Bring Back Titan Football

The Cal State Fullerton Associated Students are seeking input from current students, alumni and community supporters to determine the level of interest in reinstating the Titan Football program. You can express your level of interest by taking one of the surveys aimed at collecting this valuable information.

There are two surveys, both dedicated to the reinstatement of the Cal State Fullerton Football Team. One version of the survey is geared towards current students, while the other is aimed at alumni and community supporters. Both surveys have some of the same questions, while asking specific questions that would be of interest to the two interest groups.

It is imperative for anyone who supports this effort to not only take the survey but to pass it along to others that would be interested. A positive response to this survey can do great things in order to advance our effort of getting our team back and playing on the field. The survey will take you less than three minutes to complete and you can do so online right now.

Alumni/Community Members click HERE to take the Survey

Current CSUF Students click HERE to take the Survey

As the final seconds of the Big West Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship Game ticked off the clock, I couldn’t help but have a rush of emotions come over me. Seeing the Cal State Fullerton Basketball Team earn a bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after a 30 year wait was pure elation. Head Coach Bob Burton, his staff, and a talented group of Titan Basketball players should be heartily congratulated for a great season that still has yet to end. So as the Cal State Fullerton Basketball Team prepares to take on the Big Ten Champion Wisconsin Badgers, I can’t help but think that now the time is ripe to bring back Titan Football.

Prior to the Titan Basketball Team winning the 2008 Big West Conference, many would dismiss the program as a perennial loser. Who could blame them? Before Bob Burton’s arrival on campus, Cal State Fullerton Basketball was the laughing stock of the Big West. Fullerton Basketball was no stranger to 20 loss seasons under Burton’s predecessors Donny Daniels and Bob Hawking. Prior to Burton’s arrival, many scoffed that no matter how great a coach he was, changing the culture of losing, overcoming inferior facilities, and turning around overall fan apathy would be a losing battle. Burton didn’t listen and with solid recruiting classes and the right system, Cal State Fullerton Basketball is now going to the Big Dance after a 30 year hiatus.

So how does the Titan Basketball Team’s success this year affect the prospect of bringing back Titan Football in the future? Quite a bit actually. The same arguments you just read about the Titan Basketball Team being a poor program are the same complaints you will hear in regards to returning football to Cal State Fullerton. Fan apathy. A losing culture. Improper facilities. They all can be argued as a reason to not bring back the football team. Some may argue (including myself and the rest of the committee to bring back Titan Football) that if the 2008 Cal State Fullerton Basketball Team can make those changes, so can the football team. Times are different now.

Watching the Cal State Fullerton Basketball fans rush the court at the Anaheim Convention Center (twice, no less) demonstrated to me that fan apathy is not a problem anymore. With more students living on campus and more student housing off-campus, the climate now is much different than it was when football was dropped. Football Saturdays are an event complete with tailgating and socializing before and after the games. At other football schools, whether the team has a winning or losing season, many students will come out to support that activity, not just the team.

So why didn’t they support it back when Cal State Fullerton had a football team? Two simple reasons: (1) There was no on-campus stadium. Even the most die-hard students and fans would not drive to the Santa Ana Bowl to watch Cal State Fullerton play, (2) By the time Titan Stadium was built, the writing was on the wall and most knew the program’s days were numbered.

No matter what the end result is with the Cal State Fullerton Basketball Team in March Madness, the momentum and the excitement of this season will be a positive ripple effect in bringing back Titan Football. By just making an appearance in the NCAA Basketball Tournament will not only raise the awareness of Cal State Fullerton nationally but will heighten the students’ excitement to field a football team as well.

Cal State Fullerton already has demonstrated it can field championship caliber teams. With a conference championship in men’s basketball already in hand and the Cal State Fullerton Baseball Team looking strong again in 2008, it is time to complete the trifecta and bring back Titan Football. Speaking of the Cal State Fullerton Baseball Team, did the NCAA Tournament Committee inadvertently schedule a “home game” for the Titans in the first round of March Madness? The Titans first set of games are in Omaha, Nebraska. Titan Baseball fans know that Omaha is the home away from home for Cal State Fullerton. Let’s just hope that success transfers north from Rosenblatt Stadium to the Qwest Center downtown this weekend!