San Diego State Aztecs
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The San Diego State Aztecs are the athletic teams that represent
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
(SDSU). San Diego State currently sponsors six men's and eleven women's sports at the varsity level. The Aztecs compete in
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
( FBS for football). The program's primary conference is the
Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations ...
, though the men's soccer team competes in the Pac-12 Conference, women's water polo competes in the Golden Coast Conference, and
women's lacrosse Women's lacrosse (or girls' lacrosse), sometimes shortened to lax, is a sport with twelve players on the field at a time (including the goalkeeper). Originally played by indigenous peoples of the Americas, the modern women's game was introduce ...
competes as an independent. On May 31, 2022, it was announced that women's lacrosse had received and accepted an invitation to join the Pac-12 Conference no later than the 2024 season (2023–24 school year). News reports (especially on local radio) often mention "Montezuma Mesa" or "news from the mesa" when discussing San Diego State-related sports events. The San Diego State campus is known as "Montezuma Mesa", as the university is situated on a
mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...
overlooking
Mission Valley Mission Valley is a wide river valley trending east–west in San Diego, California, United States, through which the San Diego River flows to the Pacific Ocean. For planning purposes the city of San Diego divides it into two neighborhoods: Miss ...
and is located at the intersection of Montezuma Road and College Avenue in the city of
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
.


Sports sponsored


Men's varsity sports


Baseball

* Head Coach: Mark Martinez * Stadium:
Tony Gwynn Stadium Tony Gwynn Stadium is the home field of the San Diego State University Aztecs college baseball team. In addition, the San Diego Surf Dawgs of the independent Golden Baseball League used the park as their home field. Stadium history The original s ...
* Conference regular season championships: 5 (1986 • 1988 • 1990 • 2002 • 2004) * Conference tournament championships: 8 (1990 • 1991 • 2000 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2017 • 2018) * NCAA Division I Baseball Championship appearances: 14 (1979 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1986 • 1990 • 1991 • 2009 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2017 • 2018) :''See: San Diego State baseball and
College baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
''


Basketball

* Head Coach: Brian Dutcher * Arena: Viejas Arena * Conference regular season championships: 23 (1923 • 1925 • 1932 • 1934 • 1937 • 1939 • 1941 • 1942 • 1954 • 1957 • 1958 • 1967 • 1968 • 1977 • 1978 • 2006 • 2011 • 2012 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2020 • 2021) * Conference tournament championships: 8 (1976 • 1985 • 2002 • 2006 • 2010 • 2011 • 2018 • 2021) * NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament appearances: 14 (1975 • 1976 • 1985 • 2002 • 2006 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2018 • 2021 • 2022) Aztec basketball alumni who became more famous outside the sport include 1930s player Art Linkletter, who went on to an illustrious entertainment career that spanned more than 70 years, and
Tony Gwynn Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. (May 9, 1960 – June 16, 2014), nicknamed "Mr. Padre", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played 20 seasons (1982–2001) in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. The left-handed hit ...
, who also played baseball at San Diego State and opted for that sport professionally, ending up in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In the 2010–2011 season, the men's team had a record of 32–2 to capture a share of the Mountain West Conference title. They won the conference tournament outright for the automatic berth to the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The only losses of the regular season were to another top 10 ranked team,
BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
, who the Aztecs later beat to win the conference tournament. They earned a 2nd seed in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16. In the 2013–2014 season, the Aztecs finished 29–4, again reaching the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 round.


Football

* Head Coach:
Brady Hoke Brady Patrick Hoke (; born November 3, 1958) is an American football coach in his second stint as the head coach at San Diego State University. He was previously the head coach at the University of Michigan from 2011 to 2014. Hoke grew up in O ...
* Stadium:
Snapdragon Stadium Snapdragon Stadium, known during its planning and early construction phases as Aztec Stadium, is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. It is located on the campus of San Diego ...
* Conference championships: 19 (1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1936 • 1937 • 1950 • 1951 • 1962 • 1966 • 1967 • 1969 • 1970 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1986 • 2012 • 2015 • 2016) *
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
postseason
bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivi ...
appearances: 19 ( 1948 Harbor Bowl • 1952
Pineapple Bowl The Pineapple Bowl was a college football bowl game played during the 1940s and early 1950s in Honolulu, Hawaii, at Honolulu Stadium. The game featured the then- Hawaii Rainbows and an invited team from the mainland. History The Pineapple Bowl w ...
• 1966 Camellia Bowl • 1967 Camellia Bowl • 1969
Pasadena Bowl The Pasadena Bowl, known as the Junior Rose Bowl from 1946 to 1966 and again in 1976 and 1977, was a college football bowl game. Between 1946 and 1966 and again in 1976 and 1977, the game pitted the California Junior College football champions aga ...
1986 Holiday Bowl The 1986 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 1986, in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the 19th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, and the unranked San Diego State Azte ...
1991 Freedom Bowl
1998 Las Vegas Bowl The 1998 Las Vegas Bowl was the seventh edition of the annual college football bowl game. It featured the San Diego State Aztecs, and the North Carolina Tar Heels. It remains the only bowl game in NCAA history where both of teams which participat ...
2010 Poinsettia Bowl
2011 New Orleans Bowl The 2011 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, part of the 2011–12 bowl game season, took place on December 17, 2011, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 11th edition of the game featured the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Caju ...
2012 Poinsettia Bowl
2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl The 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 21, 2013 at Bronco Stadium on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. The seventeenth annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, it featu ...
2014 Poinsettia Bowl
2015 Hawaii Bowl The 2015 Hawaii Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 24, 2015 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The fourteenth edition of the Hawaii Bowl featured the 2015 Cincinnati Bearcats football team, Cincinnat ...
2016 Las Vegas Bowl The 2016 Las Vegas Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on December 17, 2016, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada. The twenty-fifth annual Las Vegas Bowl is one of the 2016–17 bowl games that concludes the 2016 FBS football ...
2017 Armed Forces Bowl2018 Frisco Bowl2019 New Mexico Bowl2021 Frisco Bowl) San Diego State University's football team is part of the highest level of American collegiate football, the
Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
of Division I (which was formerly known as Division I-A). SDSU is 10–9 all time in post-season bowl games. They first went to a bowl game in 1948 and first won a major-college bowl game in 1969. Until the 2010 season, the Aztec football team had not won a bowl game in the past 37 years. In 2019, the Aztecs reached their 10th straight bowl game. The Aztecs moved into the new
Snapdragon Stadium Snapdragon Stadium, known during its planning and early construction phases as Aztec Stadium, is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. It is located on the campus of San Diego ...
, located in what had been the parking lot of the team's former home of
San Diego Stadium San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 1997. From 1997 to 2017, the stadi ...
, for the 2022 season. During the construction of Snapdragon Stadium, the Aztecs played the 2020 and 2021 seasons at
Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignity ...
in Carson, California. The team had played at San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 until its closure after the 2019 season; before that, it played in the on-campus Aztec Bowl (now the location of Viejas Arena).


Golf

* Head Coach: Ryan Donovan *Mountain West Conference championships: 3 (2011 • 2012 • 2015) *
NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship, played in late May or early June, is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. The teams that win their respective Division I conference championships are given automatic spots in th ...
appearances: 23 (1960 • 1962 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1970 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1999 • 2003 • 2005 • 2008 • 2011 • 2012 • 2015 • 2016) The Aztecs men's golf team has more NCAA postseason appearances than any other San Diego State athletic team. Notable alumni include 2015 graduate and
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...
golfer
Xander Schauffele Alexander Victor Schauffele (; born October 25, 1993) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, having won seven times since turning professional in 2015. Schauffele's best major finish is tied second at both the 2018 Open Ch ...
. In 2017, Schauffele received the 2017 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award.


Soccer

* Head Coach: Ryan Hopkins * Home field: SDSU Sports Deck *
NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champi ...
appearances: 8 (1969 • 1982 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 2005 • 2006 • 2016) The San Diego State men's soccer team competes in the Pac-12 Conference. In 1987, the Aztecs reached the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Final, losing in the game by a score of 0–2 to Clemson. The team has an overall NCAA Division Tournament record of 5–8 through eight appearances. Lev Kirshner was head coach for over two decades.


Tennis

* Head Coach: Gene Carswell *Home court: Aztec Tennis Center *Mountain West Conference regular season championships: 6 (2002 • 2003 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2013) *Mountain West Conference tournament championships: 3 (2002 • 2003 • 2005) * NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship tournament appearances: 7 (1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 • 2003 • 2005 • 2015)


Women's varsity sports


Basketball

* Head Coach: Stacie Terry-Hutson * Arena: Viejas Arena * Conference regular season championships: 6 (1994 • 1995 • 1997 • 2009 • 2012 • 2013) * Conference tournament championships: 4 (1994 • 1997 • 2010 • 2012) *
NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 women's college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic ...
appearances: 9 (1984 • 1985 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1997 • 2009 • 2010 • 2012)


Cross Country

* Head Coach: Shelia Burrell * Home field: Morley Field *
NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship The NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship is the cross country championship held by the National Collegiate Athletic Association each autumn for individual runners and cross country teams from universities in Division I. Teams and ...
appearances: 1 (1981) The San Diego State Aztecs women's cross country team has appeared in the NCAA tournament one time, with that appearance resulting in 7th place in the 1981–82 school year.


Golf

* Head Coach: Lauren Dobashi *Mountain West Conference championships: 2 (2015 • 2019) Notable alumni include 2015 graduate
Paige Spiranac Paige Renee Spiranac ( ; born March 26, 1993) is an American social media personality, golf instructor, and former professional golfer. She played Division 1 college golf at both the University of Arizona and San Diego State University, winning ...
.


Lacrosse

* Head Coach: Kylee White * Home field: Aztec Lacrosse Field *Conference championships: 2 (
MPSF The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the western United States, although it now has members as far east as Pennsylvania. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I ...
) (2018 • 2019) The women's lacrosse team began play in 2012 and competes as an independent; its former women's lacrosse home of the
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the western United States, although it now has members as far east as Pennsylvania. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I ...
dropped the sport after the 2019–20 school year due to a lack of competing members. After the 2023 season, SDSU women's lacrosse will join the Pac-12 Conference.


Soccer

* Head Coach: Mike Friesen * Home field: SDSU Sports Deck *Mountain West Conference regular season championships: 6 (1999 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2019) *Mountain West Conference tournament championships: 5 (2009 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2017) *
NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, sometimes known as the Women's College Cup, is an American college soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I women's national ...
appearances: 7 (1998 • 1999 • 2009 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2017) The Aztecs women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 4–7 through seven appearances.


Softball

* Head Coach: Stacey Nuveman Deniz * Stadium: SDSU Softball Stadium *Mountain West Conference championships: 8 (2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2006 • 2008 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014) *
NCAA Division I softball tournament The NCAA Division I softball tournament is held annually in May/June and features 64 college softball teams in the United States, culminating in the Women's College World Series (WCWS), which is played in Oklahoma City. Tournament play and team s ...
appearances: 11 (2001 • 2003 • 2006 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015)


Swimming & Diving

* Head Coach: Mike Schrader * Home pool: Aztec Aquaplex *Mountain West Conference regular season championships: 1 (2011) *Mountain West Conference tournament championships: 4 (2011 • 2013 • 2015 • 2019) * NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships appearances: 8 (1982 • 2010 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2017 • 2019)


Tennis

* Head Coach: Peter Mattera * Home court: Aztec Tennis Center *Mountain West Conference regular season championships: 3 (2002 • 2003 • 2013) *Mountain West Conference tournament championships: 1 (2003) *
NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship The NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship is the National Collegiate Athletic Association's tennis tournament to determine the Team Championships, Singles Championships, and Doubles Championships for women's tennis athletes from Division I ...
appearances: 22 (1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 • 2003 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2009 • 2013)


Track & Field (Indoor and Outdoor)

* Head Coach: Shelia Burrell * Home track: Aztrack at SDSU Sports Deck *Mountain West Conference indoor championships: 1 (2013) *Mountain West Conference outdoor championships: 5 (2003 • 2013 • 2014 • 2017 • 2018) * NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships appearances: 10 (2006 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019) *
NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships The NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships are the annual collegiate track and field competitions for women athletes representing Division I institutions organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). At ...
appearances: 22 (1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1998 • 1999 • 2001 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019)


Volleyball

* Head Coach:
Brent Hilliard Brent William Hilliard (born April 13, 1970) is an American volleyball player and coach who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was born in San Gabriel, California San Gabriel (Spanish language, Spanish for "Gabriel, St. Gabriel") is a ...
* Home arena: Aztec Court at Peterson Gymnasium *Mountain West Conference regular season championships: 1 (2012) * NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament appearances: 14 (1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 2001 • 2012) The Aztecs women's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 13–14 through fourteen appearances.


Water Polo

* Head Coach: Carin Crawford * Home pool: Aztec Aquaplex *
NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship has existed since the 2001 season. Seven conferences have teams competing in women's water polo: the Big West Conference, the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the single-sport Golden Coast Conferen ...
appearances: 3 (2007 • 2008 • 2016)


Conference affiliations

San Diego State has been a member of six different athletic conferences in its history. * Southern California Junior College Conference (1921–1924) *
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) is a college athletic conference that operates in the NCAA's Division III. The conference was founded in 1915 and it consists of twelve small private schools that are located i ...
(1926–1938) *
California Collegiate Athletic Association The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its current members are public universities, and upon U ...
(1939–1967) *
Pacific Coast Athletic Association The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...
(1969–1975) *''Independent'' (1925, 1968, 1976–1977) *
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to mos ...
(1978–1998) *
Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations ...
(1999–present)


Discontinued sports

In the past, San Diego State, like most American universities, has sponsored several additional varsity sports programs to those currently offered. These programs have since been discontinued. Budgeting and Title IX equity challenges have been cited as the primary reasons for these programs being cut. In some cases (notably men's crew and men's volleyball), club teams have emerged in place of discontinued sports programs.


Men's former varsity sports

Crew * Year discontinued: 1976 Cross Country * Year discontinued: 1993 *
NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship The NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Championship is the cross country championship held by the National Collegiate Athletic Association each autumn for individual men's runners and cross country teams from universities in Division I. Teams a ...
team appearances: 3 (1968 • 1970 • 1976) * NCAA Men's Division II Cross Country Championship team national championships: 3 (1965 • 1966 • 1967) The Aztecs men's cross country team won three consecutive
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
national championships in 1965, 1966, and 1967 shortly before the program's ascension to Division I. Gymnastics * Year discontinued: 1974 *
NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships The NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships are a gymnastics competition held each year to determine the best men's college gymnastics team. All schools compete in one National Collegiate division because only 13 schools sponsor NCAA men's gymnastics ...
team appearances: 1 (1959) Swimming & Diving * Year discontinued: 1985 * NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships team appearances: 1 (1969) *
NCAA Men's Division II Swimming and Diving Championships The NCAA Men's Division II Swimming and Diving Championships are annual college championship events in the United States. Events The NCAA Men's Division II Swimming and Diving Championships consist of 14 individual, 5 relay, and 2 diving even ...
team national championships: 2 (1965 • 1966) Men's swimming & diving won back-to-back
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
national championships in 1965 and 1966 shortly before the program's transition to Division I. Track & Field (Indoor and Outdoor) * Year discontinued: 1992 * NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships team appearances: 1 (1979) *
NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships The NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Athlete's individual performances earn points for ...
team appearances: 14 (1965 • 1966 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1974 • 1976 • 1977 • 1979 • 1980 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1989) * NCAA Division II Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships team national championships: 2 (1965 • 1966) The men's track & field team won back-to-back
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
outdoor national championships in 1965 and 1966 shortly before the program's transition to Division I. Volleyball * Year discontinued: 2001 *
NCAA men's volleyball tournament The NCAA men's volleyball tournament, officially titled the NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship, is an annual competition that determines the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in American college men ...
appearances: 2 (1972 • 1973) * NCAA men's volleyball tournament National Championship: 1 (
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
) The men's volleyball team won San Diego State's first (and to-date only)
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
National Championship in 1973. The team's home court was Peterson Gymnasium. Water Polo * Year discontinued: 1978 Despite coming off a season in which the team was ranked in the top 10 nationally, the men's water polo team, along with other programs, was cut, due to a combination of a lack in athletic department funding, Proposition 13's passage, and necessity to comply with Title IX. Wrestling * Year discontinued: 1992 *
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships have been held annually since 1928, except for a hiatus in 1943–45 during World War II and in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 1928 and from 1931–1933, there was only an unofficial team tit ...
team appearances: 3 (1956 • 1969 • 1992) In 1949, San Diego State wrestler Harold Hensen became the first African-American to compete in an NCAA wrestling championship tournament when he competed in individual competition at the
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships have been held annually since 1928, except for a hiatus in 1943–45 during World War II and in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 1928 and from 1931–1933, there was only an unofficial team tit ...
.


Women's former varsity sports

Field Hockey * Year discontinued: 1978 Gymnastics * Year discontinued: 1985


Rowing

* Year discontinued: 2021 The women's rowing team, which had last competed in the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
, was discontinued following the 2020–21 academic year due to ongoing
Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
gender equity challenges and financial stress on the athletics department brought on by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The team's home was the Mission Bay Aquatic Center.


Athletic facilities


Venues


Other facilities


Non-varsity club sports

In addition to the varsity sports officially sponsored by the athletic department, San Diego State also supports several club-level sports, most operating through the Aztec Recreation Center. Sports with both varsity and club-level teams at the university include baseball and soccer among men's sports, and lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and water polo among women's sports.


Co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
club teams

* Cycling *Sailing * Skiing & Snowboarding * Surfing * Tennis * Triathlon * Waterskiing & Wakesports


Men's club teams

* Baseball * Crew * Ice Hockey * Lacrosse * Rugby * Soccer * Ultimate Frisbee * Volleyball * Water Polo


Women's club teams

* Dance * Lacrosse * Soccer * Ultimate Frisbee * Volleyball * Water Polo


Championships


NCAA tournament appearances

The San Diego State Aztecs have competed in the NCAA tournament across 16 active sports (6 men's and 10 women's) 191 times at the Division I FBS level. * Baseball (14): 1979 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1986 • 1990 • 1991 • 2009 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2017 • 2018 * Men's basketball (14): 1975 • 1976 • 1985 • 2002 • 2006 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2018 • 2021 • 2022 * Women's basketball (9): 1984 • 1985 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1997 • 2009 • 2010 • 2012 * Women's cross country (1): 1981 * Football (18): 1947 • 1951 • 1966 • 1967 • 1969 • 1986 • 1991 • 1998 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 * Men's golf (23): 1960 • 1962 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1970 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1999 • 2003 • 2005 • 2008 • 2011 • 2012 • 2015 • 2016 * Men's soccer (8): 1969 • 1982 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 2005 • 2006 • 2016 * Women's soccer (7): 1998 • 1999 • 2009 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2017 * Softball (11): 2001 • 2003 • 2006 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 * Women's swimming and diving (8): 1982 • 2010 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2017 • 2019 * Men's tennis (7): 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 • 2003 • 2005 • 2015 * Women's tennis (22): 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2002 • 2003 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2009 • 2013 * Women's indoor track and field (10): 2006 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 * Women's outdoor track and field (22): 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1998 • 1999 • 2001 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 * Women's volleyball (14): 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 2001 • 2012 * Women's water polo (3): 2007 • 2008 • 2016


National championships


Division I championships

The Aztecs of San Diego State have earned 1 NCAA national championship at the Division I level. * Men's Volleyball ( 1):
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...


Division II championships

San Diego State won 7 national championships while at the Division II level. * Men's cross country (3): 1965, 1966, 1967 * Men's track and field (outdoor) (2): 1965, 1966 * Men's swimming and diving (2): 1965, 1966 The Aztecs also claimed 3 national team titles at the varsity level while a member of NCAA Division II that were not bestowed by the NCAA (being awarded instead by sponsors of College Division football polls): * Football (3): 1966 (both polls), 1967 (both polls), 1968 (coaches' poll) (NCAA College Division)


NAIA championship

Basketball (1): 1941 (NAIA)


Other championships

SDSU's cheerleading and dance teams have won national championships * Cheerleading (2): 2009, 2011 * Dance (1): 2011 Below are eleven national club team championships: * Men's badminton (1): 1976 ( ABA) * Flowboarding (1): 2011 (
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
) * Rugby (1): 1987 (
USA Rugby USA Rugby (officially the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of ru ...
) * Sailing (2): 1968, 1969 ( ICSA) * Surfing (2): 2007, 2013 ( NSSA) *Men's water polo (1): 2017 (CWPA) *Women's water polo (1): 201
(CWPA)
*Waterskiing (2): 1979, 2006 ( NCWSA)


Individual Championships

San Diego State has had 15 individuals win NCAA individual national championships at the Division I level. At the NCAA Division II level, San Diego State garnered 14 individual championships. In 1975
Barbara Barrow Barbara Barrow (born April 15, 1955) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. Barrow played college golf at San Diego State University, when in 1975 she won the national individual intercollegiate golf championship. She wa ...
won the women's national intercollegiate individual golf championship after a tie-breaker playoff (an event conducted by the AIAW, which was succeeded by the current NCAA women's golf championship).


Rivals


BYU

SDSU athletics has had a formidable rivalry with the BYU Cougars of
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
since at least the 1980s when both programs were members of the
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to mos ...
. The rivalry intensified after both schools left the conference to become charter members of the
Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations ...
in 1999. Through their many years in the same conferences, the Aztecs and Cougars were routinely each-others toughest competition for conference championships in numerous sports among both the men and women. The Cougars departed the Mountain West in 2011, though the programs continue to compete semi-regularly. Men's basketball and football have represented the most high-profile contests of the rivalry.


Fresno State

San Diego State has a longtime rivalry with
California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...
, primarily stemming from the American football rivalry dating back to the 1920s. The two schools have competed against each other in over 55 football, 50 men's basketball, and 190 baseball matches. The two institutions are popular choices and top-tier schools in the
California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
system, and often compete for national attention in athletics from conference play to the postseason across many sports.


San Diego

The Aztecs have a local rivalry with the University of San Diego's
San Diego Toreros The San Diego Toreros are the 17 teams representing the University of San Diego of San Diego, California in intercollegiate athletics. The Toreros compete in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate At ...
, emphasizing the competition in college men's basketball. The city of
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
heavily relies on this rivalry, which features many competitions in a neutral location such as Petco Park across many sports. The two schools, approximately separated by 9 miles, have different cultures yet fiercely compete for city visibility. San Diego State's student section, The Show, chants ''"LITTLE SISTERS!"'' or ''"LITTLE BROTHERS!"'' and ''"WE RUN SD!"'' during and after each victory in the college rivalry.


UC San Diego

Though more of a rivalry historically outside of sports, the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...
(UCSD), the other major public university in San Diego, represents another local rival of SDSU. The
UC San Diego Tritons The UC San Diego Tritons are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, San Diego. UC San Diego has 23 varsity sports teams and offers student participation in a wide range of sports. As of July 1, 2020, all UC San Diego team ...
joined
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
in 2020. Similar to the way SDSU's student section, The Show, refers to the San Diego Toreros, they often refer to the UC San Diego Tritons as the ''"little brothers"'' or ''"little sisters"''.


Aztec Hall of Fame inductees

:''See: Hall of fame and footnote''


The Show

The Show is the name of the student section at SDSU sporting events.


Band

The San Diego State Marching Aztecs, and Pep and Varsity Bands are often seen at many sporting events including Football, Basketball and even Volleyball.


Notable athletes

::''See also the
List of San Diego State University people This is a list of notable people associated with San Diego State University, a California State University campus located in the United States. Alumni Entertainment, arts, and media * Lloyd Bryan Molander Adams, executive producer, ...
'' *
Marcelo Balboa Marcelo Balboa (born August 8, 1967) is an American former professional soccer who played as a defender in the 1990s for the United States national team, becoming its captain. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. After retiring ...
,
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
and Major League Soccer (MLS) soccer star *
Bud Black Harry Ralston "Bud" Black (born June 30, 1957) is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Colorado Rockies. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher from 1981 through 1995, most notably ...
, former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and manager of the Colorado Rockies * Jim Campbell, former MLB pitcher * Joe Corona, current U.S. international soccer player * Isaac Curtis, former National Football League (NFL) receiver * Jeff DaVanon, former MLB player (
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
) *
Fred Dryer John Frederick Dryer (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, radio host, screenwriter and former professional football player. He was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 years, participating in 176 games starting in ...
, actor-producer and former NFL player * Herm Edwards, Arizona State University head coach * Marshall Faulk,
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
NFL running back and broadcaster * John Fox, former
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, Chicago Bears, and
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
head coach * Mark Grace, retired MLB player and
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
Champion *
Tony Gwynn Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. (May 9, 1960 – June 16, 2014), nicknamed "Mr. Padre", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played 20 seasons (1982–2001) in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. The left-handed hit ...
, Baseball Hall of Famer (and San Diego State baseball Head Coach at the time of his death in 2014) * Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, former NFL player with the Green Bay Packers *
Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and ...
, former NFL head coach of the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
and current NASCAR team owner * Az-Zahir Hakim, former NFL wide receiver *
Kameron Kelly Kameron Rashad Kelly (born August 19, 1996) is a professional gridiron football defensive back for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at San Diego State University. Early years Kelly ...
, defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers *
Armen Keteyian Armen Keteyian (born March 6, 1953) is an Armenian American television journalist and best-selling author. Most recently he was the Anchor and an Executive Producer for ''The Athletic''. Previously he spent 12 years as a network television correspo ...
, Sports Journalist, HBO Sports,
Real Sports ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'' is a monthly sports news magazine on HBO. Since its debut on April 2, 1995, the program has been presented by television journalist and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel. Overview Format Each episode consists of fo ...
with Bryant Gumbel * Travis Lee, former MLB player *
Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...
, NBA Small Forward for the
Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
, 2014 and 2019 NBA Finals MVP, 2015 and 2016 NBA Defensive Player of the Year * Art Linkletter, SDSU basketball player and swimmer who went on to a decades-long career as a radio and TV personality *
Chris Marlowe Christian "Chris" Marlowe (born September 28, 1951) is an American professional sportscaster who resides in Denver, Colorado. He currently is the play-by-play announcer for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association in the fall, ...
, Sportscaster, former Olympic volleyball player * Kirk Morrison, former NFL linebacker with Buffalo Bills *
Haven Moses Haven Christopher Moses (born July 27, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Moses initially played college fo ...
, former NFL receiver, 2x
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
er * Kassim Osgood, former NFL receiver *
Rashaad Penny Rashaad Armein Penny (born February 2, 1996) is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State, where, in 2017, he led the nation with 2,248 rushing ...
, running back for the Seattle Seahawks * Noel Prefontaine, former
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
kicker * Donnel Pumphrey, former NFL running back * Jimmy Raye, former NFL player *
Darnay Scott Darnay Scott (born July 7, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at San Diego State University. Early years Scott attended Su ...
, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver * Don Shaw, former MLB pitcher * Brian Sipe, former NFL quarterback * Webster Slaughter, former American football wide receiver * Dave Smith, former MLB pitcher *
Stephen Strasburg Stephen James Strasburg (; born July 20, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Strasburg was selected by Washington with the first overall pick in the 2009 Major League ...
, MLB pitcher for the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
*
Carl Weathers Carl Weathers (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor and former professional football player. He is known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–85), George Dillon in '' Predator'' (1987), Action Ja ...
, actor/former NFL player most famous for playing Apollo Creed in the ''Rocky'' film series * Eric Wynalda, former World Cup and MLS soccer star, former
ABC Sports ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Televisi ...
broadcaster, current head coach of
Las Vegas Lights FC Las Vegas Lights FC is an American professional soccer team based in Las Vegas, Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho ...
* Jeanne Zelasko, Sports Journalist,
Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...


Footnotes


References


External links

* {{navboxes , titlestyle={{CollegePrimaryStyle, San Diego State Aztecs, color=white , list= {{Mountain West Conference navbox {{Pac-12 Conference navbox {{Golden Coast Conference navbox {{San Diego Sports {{College Sports in California