Spartan Stadium hits the three-quarter century mark this fall, cozying up to the same tall trees on the South Campus of San José State, right there at the corner of Thrill Street and Memory Boulevard. The old gray lady is turning 75, still possessing the same intimate charm of her youth, only with more stories to relate about her long, eventful life. What she won't tell, others will tell for her.
And what memories she has, having launched the coaching careers of Bill Walsh and Dick Vermeil, both Super Bowl winners, and laying claim to the invention of "The Wave," as created by George "Krazy George" Henderson, now the world's oldest cheerleader.
For sure, Spartan Stadium isn't the biggest college football stadium, with a capacity of 30,456. But good things do come in small packages. San José State's 45-41 victory over Fresno State in 1986 was picked by Sports Illustrated as the top NCAA game that season.
"That's the one game people always remember about San José State," recalled Ken Korach, the voice of the Oakland A's, who called that SJSU-FSU game as the Spartans' play-by-play man from 1985-92. "(Lafo) Malauulu from (Mike) Perez in the corner of the end zone for the win. It was a golden time." San José scored two touchdowns inside the last two minutes to stun Fresno. Korach said those Spartans "were legitimately a top 25 team."
So many great Spartan players over the last 75 years have graced the stadium. Five first-team All-Americans -- end Lloyd Thomas (1938), fullback Leroy Zimmerman (1939), linebacker Dave Chaney (1971), return man Charles Pauley (2003) and cornerback Dwight Lowery (2006) -- have worn the blue, gold and white of San José State. Two Spartan quarterbacks -- Chon Gallegos (1960) and Perez (1987) -- were voted the Pop Warner Award as the top senior players on the West Coast. SJSU produced National Football League stars in Bob Titchenal, Billy Wilson, Dan Colchico, Jim Cadile, Louie Wright, Kim Bokamper, Carl Ekern, Gill Byrd, Jeff Garcia, Steve DeBerg, Gerald Willhite and Joe Nedney. Walsh was a second-string end at SJSU in the early 1950s, but then became a Hall of Fame coach with the San Francisco 49ers while establishing his reputation as possibly football's most creative offensive mind ever.
So the old gray lady has plenty to be proud of.
The idea for the stadium came about in 1932, with then-President Thomas W. MacQuarrie a leading advocate. He reasoned that San José State was turning out teachers at an accelerated pace and that the growing physical education department called for a venue larger than the 2,000-seat Spartan Field at the corner of Seventh and Humboldt.
With a budget of $21,000, the new stadium just south of the old field was modeled after the College of the Pacific's double crescent, bundling as many seats as possible at the 50-yard line. The 4,500-seat venue debuted on Oct. 7, 1933, with San José State defeating San Francisco State, 44-0.
"It's always been a pleasant place to play," says Walt McPherson.
McPherson would know that better than anybody today. He played there as a Spartans freshman in 1934. He was a fullback and varsity captain in 1938 when San José finished 11-1 after dropping its last game, 13-12, in Hawaii.
The next year, he was an assistant coach, working with the passers and punters, as SJSU recorded its only undefeated season, 13-0, under two great coaches -- head coach Dud DeGroot and advisory coach Pop Warner.
"DeGroot wasn't always popular with the players," said McPherson. "He was a little hard-boiled at times, but he was liked in the town of San José. Pop had an elevated seat at practice -- it was amazing how observant he was, and he wasn't bashful."
San José State hasn't ever known a better run of football success than between 1937 and 1941, when its record was a scintillating 46-4-2. But the Spartans didn't win their first bowl game until 1949, a 20-13 victory over Texas Tech in the Raisin Bowl at Fresno.
Bob Blum became the Spartans announcer in 1950 and stayed on until 1965. Gene Menges, a hero of the Raisin Bowl win, was a senior quarterback in Blum's first year. "He wasn't a very big guy, but he was pretty sharp, mobile and could throw the ball well," Blum said. "Billy Wilson, the ‘Goose,' was his best receiver -- a lanky guy with great hands and great moves."
Wilson would have an All-Pro career with the 49ers, leading the NFL in receptions three times in the 1950s. Blum also called SJSU games involving Vermeil, who played quarterback, and Walsh.
"You might have gotten the idea that they would be coaches," Blum said, "because they studied film quite a bit."
Vermeil would become the only coach to win a Rose Bowl (UCLA) and a Super Bowl (St. Louis). He also had a direct impact on a future Spartan captain (1958) and head coach (1984-89) in Claude Gilbert.
"In my first spring practice, I got tackled by Vermeil and broke my ankle," said Gilbert, who played fullback and end for the Spartans. "I led the nation in broken legs -- three of them."
Gilbert then broke Fresno State's heart in '86.
"It was a classic game," he said, "the most memorable game I can remember at Spartan Stadium, which is a great little stadium, very intimate."
Korach feels the same way.
"It was a great place to do a game because there was no running track and you were close to the action," he said. "I've always kept binoculars with me, but I didn't usually need them there, because (SJSU) threw the ball so much.
"Those teams were obviously good. I remember people tailgating on the soccer field. And I met my future wife, Denise, at San José State. She worked at the Spartan Foundation. So that was a wonderful time for me."
And it's been a wonderful 75 years for Spartan Stadium, which elicits fond recollections from those who played there, coached there and broadcast there.
"It wasn't the Coliseum in Los Angeles," said Blum. "It was a small town college stadium."
Which makes the old gray lady stand out in a snuggly sort of way. Even after two expansions, she has kept her figure and still looks appealing.
Her scrapbook also includes great moments beyond football. The annual Commencement ceremonies have been held in the stadium since 1955. The San Jose Earthquakes of the 1970s, the 1999 Women's World Cup, popular musical artists of the day, and even the Reverend Billy Graham have all filled Spartan Stadium.
Most recently, San José State beat Stanford for the first time at Spartan Stadium with a 35-34 victory in 2006 -- a nailbiter that rivaled the SJSU-FSU game in '86 for excitement. With head coach Dick Tomey leading the rebirth of San José State football, the Spartans are 12-2 at home since November 2005. Only USC has a better home record on the West Coast over that same period
Spartan Stadium's official 75th birthday was Saturday, Aug. 30. But she's celebrating the entire season. Come out and join the fun! You may see more history in the making.
-- Dave Newhouse, '64
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