Fresno State Football: A Legacy Forged by Notable Alumni

California State University, Fresno, often called Fresno State, boasts a rich history and a vibrant football program. Beyond the wins and losses, the program has produced a remarkable array of alumni who have achieved prominence in diverse fields, from professional sports to entertainment and beyond. This article explores some of the most notable figures who once donned the Cardinal red and blue, showcasing the lasting impact of Fresno State football.

Academic Standing of Fresno State

As of March 2, 2025, EduRank places California State University - Fresno at 530th in the world, 198th in North America, and 183rd in the United States based on aggregated alumni prominence. This ranking highlights the university's significant contribution to various fields through its graduates.

Gridiron Greats: Alumni in Professional Football

Fresno State's football program has consistently developed talented athletes who have gone on to excel in the National Football League (NFL). These alumni have not only made a name for themselves on the field but have also brought recognition to their alma mater.

Davante Adams: A Receiver at the Top

Davante Lavell Adams, born in East Palo Alto, California, is an American professional football wide receiver currently playing for the New York Jets of the NFL. Before his NFL career, Adams played college football for two seasons with the Fresno State Bulldogs. In 2013, he earned second-team All-American honors. The Green Bay Packers selected Adams in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, marking the beginning of his successful professional career.

Logan Mankins: An NFL All-Decade Guard

Logan Lee Mankins is an American former professional football player who played guard for 11 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the New England Patriots. After playing college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, he was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. He spent his final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Selected to seven Pro Bowls and named a first-team All-Pro twice, Mankins was considered a premier guard in his 11 seasons in NFL, and was also named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

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Other Football Standouts

Numerous other Fresno State football alumni have made their mark in the NFL, contributing to various teams and solidifying the program's reputation for producing quality players.

Beyond the Field: Alumni in Other Sports

While football is a prominent aspect of Fresno State's athletic identity, the university has also produced notable alumni who have excelled in other sports, showcasing the diverse athletic talent nurtured at the institution.

Paul George: From Fresno to NBA Stardom

Paul Clifton Anthony George, nicknamed "PG-13", is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before his NBA career, George attended California State University - Fresno from 2008 to 2010. A nine-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of the All-NBA Team, as well as a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team, George's success reflects the quality of athletic training and development available at Fresno State.

Rafer Alston: Streetball Legend to NBA Player

Rafer Jamel Alston, nicknamed "Skip 2 My Lou", is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame as a streetball player before joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Milwaukee Bucks. While in the NBA from 1999 to 2010, he played for six teams, including the 2008-09 Orlando Magic team that made the NBA Finals.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder: Influencers and Basketball Players

Haley and Hanna Cavinder are American social media influencers and college basketball players for the Miami Hurricanes of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to Miami, they played for the Fresno State Bulldogs from 2019-2022. Cavinder was an All-Mountain West Conference (MW) selection in each of her three seasons at Fresno State, and was named MW Player of the Year in her sophomore season. As a junior, she set the NCAA Division I single-season free throw percentage record before transferring to Miami.

Dot Jones: Athlete and Actress

Dorothy-Marie Jones is an American actress and retired athlete who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion. She was a recurring guest star starting in the second season of the musical television series Glee as Coach Beiste, and appeared through the show's sixth and final season, when she was promoted to starring status. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011, 2012, and 2013 for her portrayal of Coach Beiste. She is also known for her roles as Coach Kelly in Lizzie McGuire and as Butch Brenda in Material Girls.

Other Notable Athletes

Fresno State has produced a diverse range of athletes who have excelled in various sports, contributing to the university's athletic legacy.

Leaders and Innovators: Alumni in Politics and Other Fields

Fresno State alumni have also made significant contributions in politics, business, and other fields, demonstrating the university's commitment to developing well-rounded individuals who can make a positive impact on society.

Cruz Bustamante: Lieutenant Governor of California

Cruz Miguel Bustamante is an American politician. He served as the 45th lieutenant governor of California from 1999 to 2007, under governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. A member of the Democratic Party, Bustamante also served in the California State Assembly and was the speaker from 1996 to 1998.

Jim Costa: U.S. Representative for California

Jim Costa has been a U.S. representative for California's 21st congressional district since 2023, previously representing the 20th congressional district from 2005 to 2013 and the 16th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes most of Fresno.

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Other Prominent Figures

Fresno State alumni have achieved success in various fields, contributing to society in diverse ways.

Creative Minds: Alumni in Arts and Entertainment

Fresno State has also nurtured creative talent that has gone on to achieve recognition in the arts and entertainment industry.

Edward James Olmos: Acclaimed Actor and Director

Edward James Olmos is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in Miami Vice (1984-1989), American Me (1992) (which he also directed), William Adama in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009), Detective Gaff in Blade Runner (1982) and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and the voice of Mito in the 2005 English dub of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. For his performance as high school math teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver (1988), he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Daniel Silva: Best-Selling Author

Daniel Silva is an American journalist and author of thriller and spy novels.

Other Talented Individuals

Fresno State alumni have made their mark in various creative fields, showcasing the university's ability to foster artistic talent.

A Rich History: Fresno State Football

Football was first played on the Fresno campus in 1921, and for its first year it played as an independent. The Bulldogs joined the California Coast Conference, which included several regional opponents the next year, and moved to the Northern California Athletic Conference of which it was among the charter schools in 1925. These early years laid the foundations of rivalries to come, with games against San Jose State and Pacific in the first year, and adding UC Davis, Nevada, and San Diego State in the following years of NCAC play.

The NCAA began classifying schools into University Division and College Division groups in 1937, and the Bulldogs, along with the other major college schools in the conference, broke off into the California Collegiate Athletic Association in 1939, a conference it remained in until joining the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, later known as the Big West Conference, in 1969. Notable coaches during this period include Cecil Coleman, who during his five years at Fresno State had a .760 winning percentage. Coleman took the 1961 team to an undefeated season, capped by a 36-6 Mercy Bowl victory over Bowling Green State.

In 1976, Jim Sweeney took over a Bulldog squad that had had 8 winning seasons since its last bowl bid, and promptly took the 1977 squad to a 9-2 record in his second year as head coach. The Sweeney era bristled with confidence as the Bulldogs became, along with rival San Jose State, the class of the Big West, earning postseason bowl berths four times in the 1980s. Sweeney's 1985 squad is particularly memorable for Bulldog fans, as the team finished as the only unbeaten Division I-A team in the country, ranked 16th in the coaches poll. The 1985 squad did not, however, finish untied, after a 24-24 tie at home against the Rainbow clad Warriors of Hawaii.

The face of Fresno State football changed with the construction of Bulldog Stadium for the 1980 season. The new stadium brought with it a renewed success for the football team, as they enjoyed four Big West championships in the new stadium which took them to five California Bowl appearances against opponents from the Mid-American Conference. During the Sweeney era, the Bulldogs posted nine consecutive winning seasons, a run which included five double-digit win seasons.

Under Hill, Fresno State continued the advances it had made during the Sweeney era. Soon after returning to Fresno, Hill declared that his Bulldogs would play "anybody, anywhere, anytime." He recalled that this was the same blueprint Bobby Bowden followed in turning Florida State into a powerhouse. To that end, Hill's Bulldogs frequently played particularly difficult non-conference schedules against elite, highly ranked teams. In 1998, the Bulldogs, under Hill took on all comers and had a strong season led by WAC offensive player of the year Jaime Kimbrough.

In 2001, the Bulldogs, and quarterback David Carr, began their season with several upsets of ranked teams. The Bulldogs opened the season in Boulder against the Colorado Buffaloes, leaving with a 24-22 win over the eventual Big 12 champions. The next game of the 2001 season was at home against the Oregon State Beavers, the team that Sports Illustrated had been picked as its preseason No. 1. In an electric game at Bulldog Stadium, the Bulldogs outplayed the Beavers in a 44-24 rout. Fresno State then headed to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers, winners of the Sun Bowl over UCLA the previous year. The Bulldogs also topped the Badgers by a score of 32-20. These victories, followed by wins over Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, and Colorado State led the Bulldogs to a ranking of No. 8 in the polls, the highest for a mid-major team since(BYU was ranked No. 5 in 1996), and earned the Bulldogs a degree of prestige not usually afforded a mid-major program. This changed abruptly, however, when the Boise State Broncos and Hawaii Rainbows upset the Bulldogs in Fresno and Honolulu respectively to smash the Bulldogs' hopes of playing in a BCS bowl. The defeats led the team instead the Silicon Valley Classic against Michigan State, a game which was taken by the Spartans by a score of 44-35.

The 2004 season began for the Bulldogs much as the 2001 season had, with surprising upsets over BCS opponents in their home stadiums. The Bulldogs opened the season at Husky Stadium against Washington, a team with high expectations in its second year with head coach Keith Gilbertson. The Bulldogs came away with the win by a score of 35-16. The second game was against the Big 12 champions, the Kansas State Wildcats, who had beaten the No. 1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners to finish the previous year. The Bulldogs walked out of Manhattan with an unexpected 45-21 win, again earning the squad national attention and a ranking in the polls. Again, similarly to the 2001 season, the Bulldogs unexpectedly lost to Louisiana Tech, followed by two more losses, including to newly cemented rival Boise State. However, the Bulldogs found their redemptive qualities pervading in five straight wins by 40 or more points, including a 70-14 home rout over rival Hawaiʻi, to earn a bid to the MPC Computers Bowl. In the MPC Bowl, the Bulldogs won their third straight bowl victory against a BCS conference team, beating the Virginia Cavaliers 37-34 in overtime.

The 2005 season began with heady expectations which the Bulldogs largely lived up to for much of the season. The 2005 squad, after an early 3-point loss to Oregon in Eugene, rallied to win seven straight, including the first win at Hawaiʻi since 1994, and a redemptive home victory over Boise State, traveled to the Los Angeles Coliseum to face the No. 1 ranked USC Trojans, bringing with them an 8-1 record, a ranking of No. 16, and senior leadership and depth at key positions. The match up against USC turned out to be one for the ages as Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar continually drew against USC quarterback Matt Leinart, and Fresno State running backs Wendel Mathis and Bryson Sumlin exchanged touchdown runs with eventual Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush. Despite taking a halftime lead and trading scores with the Trojans all night, at the end of regulation, USC's athleticism with Reggie Bush, the Bulldogs lost by a score of 42-50.

After a disappointing season in 2006, the 2007 Fresno State Bulldogs bounced back, finishing 9-4. They started strong against a weak Sacramento State team before losing a close game at Texas A&M in triple overtime. On September 1, 2008, the Bulldogs opened their season with a 24-7 victory over Rutgers in a non-conference game.

The 2009 season begin with high hopes as Fresno State dominated its first opponent, UC Davis. However, the Bulldogs would go on to lose three straight games against Wisconsin, Boise State, and Cincinnati. The Bulldogs would rebound to win their next five games, before falling to rival Nevada. The Bulldogs would also go on to beat Illinois, in one of the more memorable college football games of the year. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown with only seconds left. Down by one point, the Bulldogs decided to go for two rather than kick a field goal to tie it up. With time expiring, Fresno State QB Ryan Colburn was forced to throw the ball into the end zone. The ball was deflected by an Illinois player, and caught by Fresno State offensive lineman Devan Cunningham who barreled his way into the end zone for a two-point conversion. The Bulldogs won 53-52. This miraculous play has been dubbed by many as the "remarkable deflection". The Bulldogs would end the season at 8-5 including a loss to Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl. However, Ryan Mathews had one of his best seasons to date, rushing for 1,800 yards, and scoring 19 touchdowns.

Much like the 2009 season, the 2010 season saw its share of highs and lows. The Bulldogs would start the season off with a victory over Cincinnati. However, they'd go on to lose against the upper half of the WAC conference and finish the regular season at 8-3. The Bulldogs accepted an invite to face Northern Illinois in the Humanitarian Bowl. It marked the third straight year that Fresno State would face a fellow non-AQ program in a bowl game.

On December 5, 2011, after finishing the year 4-9, Fresno State announced that Pat Hill had been fired as the head coach of the football program. On December 14, 2011, Tim DeRuyter, defensive coordinator and interim head coach of Texas A&M was introduced as the new head coach. He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back conference championships in his first two years with Derek Carr playing as quarterback. DeRuyter was then given a five-year contract extension and Carr was drafted by the Oakland Raiders at 36th overall in 2014. With Carr gone, the Bulldogs would rotate through several quarterbacks and would finish with losing records the next two seasons.

The Bulldogs announced it had hired former Cal head coach, former quarterback under Coach Jim Sweeney, former Bulldogs offensive coordinator, and Fresno State alumnus Jeff Tedford to be its next head coach beginning with the 2017 season. In his first season as Fresno State's head coach, Coach Tedford led the Bulldogs to a 10-4 season, including wins over rivals San Diego State and the No. 25 Boise State Broncos. They clinched the MW West Division, but would lose to Boise State 14-17 in the MW Championship game. Fresno State got an invite to participate in the 2017 Hawaii Bowl, to face the University of Houston Cougars. The Bulldogs would win their bowl game with a score of 33-27, ending a six-year bowl drought. Fresno State would the end the season at 10-4, making it one of the best turnarounds in college football.

In 2018, Fresno State made back-to-back conference championship appearances, facing Boise State in a rematch of the previous championship game; this time defeating Boise State 19-16 in overtime. They faced the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 2018 Las Vegas Bowl, winning 20-31. Their victory over Arizona State gave Fresno State the first 12-win season in school history. The team suffered a setback in 2019, finishing 4-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play. On September 18, 2021, the Bulldogs beat #13 UCLA Bruins 40-37. It is the second highest ranked opponent ever defeated by Fresno State. Tedford was rehired on December 8, 2021 for the 2022 season.

The Bulldogs' 2023 home opener against Eastern Washington was historically significant as the first FBS game with linear television coverage exclusively in Spanish, with UniMás televising the game in the Fresno and Bakersfield markets. On July 15, 2024, Tedford resigned as head coach once again, citing health reasons. Assistant head coach and linebackers coach Tim Skipper stepped in as interim head coach for the 2024 season. Skipper had previously served as the acting head coach while Tedford was away for the 2023 Isleta New Mexico Bowl.

Rivalries

The Boise State-Fresno State rivalry originated in 1977. The Milk Can is awarded to each season's winner of the Battle of the Milk Can, a college football game between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Boise State Broncos. The team who wins the Milk Can gets to keep it for a year. The trophy was created in 2005, but was not ready in time for the annual match in Fresno, which was won by the Bulldogs. It made its first appearance in 2006, when the victorious Broncos carried it off the field. The idea for a trophy as the prize for the newly arranged interstate rivalry was hatched by two separate dairy groups that decided to get involved with their local football programs. California (No. 1) and Idaho (No. 4) are two of the nation's leading dairy producers.

The rivalry with Hawaii has increased greatly in recent years, with both teams being the oldest members of the WAC contending regularly for the conference championship. The Fresno State-San Diego State rivalry, also known as the Battle for the Oil Can, is one of the Bulldogs' biggest rivalry games. This in-state rivalry dates back to 1923, with the Aztecs winning the initial meeting at home 12-2. The two teams play for the Old Oil Can as a trophy. The name comes from a 1930s-era oil can hailing from Fresno that was found at a construction site at San.

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