There is nothing else in Fresno County that brings people together quite like Fresno State athletics. Six times per year at home football games, about 40,000 fans of all races, religions and political beliefs put aside their differences, dress in Bulldog Red and unite behind one common cause – cheering on their hometown team.
Thousands more come together at dozens of basketball, softball, baseball and other sporting events each year to cheer on those teams in similar fashion. In every case, it's Fresno State that unites us through an unbreakable bond between the university and community that has been forged through more than a century.
Sports have a way of bringing the passion and pride out of a collection of individuals and making it palpable for all to see, hear and feel.
It's about so much more than a game. The people of Fresno County – and the greater Central Valley – are cheering for acknowledgment just as much as they are for the winning score. The people of greater Fresno know their hometown is worthy of respect – but all too often they have been looked down upon instead.
When former Bulldogs football coach Pat Hill said, "anybody, anytime, anywhere," this is what he was talking about.
Nestled in Central California, positioned in between the glitz and glam of Los Angeles and San Francisco, it would have been easy for Fresno State to settle for average and take a backseat to the wealthy universities already entrenched in major college athletics throughout the state.
But this is Fresno, and settling for less isn't in our nature. Decade after decade, the people in Fresno and the surrounding Valley organized and rallied support to build facilities and raise money for scholarships to be able to compete against the very best.
It wasn't an overnight success. It took years — decades even — to nurture and mature. Like the crops of our fertile Valley, seeds were nurtured into a fruitful harvest. While the bar was being raised for Dutch Warmerdam's world-record pole vaults, so too was the bar for what's possible within the "sleeping giant" that is Fresno State athletics.
And that story is still evolving. While the wins have been plentiful, the infrastructure is aging and many campus facilities and venues where students, alumni and the community gather are in need of modernization – the type of modernization our people deserve.
Fresno State has consistently done more with less – but imagine what the university could become with an infusion of support from various sources that would elevate the university to heights never before seen, allowing Fresno State to serve more than 1 million people in the region by meeting some of their most critical needs. Most importantly, Fresno State must find innovative solutions to meet these campus modernization needs to ensure the university is viable for the next generation – just as the previous generation did for us.
It all started with an extraordinary vision. A community of hardworking people thirsty for an identity latched on to a growing university. As the student body grew, the fan base grew along with it.
These Bulldogs brought a sense of pride this humble Valley had never before seen, and an energy so infectious that everyone wanted to be a part of it. The Red Wave was born.
Fueled by Bulldog spirit and inspired by legendary coaches and student-athletes, Fresno State athletics gave us belief and confidence like nothing else. Athletics became the front porch that introduced thousands to the university – nudging them to take a look around at the Valley of opportunities available throughout campus.
This year has been about capitalizing on those opportunities for many of Fresno State's talented student-athletes:
Coming off three straight conference championships, the women's water polo team is ranked No. 6 nationally after wins over then-No. 1 Stanford and then-No. 1 USC.
The women's volleyball team, under first-year coach Leisa Rosen, won its first Mountain West tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. The Bulldogs went 19-14 (10-8 Mountain West) just one year after finishing 1-17 in conference play.
A total of 89 student-athletes from football, volleyball, men's and women's cross country and women's soccer were named Academic All-Mountain West in the fall, meaning they earned a 3.0 GPA or better and competed in at least 50% of the team's contests.
With wins on the road at Purdue and Arizona State, and a home win over Boise State, the football team spent time in the national top 25 polls for the third straight season, finishing with a 9-4 record in 2023.
This year has also been a momentous one for honoring Fresno State legends who have been added to the Ring of Honor and had their jerseys retired.
Aaron Judge, the face of Major League Baseball who broke the American League single-season home run record in 2022 and was named AL MVP, had his No. 29 jersey retired on Nov. 19 in a ceremony at Bob Bennett Stadium at Pete Beiden Field.
Honored alongside Judge was his former coach, Mike Batesole, who had his No. 44 jersey retired. Batesole became the third straight Fresno State baseball coach to surpass 600 wins – a feat no other baseball program in America can match.
Jim Sweeney was posthumously inducted into the football Ring of Honor on Sept. 9. He compiled a record of 143-75-3 in two stints as Bulldogs coach, from 1976-77 and 1980-96. He led the Bulldogs to eight conference championships.
Pat Hill was inducted into the football Ring of Honor on Oct. 27, after leading the Bulldogs to a 112-80 record during his tenure from 1997-2011. Hill led the Bulldogs as high as No. 8 in the national rankings in 2001.
On Feb. 24, 2024, Rod Higgins became the third member of the program to have his jersey (No. 22) retired, joining Jerry Tarkanian and Paul George. Higgins was drafted No. 31 overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1982 NBA Draft and played professionally for 13 years. In college he led the Bulldogs to back to back NCAA tournaments, including the 1982 Sweet 16 when the Bulldogs finished ranked No. 11 nationally.
On March 23, Fresno State softball will honor Amanda Scott, the 1998 national championship winning pitcher and four-time All-American. She had a record of 106-18 at Fresno State from 1997-2000 and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 1998 Women's College World Series. She led the Bulldogs to three Women's College World Series appearances in her four seasons.
On March 24, former Bulldogs coach Donna Pickel will be recognized for laying the foundation for the softball program that became one of the most storied in the nation. Pickel was the inaugural head coach and led the Bulldogs to eight straight NCAA regional appearances, including its first two Women's College World Series berths and a national runner-up finish in 1982.
Just over two years ago, when celebrating the university's athletics centennial, Fresno State Magazine highlighted 100 moments and milestones that have helped shape Fresno State athletics over the past 100 years. Just two years later, there are already some new milestones to add, but
here is a link to that list – an impressive demonstration of all that Fresno State's talented student-athletes have accomplished thanks to the support of the Red Wave and the entire community.