Fresno State Bulldogs

Fresno State Bulldogs Football History

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The Red Wave
Loud and proud, Fresno State's loyal and enthusiastic fans have made themselves heard nationwide - by national publications which have chronicled the Bulldogs' fantastic fan following, and by others in the media, who have referred to the noise level generated by the Red Wave as "deafening."

It's that kind of fan support that has helped put Fresno State athletics on the map, and the kind of support that resulted in
fresno state football historyrecord-breaking attendance at Bulldog Stadium for home football games. It's the Red Wave that sells out Selland Arena every game to the tune of 10,220 people.

Nickname and Colors
How did Fresno State arrive at the nickname, Bulldogs, or the colors, Cardinal and Blue? Late in their initial 1921 season, student body president Warren Moody and friends were continually greeted outside the main campus building by a white bulldog. The dog adopted the group and they decided to make him the mascot. Arids Walker made the motion to adopt "Bulldogs" as the official nickname in a student body meeting. It was on November 21, 1921, that the Morning Republican first referred to Fresno State as the "Bulldogs".

The colors evolved out of an argument by women from Fresno Normal School and men from Fresno Junior College. The women were seeking blue and white to the men's red and white. A compromise was struck with the school adopting red and blue with red later changed to Cardinal.
 
   

The Meaning of the "V"
When Pat Hill became Fresno State's head coach prior to the 1997 season, he wanted to reinvigorate San Joaquin Valley pride in the Bulldogs. Because Fresno State is the only Division I football program in the Valley, a 250-mile stretch in California's midsection from Bakersfield to Modesto, Hill wanted to make the Bulldogs the "Green Bay Packers of college football." As Coach Hill often states, Fresno State is not only representing Fresno, its representing the entire Valley.

This representation of the San Joaquin Valley is displayed in the form of a green "V" on the back of the Bulldogs' helmets. The green in the "V" is a symbol to the agricultural community of the Central Valley, which is the world's richest agricultural area in export dollars.

"The people of this Valley are of vital importance to the success of this football program," said Hill. "They help us fund the program, they give us unparalleled support, and they are going to be the big reason we take this program to a level where we are consistently in the Top 25."

Alma Mater
Let us in song, our voices raise
In Cloistered Courts, to sound thy praise.
Each voice and heart that sings is true
To thee, oh, Cardinal and Blue.
For thee, our hopes and memories;
For thee, our hearts and loyalties.
Thy sons and daughters hail thee great,
Our Alma Mater, Fresno State!

Fight Song
Fight! Varsity!

Fight! Varsity!
On your toes, dig in and hit that line!
We're all pulling hard for you. So fight and give the best there is in you.
Fight! Varsity!
On your toes and dig that line! We'll fight on to victory.
We're always true to Fresno State!
[CHANT]
B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S-!
Go Dogs Go!
Fight Dogs Fight!
G-o Dogs!

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