Chico State football is still a winner

It donned on me this morning that it has been 50 years since Chico State football played Boise State in the Camelia Bowl in Hughes Stadium, Sacramento. It was likely the highlight of Chico State’s football legacy. Many of us Wildcat football alumni remember driving to Sacramento for the game, coming from all directions, proud to say we were part of a great football tradition and its history. It was a fantastic game. Although the game was played four years after my eligibility, I came to know many of the “Wildcats” who played that day, either through rugby, officiating or simply making friendships that last to this day. I could name so many participants, but it would not be fair to those not recognized.

Unfortunately, that great program is gone, terminated after the 1998 season, along with other great athletic programs. But, many of us have said “Chico State football will not die,” and we have kept that promise. There is a very active Wildcat Football Alumni organization with Officers and full board, getting together annually in Chico for mixers, golf and a banquet, whose purpose is the future awarding of scholarships to relatives of Wildcat football alumni. We as a board hope to offer our first scholarships within the next year, which is both exciting and rewarding.

So, in that sense, Chico State football is alive and well!! — Don Carlsen, Chico