With all the local sports action this year, it’s hard to pick a favorite event or most important story. Even after a few pints at O’Flaherty’s, our merry little group of writers couldn’t agree on a single thing (nothing new there), so we put the following short list together to get the ball rolling. We have told you ours, now you tell us yours.
San Jose State Football Program
An ignored program with a Walsh-like “mini-genius” for a coach with a bowl win and three close losses away from BCS roulette.
Joe Thornton Named NHL MVP
“Super Joe” Thornton wins the NHL scoring title and the League MVP, becoming the first player to do so while being traded midseason. Seriously, Boston, great move!
Stanford Football Wins a Game
A shiny new stadium, a combined IQ higher than the national debt, and they pulled off ONE win. Ouch!
Houston Earthquakes
MLS Champions…Need we say more?
Major Sports Move to South Bay
San Francisco 49ers of Santa Clara and San Jose A’s of Fremont. How will they fit those on a jersey?
#1 In an era of steroid use and over payed baseball players, a hard working great kid from San Jose, Kevin Frandsen, does us all proud while playing for the San Francisco Giants.
In 1939 there was talk about San Jose State’s undefeated football team going to the Cotton Bowl. Though they out-scored their opponets 312 points to 29 points they didn’t end up getting any bowl invitation. Stanford had one of its worst teams ever that year with only one win. In 2006 San Jose State not only got an invitite to a bowl game, they won the New Mexico Bowl! I’m sure that Stanford is now hoping that history repeats itself, in 1940 they were undefeated and won the Rose Bowl.
How about Cheechoo, just a small Native Canadian kid from a small town, scoring 56 goals?
Kevin Moore, Larry Stone’s stalking horse, and the guy that mows John Vidovich’s lawn, is going to screw up the 49er football deal. He is in 0-2 on stadium deals as it is. Indeed, Mr. Moore was offered a copy of a very well done study on how ATT Park managed to get built in San Francisco and dismissed it completely saying that “planning studies on stadiums mean nothing”
Yeah, right, Kevin
How about when little santa clara university had football and upset Kentucky in the Cotton Bowl in 1950. Lets bring back football to SCU.
I would love to see football at SCU.
By the way, which shows how little informed Kevin Moore in Santa Clara is about Bay Area College Football, Santa Clara won all its games in its championship era at Keza Stadium.
#5 HJ,
Santa Clara also won two Sugar Bowls back in 1937 and 1938. Under Buck Shaw they went 47-10-4. In ‘36 they beat SJS 20-0, in ‘37 they beat SJS 25-2. In 1939 SJS was the only undefeated team in the Bay Area. Stanford 1-7-1, Cal 3-7-0, Santa Clara 5-1-3. SJS only lost 3 games from 37-39. Stanford said they did not want to play State because they were “pros”. State’s players were getting free room and board. Their coaches, Dud De Groot and Pop Warner both had come from Stanford. Santa Clara played a tougher schedule in 1939 but State had many great players who went on to play in the pros. WE will never know who had the better team in ‘39, but SJS sure had some of the best stats in the nation that year.
The Boisie State game brings to mind some stories from the past with trick plays and ingenius coaching. On Thanksgiving Day 1939, undefeated San Jose State took on undefeated Fresno State in Fresno. On the way to the game, several of the players rode with their advisory coach Pop Warner. Warner was in his twilight years and was nationally respected as one of the early architects of football. Pop had scouted the Bulldogs earlier that year and told the players in the car that he wasn’t sure the boys from State could beat them. Halfback Herm Zetterquist told Pop, “I don’t think we will have any problems with them.” Pop then smiled and handed Zetterquist a thumb protector that he had whittled and said “I thought you could use this.” Zetterquist had broken his thumb earlier in the season.
Lineman Hal Buffa then asked Pop if he would join the other players in the car for some Thanksgiving turkey at a relative’s home. Pop said ok but some of the boys just thought he was being polite and would rather spend the evening with “more important” people. San Jose State baffled the Bulldogs when, with the best place kicker in the nation, the Spartans lined up for a field goal and then went for a touchdown. Zetterquist was sent into the secondary and caught a touchdown pass. The boys from State went on to route Fresno 42-7. When they got back into the car, Pop said, “I sure am looking forward to that dinner.” When they got to the humble neighborhood, kids began to line up outside the house to get a look at the famous Pop Warner. When Pop saw what was happening he went out to meet the kids on the street. This must have not been the first time such a thing had happened, Pop had come prepared with roles of quarters. It was the height of the Depression and money was hard to come by. Twenty-five cents would buy you a meal. Pop handed out quarters to the dozens of kids as he spoke to them from the porch. When today’s athletes are so overpaid and overhyped, it is heartwarming to remember the early football greats like Pop Warner. It is fitting that his name remains associated with football and shaping young boys into honorable men.
SJSU needs a centrally located building on campus to display all of its rich heritage. The school needs to instill pride in its studentbody. Until they play up the feeling of long traditions at the school, they will never create a loyal alumni base.