Collection Guide
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San José State University Football Programs Collection
MSS-2009-08-04
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: San José State University Football Programs Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-2009-08-04
Physical Description:
7.0 boxes
[2.92 linear feet]
Physical Description:
1 flat file drawers
Date (inclusive): 1934-2007
Date (bulk): 1953-1963
Abstract: The San José State University Football Programs Collection, 1934-2007, provides a snapshot of the intercollegiate games played
by the SJSU Spartans. The football team began in 1893, with the first intercollegiate game taking place in 1895. SJSU celebrated
its intercollegiate centennial in 1995. SJSU is a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, participating
in the Western Athletic Conference. The programs provide biographical profiles of the players and coaches of both teams, and
also include statistics, records and press releases. In addition, notable materials in the collection include SJSU football
information guides provided for the press, radio, and television, and the 1995 Football Media Guide celebrating the 100th
anniversary of the SJSU football team.
The collection is open for research.
Copyright has been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the collection. Copyright restrictions also apply
to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files from or derived from these collections is restricted
to research and educational purposes.
San José State University Football Programs Collection, MSS-2009-08-04, San José State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.
Collection processed by Thomas Stamps. Finding aid EAD encoded by Mary Ellen Petrich. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.
Arrangement updated and finding aid revised by Eilene Lueck.
Dates updated and finding aid revised by Samantha Garcia.
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
Early accounts indicate that the San José State Normal School football program organized as early as 1893, with the first
intercollegiate game taking place in 1895. The YMCA defeated the Normal School 18-0 in 1893, when male enrollment numbered
about 40. Over the years, the Spartan football program has become a major establishment at SJSU. The Spartans became a powerhouse
in the 1930s and 1940s, winning eight conference championships over an 18-year span. In addition, the San José State football
team had just arrived in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. The team subsequently volunteered to assist
the Honolulu Police Department maintain order on the island, as there was fear of an invasion by Japanese armed forces. San
José State University's first bowl game was in 1947, when the team defeated Utah State 20-0 in the Raisin Bowl. The SJSU football
team's most recent bowl game was in 2006, when they defeated the University of New Mexico at the New Mexico Bowl, 20-12. In
2004, SJSU installed the Jeff Garcia Hall of Champions near Spartan Stadium in San José. The Hall of Champions includes the
memorabilia of SJSU Hall of Fame athletes and coaches such as Bill Walsh, the three-time Super Bowl winning coach for the
San Francisco 49ers and former player and coach of the San José State University Spartans. SJSU celebrated its intercollegiate
centennial in 1995, and is a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, participating in the Western
Athletic Conference.
San José State University Sports History Collection, MSS-2009-11-04, San José State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.
Scope and Content of Collection
The San José State University Football Programs Collection, 1934-2007 (bulk 1947-1962), provides a snapshot of the intercollegiate
games played by the SJSU Spartans. The football team began in 1893, with the first intercollegiate game taking place in 1895.
SJSU celebrated its intercollegiate centennial in 1995. SJSU is a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association,
participating in the Western Athletic Conference. The programs provide biographical profiles of the players and coaches of
both teams, and also include statistics, records and press releases. In addition, notable materials in the collection include
SJSU football information guides provided for the press, radio, and television, and the 1995 Football Media Guide celebrating
the 100th anniversary of the SJSU football team. This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Football Programs,
1934-2007; Series II. Football Information Guides and Ephemera, 1953-1995.
This collection is arranged in chronological order into two series: Series I. Football Programs, 1934-2007; Series II. Football
Information Guides and Ephemera, 1953-1995.
Gilbert, Benjamin F., and Burdick, Charles.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. San José, California: San José State University, 1980.
Walsh, James P.
San José State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San José, California: San José State University, 2003.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San José State University -- Football
San Jose State College -- Football
San José State University -- Athletics Department