent || San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Alex Espinoza
Alex Espinoza
Alex A. Espinoza is a former National Football League quarterback who played for one season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He went to college at Iowa State after transferring from Cal State-Fullerton...
|| QB || 1987 || Free Agent || Kansas City Chiefs
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Rick Calhoun || RB || 1987 || Free Agent || Los Angeles Raiders
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Hank Goebel || OT || 1987 || Free Agent || Los Angeles Rams
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| A.J. Jenkins || DE/LB || 1987 || 228 || Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Wade Lockett || WR || 1987 || Free Agent || Los Angeles Raiders
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Ronald McLean || DE/NT || 1987 || Free Agent || Denver Broncos
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Cornelius Redick || WR || 1987 || Free Agent || Green Bay Packers
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Marvin Williams || TE || 1987 || Free Agent || Washington Redskins
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Jim Thornton
James Thornton (tight end)
James Michael Thornton is a former professional American football player who played tight end for seven seasons for the Chicago Bears, the New York Jets, and the Houston Oilers. He was given the nickname of "RoboCop" because of his physique.-External links:**...
|| TE || 1988 || 105 || Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Mike Pringle || RB || 1990 || 139 || Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
|-align="center" style="background: #ffffff;"
| Reggie Redding || OG/T || 1991 || Free Agent || Atlanta Falcons
|} Ramon Washington DE/T 1989 Free Agent Cleveland Brown
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 LeagueCanadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. The three players of note include: Mike Pringle who is the league's all-time leading rusher, Damon Allen
Damon Allen
Damon Allen is a former professional quarterback in the Canadian Football League, most recently with the Toronto Argonauts. He is currently second in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he was surpassed for first place by the Montréal...
, the league's all-time leading passer and former all-time pro football passing leader with 72,381 passing yards, and Allen Pitts
Allen Pitts
Allen Pitts was a receiver for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League from 1990 to 2000. He attended Cal-State Fullerton and played his entire professional career as a receiver for the Calgary Stampeders...
, the league's all-time leading receiver until 2008 when he was surpassed by Milt Stegall
Milt Stegall
Milton Eugene Stegall is a retired professional gridiron football player who played 17 years of professional football, three years in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals and 14 years in the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.Stegall was an All-Star...
.