Fresno State Bulldogs football

The Fresno State Bulldogs football team represents California State University, Fresno in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The green “V” on the Bulldogs' helmets, uniforms, field symbolize California Central Valley, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural valley from which they draw their support. The current head coach is Tim DeRuyter, who was hired to replace Pat Hill on December 14, 2011.

History
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 .76 winning percentage, and took the 1961 team to an undefeated season capped by a 36-6 Mercy Bowl victory over Bowling Green. Fresno State football experienced a stretch of seasons hovering around the .500 mark during the later 1960s and 70s. Yet despite also having a number of winning seasons, including two where the Bulldogs went undefeated, they only participated in two university division bowl games before the 1980s.

The Sweeney era
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 lone blemish to a perfect season, coupled with the difficulty either team has had in winning in the other’s home stadium, has led the Warriors and Bulldogs to contend for one of the WAC’s fiercest rivalries.

The face of Fresno State football changed with the construction of a university football stadium for the team for the 1980 season. Before then, the Bulldogs played their home games in Fresno City College’s Ratcliffe Stadium, which seated approximately 13,000 fans. The construction of a modern new stadium which held over 30,000 in attendance was an outstanding improvement for the Bulldogs, who saw drastic increases in attendance and alumni support. 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. 1994, however, marked the beginning of three consecutive losing seasons which ended the Sweeney era and brought in Pat Hill, who had worked both in the NFL and colleges for the past several decades.

The Hill era
Fresno State began a renaissance under Hill, who continued the advances the program had made during the Sweeney era. Noted for playing particularly difficult non-conference schedules, Hill’s teams routinely played elite, highly-ranked teams. The Bulldogs have also been the only non-BCS school to record three consecutive bowl victories over schools from BCS conferences.

In 2001, the Bulldogs, under Hill and quarterback David Carr, began their season with several remarkable 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 picked as its preseason #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 #8 in the polls, the highest for a mid-major team since(BYU was ranked #5 in 1996) BYU won the national championship in 1984, 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. Nonetheless, the impressive performances of the regular season earned Fresno State its first number one overall NFL draft choice in David Carr, picked first by the expansion Houston Texans.

The 2002 squad, which had difficulty opening the season with a 1-3 record, finished strong to finish the regular season 8-5 and earning another bid to the Silicon Valley Classic against Georgia Tech. This resulted in a win for the Bulldogs, who beat the Yellow Jackets 30-21.

The 2003 squad earned a spot in the Silicon Valley Classic for the third year in a row, this time facing UCLA in San Jose. The Bulldogs defeated the Bruins 17-9.

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 in Seattle against the Washington Huskies, 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 #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 Hawaii, 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 Hawaii since 1994, and a redemptive home victory over Boise State, traveled to the Los Angeles Coliseum to face the #1 ranked USC Trojans, bringing with them an 8-1 record, a ranking of #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 50-42. The loss to the Trojans changed the character of the team, who proceeded to lose their next four games, including the Liberty Bowl against Tulsa.

The 2006 squad, weakened by key senior losses at quarterback, running back and on the defense, struggled with the schedule, opening the year 1-7 before winning three straight, only to close the season with the first loss to San Jose State since before the fall of the Soviet Union.

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. After another loss to Oregon, they won 8 of their final 10 games, including a victory over Georgia Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl.

On September 1, 2008, the Bulldogs opened their season with a 24-7 victory over Rutgers in a non-conference game. The Bulldogs would end the season with a 7-6 record, including a loss in the New Mexico Bowl against Colorado State.

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 1800 yards, and scoring 19 touchdowns. Ryan Mathews declared his eligibility for the NFL draft, and was selected 12th over-all by the San Diego Chargers.

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. The Bulldogs would lose the game to Northern Illinois adding to its disappointing bowl record against other non-AQ programs.

Tim DeRuyter
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.

Head coaching history
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Current

 * Seyi Ajirotutu - Wide receiver, San Diego Chargers
 * Bernard Berrian - Wide receiver, Free agent
 * Tom Brandstater - Quarterback, St. Louis Rams practice squad
 * David Carr - Quarterback, NY Giants, first-round selection, 1st overall pick
 * Tyler Clutts - Fullback, Houston Texans
 * Tyrone Culver - Defensive Back, Miami Dolphins
 * Andrew Jackson - Offensive Lineman, Atlanta Falcons
 * Vernon Fox - Safety, Denver Broncos
 * Alan Harper - Defensive Line, AFL, Arizona Rattlers
 * Kenny Wiggins - Offensive Lineman, San Francisco 49ers
 * Jamel Hamler - Wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
 * A.J. Jefferson - Corner Back, Arizona Cardinals
 * Devon Wylie - Wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs
 * Louis Leonard - Defensive tackle, Carolina Panthers
 * Robert Malone - Punter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Logan Mankins - Guard, New England Patriots
 * Dante Marsh - Defensive Back, CFL - BC Lions
 * Richard Marshall - Defensive Back, Miami Dolphins
 * Ryan Mathews - 2010 NFL Draft, first-round selection, 12th overall pick, Running Back, San Diego Chargers
 * Bryce Harris - Offensive Lineman, Atlanta Falcons
 * Marcus McCauley - Defensive Back, Minnesota Vikings
 * Garrett McIntyre - Linebacker, New York Jets
 * Lonyae Miller - Running back, Oakland Raiders
 * Marlon Moore - Wide Receiver, Miami Dolphins
 * Chastin West - Wide Receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars
 * Bear Pascoe - Tight End, New York Giants
 * Michael Pittman - Running Back, UFL's Florida Tuskers
 * Chris Carter - Linebacker, Pittsburg Steelers
 * James Sanders - Safety, Arizona Cardinals
 * Jason Shirley - Defensive Tackle, Indianapolis Colts
 * Clifton Smith - Running Back, Miami Dolphins
 * Stephen Spach - Tight End, Arizona Cardinals
 * Logan Harrell - Defensive End, San Diego Chargers
 * Derrick Ward - Running Back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Ryan Wendell - Guard, New England Patriots
 * Paul Williams - Wide Receiver, Tennessee Titans
 * Ben Jacobs - Linebacker, Cleveland Browns
 * Cameron Worrell - Safety, Free agent
 * Dwayne Wright - Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles
 * Cornell Banks - Defensive Tackle, St. Louis Rams
 * Kyle Young - Offensive Line, AFL, Arizona Rattlers

Former

 * Jahine Arnold – Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Stephen Baker – Wide Receiver, New York Giants
 * Rich Bartlewski (tight end) – Los Angeles Raiders (1990), Atlanta Falcons (1991), Montreal Machine (1992)
 * Reggie Brown – Fullback
 * Chris Conrad – Offensive Tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Ron Cox – Linebacker, Chicago Bears Green Bay Packers
 * Trent Dilfer – 1994 NFL Draft, first round selection 6th overall pick, former Super Bowl Champion (XXXV) Quarterback, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1994–1999), Baltimore Ravens (2000), Seattle Seahawks (2001–2004), Cleveland Browns (2005), San Francisco 49ers (2006–2007)
 * David Dunn – Wide Receiver Oakland Raiders
 * Henry Ellard – Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins
 * Malcolm Floyd – Wide Receiver
 * Cory Hall – Safety
 * Charlie Jones – Wide Receiver
 * Dale Messer - Wide Receiver, Safety, San Francisco 49ers
 * Lorenzo Neal - Running Back, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens
 * Christopher Pacheco – Los Angeles Rams
 * Stephone Paige – Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs
 * Michael Pittman - Running Back, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos
 * Marquez Pope – Defensive Back, San Diego Chargers
 * Ron Rivers – Running Back, Detroit Lions
 * Omar Stoutmire – Safety New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets
 * Tydus Winans – Wide Receiver, Washington Redskins