In 1968, California State College, Fullerton president, Dr. William B. Langsdorf announced plans for intercollegiate football to begin in the fall of 1970. The college had only recently passed the milestone of a 10,000-student enrollment.
With 1.3 million residents in rapidly-growing Orange County, an untapped need was believed to have been identified: There was no four-year football in Orange County, and talented local student-athletes were bypassing the Fullerton campus en route to playing opportunities at USC, UCLA, Long Beach State, and the powerhouse junior colleges of the era.
Then-Titan Athletic Director, Dr. John Caine, was tasked with nursing the nascent program into existence. His first challenge was to hire a head football coach. As reported in The Titan, over two dozen resumes were received for the position. A selection committee was formed, and they reportedly narrowed the choice to five finalists by March, 1969.
Fullerton Junior College coaching legend, Hal Sherbeck, despite receiving an editorial endorsement from The Titan, had already taken himself out of the running in order to stay with the Hornets. Caine was tight-lipped on the finalists, but the campus newspaper speculated that the candidates included Clyde Biggers, head coach at Eastern Illinois; Jim Garrett, a college scout for the Dallas Cowboys; and Don Lent, head coach from nearby Magnolia High School in Anaheim.
While interviews were being conducted, all was not going smoothly for the introduction of Titan football. A.S. Vice President, Chuck Loveless, expressed "serious reservations" about a football team, pressing A.D. Caine about costs.
Caine replied that it would take $26,000 to start the program in 1970. Caine expected to ask the A.S. for $15,000 to $20,000, plus grant money for the "first few years." Caine added, "I would hope that the income would equal the output after several years." Eventually, Caine suggested, "Football might even turn a profit."
An April, 1969 effort by a faculty committee to block funding for football in favor of other priorities was opposed by The Titan and members of the student body. A poll at the time showed that 69% of the students supported the introduction of intercollegiate football.
The staff of The Titan must have been surprised when on May 2, 1969, Dick Coury was named as the first Cal State Fullerton football head coach. Coury's name had not come up in print in The Titan even once. At only age 39, although with his balding head he looked much older, the father of seven was already a local legend.
As head coach at Mater Dei High School from 1957-1965, Coury's teams had won seven league titles and three CIF championships. Moving on to USC from 1966-1968, Coury served as Defensive Coordinator under fabled head coach, John McKay. Their Trojan teams would participate in three consecutive Rose Bowls during Coury's tenure at Heritage Hall.
Less than three months before joining the Titans, Coury had accepted an assistant coach job with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Rooney family, owners of the Steelers, graciously allowed Coury to interview for the Fullerton head coach position.
At his introductory press conference Coury said: "It's a good opportunity, because we're just starting with a new program. It will be the first four-year college program in Orange County in quite a while, if not the first ever."
Coury went on: It will be a tough job starting," he said. "But hopefully with the students' backing, we'll get a good program going. Right now, the most important thing is to get football players," he added.
All efforts were pointed at Fullerton's first game, scheduled for September 19, 1970 at Cal Poly Pomona. In fact, the entire 1970 football schedule was already on the books. Coury had no players, no assistant coaches, no helmets or pads, not a single blocking sled, nor a confirmed off-campus home stadium.
Things had not improved very much by the start of 1969's fall semester. Coury was doing the scouting and recruiting of players with just the help of John O'Hara from Mater Dei. The only things he could offer recruits was CSF's "outstanding academic program(s)" and an opportunity for playing time. Assistant coaches were to be hired just prior to the start of spring practices.
Former Titan offensive and defensive lineman, Marshall Johnson had played at Orange Coast College and had dreams of playing football at the next level and possibly professionally, but he was sure that his number would be coming up in 1970's Army draft lottery. Spurning inquiries from coach Dave Jordan, Johnson took a landscape construction job and put his car up for sale.
Upon finding out that his draft situation had changed, Johnson said: "I was stunned. So, I left my job, took the For Sale sign off of my car, bought a six-pack of beer, and called coach Jordan."
The first spring football practice took place on April 6, 1970. By that time, O'Hara (Offensive Backs & Receivers), Dallas Moon (Defensive Backs), Dave Jordan (Offensive Line), and Jack Stovall (Linebackers) had been added to Coury's staff. 76 student-athletes, mainly junior college transfers, participated in the first practice. Some were returning to college after having gotten married, started jobs, and after serving stints in the Army.
Among those hitting the practice field that spring were quarterbacks Mike Ernst from Cerritos College, and Chris Jaramillo from East L.A. College. The pair were expected to compete for the starting job.
On May 1, 1970, the fledgling Titan football program showcased their talents in a Blue / White scrimmage game held at the old Fullerton High School stadium. More than 2,200 curious fans were in attendance that night. Among them was the author of this story, then a fresh-faced 5th grader at Rolling Hills Elementary School in Fullerton.
The competition at quarterback intensified as Ernst and Jaramillo had productive nights. Terry Amick, Len Gaeta, Terry McLean, and Clem Crum distinguished themselves from the running back position, while barefoot kicker, Craig Hiatt converted on a 25-yard field goal.
Harkening back to Bear Bryant's legendary, grueling, 1954 "Junction Boys" camp at Texas A&M, 80 or so potential Titans embarked on a preseason camp at the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station in August, 1970. As Johnson described it: "It was hell on earth. That's it. Three practices a day, morning and afternoon, (mostly) in full pads and full contact.
"We had all been told that before the first morning practice we would be required to run 20 consecutive 100-yard dashes, with only about 20 seconds rest in between. We were told that we had better be in shape for it, since if you didn't finish you were out. There were a few guys that didn't make it.
"The two weeks proved tougher than we even imagined. During the second week, guys were running away. We saw guys actually jumping out of their windows to flee at night and get off the base. By the end of camp, about a third of the team had departed."
By the fall of 1970, the coaching staff had been augmented by Bill Redell (Quarterbacks) and Farley Day (Defensive Line). 57 players were listed in the Titan media guide. Wisely, in order to be quickly competitive, all but three were former junior college players. Defensive End, Gil Cruz, was the only senior on the roster. In these days of 330+ lb. linemen, it is interesting to note that no one on the Fullerton squad was listed at more than 240 lbs.
Johnson continued: "Two things struck me when we finally got back to campus. First, the Rams were there finishing two weeks of preseason practice, and for the first time in my career, I was assigned to the defensive line. But I didn't care. I just wanted to play.
"Meeting NFL players for the first time, I was blown away by their size. At 6'1", 235 lbs., I imagined that I was around 10 lbs. shy of NFL size. Standing next to Deacon Jones (6'5", 272 lbs.) and Merlin Olsen (6'5", 270 lbs.), I knew that playing in the NFL was probably not in my future.
"I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of our facilities. We had a full practice area, and had a large weight area and weight stations out on the practice field. The equipment was first class. In fact, a number of us were issued the new concussion-prevention helmets that you pumped up with air to better fit your individual head."
September 19, 1970 at last rolled around. The untested, but junior college experienced, Division II Titans traveled to nearby Cal Poly Pomona for their inaugural game. Mater Dei-like white stripes adorned Fullerton's blue helmets. The Titans wore white jerseys and white pants for their road debut.
3,500 fans crowded into Pomona's Kellogg Field for the contest. Coury's concerns about Fullerton's defense proved to be unfounded, as they forced three Bronco fumbles and dominated the field of play for an astonishing 31-0 shutout victory. Ernst had won the starting QB job, but Jaramillo also saw action in the second half. Len Gaeta led the Titan running backs with 69 hard-fought yards on 16 carries. Defensive Back, Neil Vickers, ran back a fumble for an 80-yard touchdown. Vickers also intercepted three Bronco passes.
Wideout, Tyrone Perry, scored two Titan touchdowns, one of which was a 41-yard punt return. Tight End, Jim Weuve, added a final Fullerton touchdown from a Jaramillo pass. Mission accomplished for Coach Coury.
Said Johnson: "We were confident that we could beat Pomona. Just before the game started I was moved from Right Defensive Tackle to Nose Tackle. The win was off the charts for us, and we celebrated our brains out. I was named Defensive Player of the Week, and awarded the Hit of the Week. That's always been a huge memory for me."
The victory at Cal Poly Pomona would lead the brand-new Titans to an unprecedented streak of wins at Southern Utah, Cal State L.A., and Cal State San Fernando Valley (now known as Cal State Northridge). Fullerton's home opener at cavernous Anaheim Stadium would result in a 0-0 draw with Cal Lutheran. The Titans suddenly found themselves at 4-0-1 in late October. A 20-10 home loss to Division I UNLV would end the unbeaten streak.
Coury and his Fullerton State Titans would conclude the season with an enviable 6-4-1 record. Quarterback Mike Ernst would throw for 19 touchdowns, and complete 130 passes for 1,677 yards in the days before pass-happy college football. Terry McLean would rush for 859 yards, and Bruce Rogge would catch 40 passes. Tyrone Perry would log 317 punt return yards. Craig Hiatt would punt for a 39.3-yard average. All of those individual statistics remain in the top ten of CSUF single-season football records to this day.
30,111 fans attended home games at Anaheim Stadium in 1970. Season ticket packages were $4 for students, $9 for faculty and alumni, and $12 for the general public.
Johnson concluded: "We were blessed with great coaches."
Postscript:
In 1970, Dr. Langsdorf resigned the presidency of Cal State Fullerton to become vice chancellor of academic affairs of the California State College system. He was replaced as president in 1971 by Dr. L. Donald Shields. At only age 34, Shields was the youngest president of a public college or university in the United States.
In 1971, Fullerton's impressive 7-4 record was overshadowed by the tragic deaths of assistant coaches, Dallas Moon, Joe O'Hara, and Bill Hannah in a small plane crash. The three coaches were flying from San Diego to San Luis Obispo, site of their next game. The heartbroken Titans fell to the Mustangs 23-14.
Despite suggestions to cancel the game, the Titans, encouraged by the widows of the late coaches, chose to play their November 27th "home" game with Grambling College, led by legendary head coach, Eddie Robinson. Over 60,000 football fans attended the game at the L.A. Coliseum, and were treated to appearances by Motown artists, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross. The game was dominated by Grambling 59-26.
A quickly arranged postseason Mercy Bowl II was arranged. To Fresno State's eternal credit, they graciously agreed to play Cal State Fullerton on December 11, 1971 in Anaheim Stadium. The game was played with proceeds to benefit the families of the three coaches and the pilot, including 14 surviving children. Nearly 17,000 fans watched the Titans eke out a 17-14 victory. The author of this story attended both the Grambling game and Mercy Bowl II.
Devastated by the loss of his friends, Dick Coury would resign at the end of the 1971 season. He would be replaced by Bill Yoder. Coury would go on to a long and distinguished record in the NFL, WFL, and USFL. Coury passed away in 2020 at the age of 90.
Mike Ernst would go on to play for the NFL's Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Southern California Sun of the WFL.
Marshall Johnson started as a teacher and coach in the southern California area before embarking on a 26-year career with Toyota Motors. As a Regional Manager, Johnson moved all over the country before being promoted to Vice President.
Chris Jaramillo has been a decades-long supporter of Titan baseball, and recently joined other Fullerton boosters at June's baseball regional on the Stanford campus.
CSF would achieve another milestone in 1972, gaining university status and being renamed California State University Fullerton. The comma between University and Fullerton was purposely omitted.
Dr. Caine would leave Cal State Fullerton in 1972. He would be replaced by future Titan Hall of Famer, Neale Stoner. Caine would go on to serve as A.D. at San Jose State, Oregon, and UC Irvine before passing away in 2010 at the age of 85.
Titan football had its highs and lows in the following years. The high-water mark was clearly the Gene Murphy-led teams in 1983 and 1984. Fullerton even briefly cracked the national Top 20 poll in 1984.
Despite finally opening an on-campus stadium in 1992, Titan football was financially doomed, and the program was discontinued at the end of the season. Like their rivals at Long Beach State and Pacific, rising costs made the Division I Titan football program financially untenable.
To quote from the Cal State Fullerton Football history included in the official FullertonTitans.com website, "Had all of the people who have asked about bringing football back to Fullerton gone to the games when there was a team, the program might be alive today. Instead, only the memories are left to stir."
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