San Francisco State Gators football

The Early Years

San Francisco State Teachers College was first coached by Dave Cox, who had previously coached at Polytechnic High, starting in the 1931 season. Dave Cox coached the team- then known as the "Staters"- for several seasons before announcing his resignation due to ill health on August 31, 1935. He would be replaced by his two assistants, Dan Farmer who had played and coached at Chico State, and Hal Hardin from Oregon State. Farmer would coach the backs while Hardin worked with the linemen. Farmer would take over the Head Coaching position and is described in the Berkeley Daily Gazette as "one of the greatest athletes ever to graduate from Chico," would also coach the "Gaters'" basketball team. During the 1935 season, veteran halfback Ralph Nathan was injured for two weeks but would return to the backfield to join quarterback Keith Cox against San Francisco Junior College.

Dan Farmer would later be honored by Golden Gater rival Chico State, his alma mater, with the naming of a perpetual trophy bearing his name would be contested between the two schools. After spending six seasons coaching the football team, Farmer would be replaced by former St. Mary's all-American halfback Dick Boyle in October 1938. During the 1940 season, Boyle's Staters scrimmaged throughout the week in preparation for matches against military sides like the Moffett Field Air Corps Eleven, and over half of his playbook consisted of passing plays to make use of "capable tossers" including Reno Cardoni, John Verducci, Dick Chin, and Fred Hinze.

The outbreak of World War II caused a flurry of change for the "Staters" football program, as Dick Boyle would become a lieutenant in the navy and be replaced by Ray Kaufman in June 1942. Kaufman's tenure was to be a short one, however, as it was announced that Dan Farmer would return to replace Kaufman, who entered the Navy as a gunnery officer, in October of the same year. While Farmer would remain with the State College through the decade in various capacities including Head Coach of the basketball program, he would step down from football with Dick Boyle's return from service in the Navy. Boyle's second as HC in the late '40's is remembered by his successful protest of the "deadman" trick play, which was outlawed in a "gentlemen's agreement" between Far Western Conference schools after used by Southern Oregon to defeat State College 13–7 in the 1947 season.

The Fruit Bowl

San Francisco State met the Southern University Jaguars in the Fruit Bowl in San Francisco, finding themselves completely outclassed on a muddy field and shut out 30–0 in front of 5,000 fans. The Fruit Bowl game is noteworthy for being the first interracial bowl game played in the United States.

The Verducci era

The arrival of Joe Verducci to San Francisco State from St. Mary's College was rather unexpected; after all, St. Mary's was a team that had defeated Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl in 1939, and followed it up with appearances in the Sugar Bowl and the Oil Bowl in 1946 and 1947. San Francisco State was coming off a shutout loss to Southern. Verducci must have made a difference, as St. Mary's would not return to another bowl while SF State would become a Far West powerhouse in the next decade. Verducci's time with the Gaels was indeed short, having replaced "Irish Jimmy Phelan" (who became the mentor of the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America conference), in April 1948. Verducci had been a quarterback with the University of California, and had coached Polytechnic High to a record of 35–6–6 from 1938–1943.

The 1950 season, Verducci's first, would be successful for the Gators. Going through the season undefeated and untied, they met the Pioneers of Lewis and Clark in the Pear Bowl at Medford on Thanksgiving day. Lewis and Clark included a 200-pound candidate for little all-American, while the Gators were handicapped by injuries to halfback Rudy Smith, quarterback Tom Riper and tackle Bob Williamson.

Verducci would be named Northern California Coach of the Year in his final season in November 1960, angering fans of Humboldt State whose coach Phil Sarboe had taken the Lumberjacks to a 9–0 record and an 18-game winning streak, including handing Verducci and the Gators their lone loss in 1960. Students at Humboldt State college burned three dummies representing sports writers in effigy.

Verducci announced his retirement from coaching on May 27, 1960, and remained at San Francisco State as athletic director. College President Glenn S. Dumke named Vic Rowen, line coach for the previous six seasons, as his successor.

The Rowen era

The 1985 season showed promise behind quarterback Rich Strasser, who was described by the coach of the opposing Santa Clara Broncos as "the Division II Doug Flutie". In an early season matchup in September against Cal Lutheran, the combination of Strasser and receiver Ron Teitel could not overcome the clock in the final seconds, but managed to impress the Los Angeles Times staff writer nonetheless.

After Rowen

Dennis Creehan came to San Francisco State after a turmoil-filled day in March 1990 when Creehan was named the linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, only to have the team rescind the appointment the next day once Steelers coach Chuck Noll discovered that Creehan was the headman at SFSU, instead of an assistant coach at UC Berkeley as he had been led to believe. The Steelers hired Bob Valesente for the position and Creehan remained at San Francisco State, but would argue that his opportunity to work in the NFL was stolen by the newspapers in Pittsburgh, claiming to have had his career ruined and his family humiliated by reporters at the Post-Gazette.

Following Hamilton, Creehan, and Rowan as the fourth coach in as many years would be Dick Mannini, announced for the position on July 21, 1992. Mannini had served as the defensive coordinator at Stanford from 1984–1988, and had been the head coach of the St. Mary's Gaels from 1977–1983. He coached the Gators for their final three seasons until president Robert A. Corrigan killed the program on March 8, 1995.

San Francisco State Football would not have a winning season after 1973, and only a single winning season after 1967; but in the Gators' heyday, they would win eight conference titles between 1954 and 1967 including a run of 11 straight winning seasons.

In the NFL

San Francisco State University has 12 alumni who were drafted into the National Football League.

Among those drafted into the NFL, Floyd Peters would go on to become a standout defensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts, earning a bid to the Pro Bowl three times. Likewise, Elmer Collett had a ten-year career with the San Francisco 49ers as well as the Baltimore Colts, making it to the Pro Bowl in the 1969 season.

Another NFL figure, Bill Baird, was drafted into the American Football League and started for the New York Jets from 1963 to 1969. Baird was a part of the oft-remembered Jets team that played in Super Bowl III in 1969, giving the AFL their first Super Bowl victory.

Several NFL coaches were on the staff of San Francisco State. Dirk Koetter, current head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was the Gators' offensive coordinator in 1985 and Andy Reid, current head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, was the Gators' offensive line coach from 1983-1985.

In other professional leagues

In addition to the players that competed in the NFL, there have been several former Gators that have made careers in other professional football leagues. Former Gator defensive end Nick Kukilica earned a place among the All-Stars of the short-lived Continental Football League in 1969, playing for the Sacramento Capitols. Likewise, several Gators found success with the Canadian Football League; Doug Parish had a career with the Edmonton Eskimos, while Ken Hailey played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.