Titans Say Farewell to a Stadium

SANTA ANA —  Cal State Fullerton will say goodby but not good riddance to Santa Ana Stadium today when the Titans play their last football game there before moving into a new on-campus stadium next season.

Fullerton’s season finale against Cal State Long Beach will mark the end of an eight-year relationship with a stadium that has been both a curse and a blessing for the program.

Many students have said they don’t like driving 10 miles to downtown Santa Ana to watch football games, and that has certainly been reflected at the gate over the years.

In 31 games, the Titans have attracted a total of 138,051 fans for an average of 4,453 a game. You can usually find that many fans at a Mater Dei High School game--on one side of Santa Ana Stadium.

But those who recall the November day in 1983 when Fullerton was supposed to play Nevada Las Vegas for the conference championship in Anaheim Stadium--but instead got booted to Glover Stadium because of rain--will never bad-mouth Santa Ana Stadium.

No one has ever told the Titans they couldn’t play in Santa Ana Stadium because of the weather. And besides, the place has been good for Fullerton--the Titans are 22-9 there.

“The people there have been good to us, they really have,” Titan Coach Gene Murphy said. “Not a lot of people wanted us, but I thank God for Santa Ana Stadium. They’ve been good to the Fullerton football program. It’s been a great relationship.”

Murphy would love to see the relationship end on a high note, but that’s not likely. Even against a weak Long Beach team, the Titans are underdogs.

The 49er defense has been suspect, allowing an average of 37.5 points and 416 yards a game, but Long Beach still has a superior offense compared to Fullerton.

Despite missing five games because of injury, 49er quarterback Todd Studer has passed for 836 yards and six touchdowns and has an outstanding cast of receivers that includes Mark Seay and Jeff Exum. Titan quarterback Chad May has thrown for 853 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games.

Long Beach’s victories have come over Nevada Las Vegas (34-19) and Utah State (7-6). Both those teams handled the Titans easily.

And Fullerton’s ranks have been thinned through injury and attrition. Leading rusher Reggie Yarbrough is out because of an ankle injury, and leading receiver Anthony Pack is out because of a shoulder separation.

Receiver Victor Prince and defensive linemen Jamal Jones and Jagade Freeman are also out with injuries, starting defensive back Terry Sullivan quit the team on Monday and reserve cornerback Mike Brown was dismissed from the team after he was arrested last week for misdemeanor assault and battery.

Murphy expects only 40 to 45 Titans to suit up today but remains optimistic.

“You always want to win your last game because you can use it going into your winter program and next year,” Murphy said. “It would help a lot. It would be a great elixir for a lot of things.”

Notes

Unless today’s game somehow attracts a crowd of 10,153 or more, Fullerton will fail to average 20,000 fans for all games this season, a criteria the Titans must reach by 1995 to remain at the Division I-A level. Bolstered by the crowd of 76,117 at Georgia in September, Fullerton has played before 209,847 fans in 10 games but has averaged only 3,015 in three home games. . . . Eleven seniors will complete their Titan playing careers today: Stan Breland, Tim Drevno, J.C. Farrow, Leonard Hudson, Michael Jones, Kevin Koontz, Chad Lindsay, Donnell Madison, Teddy McMillan, Kerry Reed and Rod Smith. It might also be the last game for Fullerton kicker/punter Phil Nevin, a junior who is expected to be chosen in next June’s professional baseball draft. . . . The Titans have lost 20 consecutive games against Division I-A opponents, dating back to a 1989 season-ending victory over San Jose State. . . . Long Beach did not play last week. Two weeks ago, the 49ers led New Mexico State, 24-13, with about five minutes remaining but lost, 28-24. New Mexico State scored the winning touchdown with four seconds to play. . . . Three former Orange County high school players are expected to start for Long Beach, defensive ends Mike Montreuil (Trabuco Hills) and Dan Ledieff (La Habra) and outside linebacker Dante Venturelli (Katella).