The San Diego State Aztecs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). The university fields 17 varsity teams (6 men's, 11 women's) in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, primarily as a member of the Mountain West Conference (Pac-12 Conference starting in 2026). The Aztecs football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of NCAA football competition. The Aztecs nickname was chosen by students in 1925; team colors are scarlet (red) and black. As of 2021, athletes from the university have won 14 medals at the Olympic Games.
San Diego State University's football team is part of the highest level of American collegiate football, the Football Bowl Subdivision 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.[9] 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, located in what had been the parking lot of the team's former home of San Diego Stadium,[a] for the 2022 season.[10] During the construction of Snapdragon Stadium, the Aztecs played the 2020 and 2021 seasons at Dignity Health Sports Park 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).
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, who also played baseball at San Diego State and opted for that sport professionally, ending up in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In the 2010–11 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, 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.
The Aztecs reached the Elite Eight, Final Four, and the National Championship for the first time during the 2022–23 season, where they finished runner-up to UConn. The Aztecs returned to the tournament in 2024, reaching the Sweet Sixteen.
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 golfer Xander Schauffele. In 2017, Schauffele received the 2017 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award.[15]
The San Diego State men's soccer team competes in the Western Athletic 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.[17] Lev Kirshner was head coach for over two decades.
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.[21]
Notable alumni include 2015 graduate Paige Spiranac.
The women's lacrosse team began play in 2012 and will play its first season in the Big 12 Conference in spring 2025. The Aztecs had played in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation before that conference dropped the sport after the 2021 season (2020–21 school year) due to a lack of competing members. They then spent the next two seasons as an independent before becoming an affiliate member of the Pac-12 Conference in the 2024 season, the last before that conference's collapse. The Aztecs became one of the six inaugural members of Big 12 women's lacrosse, joined by full members Arizona State, Cincinnati, and Colorado plus fellow affiliates Florida and UC Davis.
The Aztecs women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 4–7 through seven appearances.[26]
The Aztecs women's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 13–14 through fourteen appearances.[36]
San Diego State has been a member of six different athletic conferences in its history.
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.[38] In some cases (notably men's crew and men's volleyball), club teams have emerged in place of discontinued sports programs.
Crew
Cross Country
The Aztecs men's cross country team won three consecutive NCAA Division II national championships in 1965, 1966, and 1967 shortly before the program's ascension to Division I.
Gymnastics
Swimming & Diving
Men's swimming & diving won back-to-back NCAA Division II national championships in 1965 and 1966 shortly before the program's transition to Division I.
Track & Field (Indoor and Outdoor)
The men's track & field team won back-to-back NCAA Division II outdoor national championships in 1965 and 1966 shortly before the program's transition to Division I.
Volleyball
The men's volleyball team won San Diego State's first (and to-date only) NCAA Division I National Championship in 1973. The team's home court was Peterson Gymnasium.
Water Polo
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.[50]
Wrestling
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.[52][53]
Field Hockey
The women's rowing team, which had last competed in the American Athletic Conference, was discontinued following the 2020–21 academic year due to ongoing Title IX gender equity challenges and financial stress on the athletics department brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team's home was the Mission Bay Aquatic Center.
Basketball (women's)
Soccer (women's)
Track & field (women's)
Water polo (women's)
Tennis (women's)
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.[57]
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.
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.[58]
The Aztecs of San Diego State have earned 1 NCAA national championship at the Division I level.[42]
San Diego State won 7 national championships while at the Division II level.[42]
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):
Basketball (1): 1941 (NAIA)
SDSU's cheerleading and dance teams have won national championships.
Below are eleven national club team championships:
San Diego State has had 15 individuals win NCAA individual national championships at the Division I level.[42]
At the NCAA Division II level, San Diego State garnered 14 individual championships.[42] In 1975 Barbara Barrow 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).
SDSU athletics has had a rivalry with the BYU Cougars of Brigham Young University since at least the 1980s when both programs were members of the Western Athletic Conference. The rivalry intensified after both schools left the conference to become charter members of the Mountain West Conference in 1999. Through their many years in the same conferences, the Aztecs and Cougars were routinely tough 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.[62][63]
San Diego State has a longtime rivalry with California State University, Fresno, 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.[64][65][66]
The Aztecs have a local rivalry with the University of San Diego's San Diego Toreros, emphasizing the competition in college men's basketball. The rivalry has featured many competitions in neutral locations such as Petco Park across many sports.[67]
Though more of a rivalry historically outside of sports, the University of California, San Diego, the other major public university in San Diego, represents another local rival of SDSU. The UC San Diego Tritons joined NCAA Division I 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".[68][69]
El Camino Real Rivalry
The rivalry between the two Cal State schools dates back to 1935. The matchup is named after the historic 600-mile Camino Real that connects the 21 Spanish missions in California, stretching from San Diego Bay in the south to San Francisco Bay in the north.
In 2014, there were conversations between the two programs about creating a trophy using an old mission bell or a replica of an old Spanish mission bell to be awarded to the winner of the rivalry game, but no trophy ever materialized.[70]
1988 • Chris Gaines - Aztec marching Band Singer (1988) • Willie Buchanon - Football (1970–71) • John D. Butler - Football (1933–35) • Don Coryell - Football Coach (1961–72) • Fred Dryer - Football (1967–68) • Gary Garrison - Football (1964–65) • Gene Littler - M. Golf (1949–52) • Haven Moses - Football (1966–67) • Graig Nettles - Baseball (1964–65); M. Basketball (1964–65) • Charles E. Peterson - Football Coach (1921–29); M. Basketball Coach (1921–26);
Track & Field Coach (1922–46) • Milton Phelps - M. Basketball (1939–41) • Art Preston - Football (1949–51); Baseball (1950–52) • Arnie Robinson - M. Track & Field (1970–71) • Dennis Shaw - Football (1968–69) • Brian Sipe - Football (1969–71) • Willie Steele - M. Track & Field (1947–48); M. Basketball (1947); Baseball (1949) 1989 • Kevin Crow - M. Soccer (1979–82) • Morris Gross - Baseball, M. Basketball, Football (1922–1924, 1926–1927);
M. Basketball Coach (1929–42); Baseball Coach (1931–1932); Director of Athletics (1935–1941) • Tony Gwynn - Baseball (1979–81); M. Basketball (1978–81) • Don Horn - Football (1965–66) • Jack Rand - M. Track & Field (1934–35); Football (1932–34) 1990 • Tim Delaney - Football (1968–70) • Art Linkletter - M. Basketball (1932–34); M. Swimming & Diving (1932–34) • Judy Porter - W. Basketball (1980–83) • Tom Reynolds - Football (1969–71) 1991 • Steve Copp - M. Basketball (1973–76) • Chuck Courtney - M. Golf (1960–61) • Tom Dahms - Football (1947–49) • Monte Jackson - Football (1973–74) 1992 • Barbara Barrow - W. Golf (1974–77) • Bud Black - Baseball (1978–79) • Tony Pinkins - M. Basketball (1955–57) • Bob Smith - M. Track & Field (1949–50) • Charlie Smith - Baseball Coach (1934–64) • Deby LaPlante - W. Track & Field (1979–80) 1993 • Tom Ables - Honorary • Michael Cage - M. Basketball (1981–84) • Vidal Fernandez - M. Soccer (1977–79) • Ann Lebedeff - W. Tennis (1972–74) • Tom Nettles - Football, M. Track & Field (1966–68) • LaTanya Sheffield - W. Track & Field (1983–86) 1994 • Patricia Mang - Softball (1987–88) • Chris Marlowe - M. Volleyball (1972–73); M. Basketball (1970–73) • Bill Schutte - Football Coach (1947–55) • Nate Wright - Football (1967–68) • George Ziegenfuss - M. Basketball Coach (1948–69) 1995 • Marcelo Balboa - M. Soccer (1988–89) • Bob Brady - M. Basketball (1952–54) • Claudie Minor - Football (1972–73) • Micki Schillig - W. Tennis (1980–83) • Frank Scott - M. Golf Coach (1948–83)1996 • Paul Mott - Football, M. Basketball, M. Track & Field (1925–28) • Ramona Pagel - W. Track & Field (1983–84) • Todd Santos - Football (1984–87) • Eric Wynalda - M. Soccer (1987–89) 1997 • Vicki Cantrell - W. Volleyball (1980–83) • Kenny Hale - M. Basketball (1941, 1946–47) • Joel Kramer - M. Basketball (1974, 1976–78) • Duncan McFarland - M. Volleyball (1973) 1998 • Marshall Faulk - Football (1991–93) • Chris Gwynn - Baseball (1983–85) • Mary Holland - W. Volleyball (1979–82) • Dick Mitchell - M. Basketball (1940–42) • Chana Perry - W. Basketball (1988–89) 1999 • Lennie Clements - M. Golf (1976–79) • Laura De Snoo - W. Track & Field (1983–86) • Harry Hodgetts - M. Basketball (1937–41) • Carol Plunkett - W. Tennis Coach (1976–94) • Wendy Wheat - W. Volleyball (1977–80) 2002 • 1940–41 Men's Basketball Team • 1987 Men's Soccer Team • Joe Gibbs - Football (1961–63); Football Coach (1965–66) • Norm Nygaard - Football (1952–54) • Falisha Wright - W. Basketball (1992–95)
2003 • 1973 Men's Volleyball National Champions • Al Skalecky - M. Basketball (1966–67-68) • Nicole Storto - W. Tennis (1990–93) • Angela Rock - W. Volleyball (1981–84) • Marla Runyan - W. Track & Field (1988–91) 2004 • Mike Douglass - Football (1976–77) • Rod Dowhower - Football (1963–64) • Claude Gilbert - Football Coach (1967–80, 1995–99) • Travis Lee - Baseball (1994–96) • Ron Reina - Broadcaster (1969–86) • Carrie McLaughlin Stathas - W. Track & Field (1981–83)
2005 • 1987 Men's Rugby National Champion • Hank Allison - Football (1969–70) • Kern Carson - Football (1961–63) • Bernie Finlay - Basketball (1958–60) • Lynn Kanuka-Williams - W. Cross Country, W. Track & Field (1980–82) 2006 • Bob Breitbard - Football (1938–40 Player, 1945 Coach) • Kim Goetz - M. Basketball (1978–79) • Cynthia MacGregor - W. Tennis (1983–86) • Neal Petties - Football (1961–63) • Craig Scoggins - Football (1965–66) 2007 • Bob Cluck - Baseball (1966–67) • Mike Dodd - M. Basketball (1975–79), M. Volleyball (1978–80) • John "Jake" Duich - Football (1935, 1937–38) • Steve Duich - Football (1966–67) • Jay Gutowski - Football (1953–56) • Bobby Meacham - Baseball (1979–81) • Rachel Scott - W. Water Polo (1995–98) 2008 • Isaac Curtis - Football (1972) • John Farris - Football (1962–64) • Kieishsha Garnes - W. Basketball (1991–92) • Mark Grace - Baseball (1985) • Bobby Howard - Football (1965–66) 2009 • 1966 Wire Service College Division Football National Champions • Toni Himmer - W. Volleyball (1980–83) • Oliver Maiberger - M. Tennis (2000–03) • Mario Mendez - Football (1961–63) • Jeff Staggs - Football (1965–66) • Ralph Wenzel - Football (1964–65) 2010 • Tonette Dyer - W. Track & Field (2002–05) • Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila - Football (1996–99) • La'Roi Glover - Football (1992–95) • Doug Harvey - Baseball (1955–56) • John Hyden - M. Volleyball (1992–95) • Fred Miller - Director of Athletics (1985–95) 2011 • Dick Barnes - M. Basketball (1946, 1948–50) • Sandra Durazo - Softball (1998–2001) • Kyle Turley - Football (1994–97) • Quentin Wheeler - M. Track & Field (1975–76) • 1958 NAIA Baseball National Champions (1958) 2012 • Dr. O. Kenneth Karr Jr. - Director of Athletics (1969–78) • Randy Holcomb - M. Basketball (2001–02) • Mike Malano - Football (1996–99) • Liane Sato - W. Volleyball (1985–86) • J. R. Tolver - Football (1999–2002) 2013 • Brandon Heath - M. Basketball (2003–07) • Mark Reynolds - Sailing (1975–79) • Choc Sportsman - Track & Field Coach (1947–66) • Michelle Suman - W. Basketball (1991–95) • Don Warren - Football (1976–79) 2014 • Kirk Morrison - Football (2000–04) • Stephen Strasburg - Baseball (2007–09) • Pete Inge - Football (1976–79) • Kyle Whittemore - M. Soccer (1984–88) • Shayla Balentine - W. Track & Field (2002–05) 2015 • Billy Blanton - Football (1994–96) • Ed Imo - Football (1976–77) • Larry Godfrey - M. Track & Field (1965) • Karoline Koehler - W. Track & Field (2007–10) • Anthony Watson - M. Basketball (1983–86) 2016 • Kawhi Leonard - M. Basketball (2009–11) • Leon Parma - Football (1948–50) • Noel Prefontaine - Football (1995–96) • Miesha McKelvy-Jones - W. Track & Field (1997–99) • Steve Williams - M. Track & Field (1973–74) 2017 • Steve Fisher - M. Basketball Coach (1999–2017) • D.J. Gay - M. Basketball (2007–11) • Whitney Ashley - W. Track & Field (2011–12) • Craig Penrose - Football (1974–75) • Whip Walton - Football (1974–77) 2018 • Jamaal Franklin - M. Basketball (2011–13) • Holly Hartzell - W. Water Polo (2001–04) • Lon Hinkle - M. Golf (1970–72) • Travis Hitt - Football (1973–76) • Larry Ned - Football (1998–2001) • Ernie Anderson - Photographer 2019 • Jim Dietz - Baseball Coach (1972–2002) • Tally Hall - M. Soccer (2003–06) • Jené Morris - W. Basketball (2008–10) • Xavier Thames - M. Basketball (2011–14) • Shanieka Ricketts - W. Track & Field (2011–14)
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