By: Taylor Lupetti- Assistant Executive Editor
1939 While a win is an anomaly for the San Jose State football team nowadays, there was a time when a loss was a rare find. The 1939 football program claimed the first (and last) undefeated season SJSU fans have witnessed. Granted, those Gridders were in the Division II California College Athletic Association at the time. The team was led by head coach Dudley DeGroot, who later went on to be the head coach for the Washington Redskins. Helping as an advisory coach to DeGroot was famed football coach Pop Warner. Two players went on to play pro in 1940 for teams including the Redskins. This historic season belongs in SJSU’s key sports moments since it marks the only undefeated season the Spartans have ever completed.
1962 It was a humanitarian win for 1962 men’s cross country when it became the first racially integrated division champions. The two African American runners on the team, Ron Davis and Ben Tucker, faced housing discrimination while they traveled to events. Despite this obstacle, the team stayed together and competed as one. Davis returned to SJSU in 2013 when he became the head coach for women’s track and field. In his time, Davis helped the program see its best finish at NCAA West Regionals in eight years.
1968 Six years after the integration of the men’s cross country team, two runners took a bigger step in the Civil Rights movement. SJSU students Tommie Smith and John Carlos both raised a black-gloved fist as a salute to Black Power when they took first and third in the 1968 Olympics, respectively. Smith and Carlos’ stand for human rights heavily affected them as they returned to SJSU, where they faced violence and death threats. While the controversial political movement was present at the time, it is now heavily celebrated by SJSU. Smith and Carlos’ stance is now honored with a 23-foot-tall statue on the Tower Lawn on campus.
1984 The 1984 women’s volleyball program made history when it reached the Final Four in the NCAA tournament. After defeating FresnoState in the Northwest regional finals, the Spartans traveled to Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles to compete in the Final Four. Accompanying SJSU in the tournament that year was UCLA, University of Pacific and Stanford. A 3-0 sweep by UCLA placed SJSU in the consolation match against Pacific, where the Spartans fell 3-1 and took fourth place.
2000 The turn of the new millennium brought luck to the men’s soccer team during the 2000 season. Not only did the squad have an undefeated 18-0-1 year, but it also ranked No. 1 in the nation. Coaching the Spartans at the time was former Earthquakes player Gary St. Clair. He retired from SJSU in 2013, ending his 23 years of service. After his team’s undefeated season, St. Clair was named NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year.
2004-2007 Although they are not treated like Division I athletes, the club sports at San Jose State have seen some encouraging moments throughout the years as well. Just take SJSU’s club ice hockey team for example. From 2004-2007, the team racked up 47 consecutive home wins. The hockey program has been a part of the Division II American Collegiate Hockey Association since 1998. Since this monumental moment in the Spartans’ past, the team went on to win the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy championship in 2017.
2008 Bringing another spotlight onto SJSU’s club sports is the judo team. While the program is well known for its notable judoka alumnus, 98-year-old Yoshihiro Uchida, it has been recognized for other accomplishments as well. In 2008, SJSU’s judo program was ranked first of six National Training Sites by USA Judo, among prestigious Olympic Training Centers throughout the country.
2013 A well-remembered and heavily celebrated moment in Spartan history was the 2013 Valley Cup when SJSU upset Fresno State’s undefeated season with a 62-52 win. Despite trailing 27-21 at the break, the Spartans dominated the second half and chased the Bulldogs off the field to end their win streak. Both starting quarter- backs, Derek Carr and David Fales, went on to play for the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins, respectively.
2017 The 2017 softball program coined the phrase, “no field, no problem” during the season it clinched the Mountain West Conference championship title. When the new golf facility took the place pf the former softball field, the team was essentially left “homeless,” but did not let that stop them from becoming champions. The team found a temporary home at Mission College in Santa Clara until the unveiling of its new field in April of 2018.
2017: A Recap Softball wasn’t the only SJSU women’s team to become champions in the spring of 2017. Gymnastics, tennis and soccer joined the fellow female Spartan athletes in the domination of conference titles. It was a great season to be a female student athlete at San Jose State as the teams paved a path for the greatness of future generations. The triumph brought attention to SJSU sports for having strong-willed teams that belong in the Mountain West Conference. While there has been a call to place SJSU in the Division II Big Sky Conference, it’s the moments brought on by these victories that remind those people that the Spartans are Division I for a reason.
Follow Taylor on Twitter: @tayclupetti