Bring
back LBSU’s ‘Go Beach’ football
spirit and pride
Patrick
Hodgson
The
sweet smell of fresh grass, the cheering
of fans, the sound of the band playing
catchy fight song tunes and the impact
of those bone crushing hits.
These are
the traits of one of the most exiting sports,
college football. It is what campuses across
the nation such as USC, Texas, Oklahoma
and those three big schools in Florida
live for. So why can’t Long Beach
State be apart of this cult? Because LBSU
has no football team.
The school that bleeds black and gold and is better known to western civilization
as the 49ers have not had a football team since George H.W. Bush was in office.
To be honest with you, not having a football team is the equivalent of having
cereal without milk, or better yet, peanut butter without jelly. They just
belong together.
In the late ’80s LBSU was facing the juncture of having to relinquish
their football program because the wins were not piling up, which meant the
money was less than adequate, once again proving the old cliche right, that
if it don’t make dollars it don’t make sense.
The university was desperate for help and attempted to find a remedy to save
the struggling program in former Washington Redskins Coach George Allen.
He
was a proven winner and had the credentials to back it up. In fact, Allen had
coached the Redskins to a Super Bowl. However, Allen could not duplicate his
preceding success and the program suffered with an average record of 3-9 the
last four seasons of the university’s program.
But let’s look on the positive side. In the duration of the football
program from’1955-1991, the football team had a winning record at 200-182
and played some aggressive UCLA teams in the mid ‘80s that included hall
of fame quarterback Troy Aikman. In addition, the program produced two time
MVP and Superbowl XXXII MVP Terrell Davis.
For the optimistic fans who yearn for a football team more than a dog for a
bone, there are infinite components that would benefit the second coming of
the 49ers on the gridiron. For starters, the university has an aptitude for
raising money. Moreover, it has raised almost double the money of San Jose
State and San Diego State which both have football programs. Secondly, the
program could recruit the blue-chip players necessary for success.
You also have to remember LBSU has produced some talented individuals because
of having the best athletic high school in the country, nearby Poly High.
Imagine
the names that could have played for the program like Willie Mcginnest, Samie
Parker, Bennie Robinson, Winston Justice and Desean Jackson. Also, the Orange
County athletes who are closer to LBSU than other universities such as Matt
Grootegoed and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart.
So, University Student Union and all of the hierarchy of LBSU, I say we try
again. The mistakes have been made and most importantly, the students want
it.
Couldn’t you imagine the “Go Beach” football shirts selling
like hotcakes and the crowd chanting hail “black and gold at Veterans
Stadium? I can and I know you can too, let’s get the program back and
show USC and Notre Dame who the real competitors are.
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