San Diego State and San Jose State meet tonight for the 45th time. The Aztecs lead the series 22-20-2, and have won seven of the past eight games. The one loss? Last year: a 28-17 Spartan win in their Mountain West championship year. It is still the only Aztec loss at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The Aztecs head into 88-year-old Spartan Stadium tonight looking to avenge last year’s game. The Spartans won 14 of the first 17 games played in the series that dates back to 1935. The Aztecs won in 1936 and 1937, and the teams played to a 27-27 tie in 1956. Other than that, it was all San Jose State.
Until 1966.
The Aztecs headed to San Jose for their fourth consecutive road game with a 4-0 record that included wins over Mexico Poly, Weber State, Cal Poly SLO and Long Beach State. San Jose was a major program back then, and had already beaten Oregon and Cal earlier in the season. The Aztecs were in the College Division (the equivalent of D2 today).
Spartan QB Danny Holman was leading the nation in total offense going into the game. John Madden – an Aztec defensive assistant prior to Oakland Raider and video game fame – solved the mystery of the Spartan’s complicated offensive scheme and turned the Aztec defense loose.
Final score: Aztecs 25, Spartans 0. And it wasn’t that close.
The Aztec D, led by Leo Carroll and Cliff Hancock, held Holman to 7-12 passing for 46 yards with one interception, and sacked him for losses totaling 65 yards. The Spartans were held to 56 total offense yards, including -5 yards rushing.
Leo Carroll – SDSU
Cliff Hancock – SDSU
Aztec QB Don Horn was 13-29 for 141 yards and threw 2 TD passes to WR Haven Moses. Ted Washington rushed for 85 yards and Don Shy added 52 more yards and a TD. Craig Scoggins kicked a field goal and two extra points. And Hancock blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety.
That win and article 55 years ago put the Aztecs and head coach Don Coryell on the map. The Aztecs finished the year 11-0 and ranked #1 in the College Division poll. Three years later, the Aztecs moved up to Division 1.
Fourteen members of that 1966 championship team were drafted, including two in the first round (Horn 1967, Moses 1968) and four in the second. Six players and two coaches, as well as the team are in the Aztec Hall of Fame. Coach Coryell is in the College Hall of Fame; assistants John Madden and Joe Gibbs are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
When asked, most Aztec fans would say that we had played Fresno State more than any other teams, and that is correct. The two teams will play for the 60th time later this month. Second: San Jose State with 44 games so far. Who is third on the list? UNLV? Long Beach? Pacific? No, no and no.
Believe or not, number three on the list is the University of New Mexico. The Lobos and Aztecs will meet for the 43rd time Saturday at 6:00 in Dignity Health Sports Park.
And there will be some familiar faces on the New Mexico sidelines. Head Coach Danny Gonzales, an SDSU assistant from 2011-17 and, of course, the second-winningest head coach in Aztec history: Rocky Long. The former Aztec and Lobo head coach is back at his alma mater as defensive coordinator. Rocky was a QB for the Lobos in the 1970s, but he never played against the Aztecs.
Rocky Long during his time on the Mesa. Photo by Ernie Anderson
The Aztecs lead the series 27-15, and three of those losses came in the 1950s. There was one constant in the series between 1998 and 2019: Head Coach Rocky Long. In 16 games as head coach between the teams, Rocky is 14-2: 5-0 with the Aztecs and 9-2 with the Lobos. In other words, New Mexico, without Rocky Long as head coach, is 6-25 vs. San Diego State, with only 3 wins since 76. On the Aztec sideline, Brady Hoke is 2-0 vs. New Mexico.
One of my Dad’s favorite stories from the series came from a road win in 1979. Albuquerque is 5,000 feet above sea level. Not Wyoming altitude, but the air is noticeably thinner than at sea level. In the visitors locker room that day was a sign that pointed out the elevation and asked if you were having trouble breathing. Aztec Head Coach Claude Gilbert was not amused. Aztec Hall of Famer Pete Inge, an offensive lineman on that team recalled this week:
“Claude’s exact words were: ‘We’re going to kick their ass and tear down that sign and take it back to San Diego and put it in their locker room when they come to San Diego next year!’ I had never seen Coach that fired up.”
The Aztecs left Albuquerque with a 35-7 win and the sign.
Aztecs 2014 Hall of Fame inductee, offensive lineman Pete Inge vs New Mexico, 1979. Photo by Ernie Anderson
Note: Although today marks the 100th birthday of Aztec Football, the 2021 season is the 99th Aztec team. San Diego State did not field teams in 1943 and 1944 during World War II. The 2022 season will be special: the 100th Aztec Football team will play in the inaugural season in Aztec Stadium.
October 1, 1921 – 100 years ago today – Aztec football took the field for the first time, a 6-0 win vs. Army-Navy Academy JC. San Diego State, led by Head Coach C.E. Peterson, won three more games that initial season and finished 4-6. The next season the Aztecs finished 6-4 overall and 4-0 in league to win their first of 21 conference championships.
It was a hard-nosed squad that practiced on sand-and wood shavings-filled tackling dummy they made themselves. Guys with great names like John Hancock and George Champion. Let’s take a minute to remember the 19 men on that ‘21 squad and thank them for everything they did to start the great tradition of Aztec football:
Alfred Tarr (Captain), Ross Bond, Walter Bryant, George Champion, Hi Dillon, Curtis Gorham, John Hancock, Herman Harris, Jones Hathaway, Arthur Heilbron, Spencer Held, Tom Hester, Al Morrison, DeWitt Mott, Julian Pohl, Sam Russo, Lyman Scheel, Joe Varney and George Wilson.
The 1921 Aztecs Football Team
Tarr and Hancock were named first team all-conference; Champion was on the second team. Harris was named captain for the 1922 championship season at the 1921 football banquet.
Alfred Tarr, Captain 1921
Herman Harris, Captain 1922
Coaching staffs 100 years ago weren’t like they are today. In addition to football, C.E. Peterson was also the head basketball coach, head track coach and business manager for the Women’s Rowing Association. After he retired from coaching, Dr. Peterson became the Dean of Men, a position he held into the 1950s. When the new gym was opened in 1961, it was named in his honor. My Dad, Tom Ables, always said that “Dean Pete” deserved something better than Peterson gym named in his honor.
Aztecs fans know Don Coryell revolutionized the passing game while head coach at San Diego State. After winning 104 games as Aztec head coach, he took his sophisticated passing game to the NFL, where he won another 114 games as head coach of two teams that eventually abandoned their fan bases: the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers. “Air Coryell” became synonymous with high-powered aerial football.
But when Don became head coach at San Diego State in 1961, he was hired for his expertise in the I-formation, a run-first offense he had installed as an assistant at USC in 1960. The Aztecs had great success running the I in Don’s early years, turning around a losing program to one that won 38 games in his first five years.
And then came 1966, a special team that would end up the year 11-0 and ranked #1 in College Division (the equivalent of today’s D-2). After a 45-0 laugher over Mexico Poly in Aztec Bowl, the Aztecs headed to Ogden, Utah, on September 24 for a game at Weber State; 55 years ago today, a significant date in Aztec and football history: it was the day Air Coryell was born.
1966 Don Shy – SDSU
The Wildcats were a big, tough team that featured 232 lb. RB Lee White, who later played for the Jets, Rams and Chargers. The Aztec offense was led by QB Don Horn (another future pro). I had the pleasure of reliving that historic game with Don earlier this week:
“We were down 20-0 in the first half. They knew everything we were going to try. And on defense we could not stop Lee White.”
The Aztecs scored 13 in the second quarter to close the gap to 20-13 at the half. Don had completed 7 of 26 passes. Halftime adjustments? Like no other before.
“At halftime, Coryell was livid. He thought Weber State had spies who knew the game plan. He yelled ‘shut the window’ and then drew up a whole new game plan. We switched to a spread and put me in shotgun formation. As the door to the locker room opened before we headed back to the field, Coach said ‘OK, same game plan as the first half.’”
Defensive coordinator John Madden, tired of seeing White gain 5-6 yards with an Aztec defender on his back, made halftime adjustments too. “Madden’s second half strategy was to not try to tackle White on your own. First guy stand him up, next guy knock him down.”
1966 Don Horn – SDSU
The Wildcats scored first to go up 27-13. The Aztecs answered with two Don Horn to Don Shy TD passes. The Don-to-Don scoring brought the Aztecs within two at 27-25 early in the fourth quarter. Weber State answered with a TD to take a 34-25 lead. The Wildcats would not score again.
“We were drawing plays in the ground. I got hit every play, but with a five-wide spread, someone was uncovered. We threw the heck out of the ball.”
The Aztecs finished the scoring with two fourth quarter TD passes from Horn to WR Craig Scoggins, the second with just 2:05 left in the game. It was the Aztecs’ first lead. Final score: Aztecs 38, Weber State 34. Don Horn drew, threw and took hits while completing 11-17 second half passes and finished with 346 passing yards.
1966 Craig Scoggins – SDSU
How great was that 1966 team? Don’t let “College Division” fool you. Fourteen members of the 1966 Aztecs were drafted, including two in the first round and four in the second. Don Horn became the first Aztec drafted in the first round when the Packers selected him in 1967. WR Haven Moses was drafted in the first round by the Bills in 1968. Overall, eight Aztecs were taken in the 1967 draft, a total that has not be equaled since. The team also included nine first team All-CCAA players and two All-Americans: Don Horn and Leo Carroll.
The entire 1966 National Champion Aztecs has been enshrined in the Aztec Hall of Fame, as well as six players and coaches individually: Don Horn, Craig Scoggins, Bobby Howard, Jeff Staggs, Joe Gibbs (assistant coach) and Don Coryell. Coryell is also one of four Aztecs in the College Football Hall of Fame. Assistants Joe Gibbs and John Madden are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well. How Don Coryell, whose innovation and creativity changed NFL offenses and the way they are defended, is not in Canton remains an injustice that should have been remedied years ago.
1966 National Championship Team Photo – SDSU
The 1966 Aztecs were great guys, and my Dad made lifelong friendships with several members, including Don Horn, Haven Moses, Steve Duich, Jim Hight and Don Coryell.
For more about Aztecs football history, listen below to Podcast interview with Aztecs super-fan Ken Ables! A great resource for Aztecs football history.
Where have I seen this before? The Aztecs open with a win over Labor Day weekend, then beat a PAC-12 team on a hot night in Arizona, and return home to face another PAC-12 opponent in a blackout game. If you said 2017, you are correct! So far, 2021 is starting out just like 2017, although the blackout this week should be in the stands, not in the lights.
Quarterback Christian Chapman leads the Aztecs offense past Stanford. Photo by Ernie Anderson
Despite a loss to in-state rival USC the previous week, Stanford came to San Diego in 2017 ranked #19 and ready to get back in the win column. The Aztecs, 2-0 after wins over UC Davis and Arizona State, had other ideas. After a scoreless first quarter, John Baron kicked a 43-yard field goal a minute into the second. Stanford answered with a TD and a 7-3 lead. With 43 seconds left in the second, Rashaad Penny scored on a 4-yard run give the Aztecs a 10-7 halftime lead.
In the second half, teams exchanged field goals for the only scoring in the third quarter. Stanford scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 17-13 lead.
Mikah and Alijah Holder face off from opposite teams. Photo by Ernie Anderson
After a fourth quarter Stanford punt, the Aztecs took over on their 25 with 6:15 left in the game. A combination of Penny runs and Christian Chapman passes to Mikah Holder (covered by his twin brother Alijah) put the Aztecs at the Cardinal 42 with 3:58 left in the game.
Then the lights went out – not the kind of blackout the marketing staff could have envisioned – but definitely one they would take advantage of for years to come. A different kind of energy overtook the old Jack Murphy Stadium when the room went dark. The San Diego faithful, eager with anticipation of the games final drive, with cell phone flashlights a glow began to chant, “I believe That We Will Win! I believe That We Will Win! I believe That We Will Win!”
After a delay of more than 20 minutes, the Stadium maintenance crew was able to turn the lights back on. The Aztecs continued their march down the field to the Stanford 8 yard line. On a play action fake to Penny, Chapman rolled right, hit tight end David Wells who dove into the end zone for the go ahead touchdown with 54 seconds left in the game. Kameron Kelly’s interception on the next Cardinal play sealed the win for the Aztecs.
A young Aztecs fan jumps from the stands down onto the field consequently breaking both of his legs. Photo by Ken Ables
The combination of beating a ranked team, beating a PAC-12 team, the blackout delay and the last-minute come-from-behind win set off an Aztec victory celebration not seen since the ‘60s. After 51 seasons and 318 games at San Diego/Jack Murphy/Qualcomm/SDCCU and once again San Diego Stadium, fans rushed the field in a celebration that went on late into the night. One poor guy (not an SDSU student) tried to take a shortcut to the field and ended up in the hospital.
Will history repeat four years later? I think it will. Put on your black Aztec gear and head up to Diginity Health Sports Park on Saturday. See you in Carson.
The Aztecs hit the road this week and head east to Tucson, where they meet the Arizona Wildcats for the first time since 2001. The Wildcats hold a four game win streak, while holding a historical 10-5 advantage over the Aztecs. Though the two teams have not met each other in 20 years exactly. This should never be the case.
Arizona and San Diego teams have long held regional matchup status in the form of professional sports. The Padres vs Diamondbacks have been competing with each other for years, making the two regions incredibly natural foes. The Arizona Wildcats and San Diego State Aztecs hold a solid basketball matchup in place as well.
San Diego Padres/SDSU AZ Diamondbacks/ASU-UofA SF Giants/CAL-Stanford Colorado Rockies/U of Colorado LADodgers-LAAngels/USC-UCLA
These Regional matchups already exist successfully in Pro sports. So why is the @pac12 being so discriminatory towards @SDSU again?👎🤔
But the Pac12 for some reason continues to fail when advancing their conferences stronghold on the Western territory states. Far too often there are young recruits choosing to leave outside the Pacific and Mountain time zones. But I digress.
The last time the Aztecs played in the state of Arizona, Rashaad Penny had one of the best games of his record-setting career, at Arizona State in 2017.
Rashaad Penny runs for a 95 yd touchdown run. Photograph credit: Ernie Anderson
Both teams came into the game with 1-0 records. With temperatures in triple digits at kickoff, and well into the night, the Sun Devils assumed the team from the coast would wilt in the desert heat. They were wrong. Rashaad scored 3 TDs: one on the ground, one through the air and one on a kickoff.
For his first TD, he took a handoff from Christian Chapman at the Aztec 5, outrunning the ASU defense for a 95-yard score.
After ASU tied the game at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter, Rashaad took the ensuing kickoff at the 1 and took it 99 yards to the house for his second TD and a 14-7 Aztec lead.
His third and final TD came on a 33 yard pass from Chapman, including a great fake where he zigged, while the ASU safety zagged. He accounted for 353 all-purpose yards, a total only surpassed by his 429 vs. Nevada later in the season. John Baron II added three FG in the 30-20 Aztec win.
That win was the second in a row vs. PAC-12 schools (we beat Cal at home in 2016), and the first road win against a PAC member since shutting out Oregon State 25-0 in 1975 (my freshman year at SDSU). It was also the last Aztec road trip my Dad and I made together.
My father Tom, soaking in the big SDSU victory
As we walked from our car to Sun Devil stadium, a group of ASU fans chatted us up a bit, and Dad told them he was there for his 785th Aztec game, and expected a win. The fan said he’d bet us a beer they’d beat us and would be waiting to collect after the game. While neither of us were drinkers, we couldn’t back down from that bet. And, as you might suspect, when we got back to the car after the game, they had already packed up and left.
Since that win vs. Cal in 2016, the Aztecs are 5-2 vs. the Pac-12, including two wins on the road. The Aztecs are also looking to win four straight vs. teams from the state of Arizona.
This is the 16th Aztec-Wildcat game in a series that dates back to 1931. The Aztecs won that initial game in Tucson 8-0 under the lights for the first night game in Aztec history.
Rocky Long, Aztecs football Head Coach (2011-2019). Photo credit Ernie Anderson
Brady Hoke’s second 2nd season kicks off this weekend when the Aztecs host New Mexico State at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California on Saturday. In the first Hoke 2nd season (2010), the Aztecs finished 9-4 with a Poinsettia Bowl victory over Navy, for the first winning season since 1998 and first bowl win since 1969. Brady parlayed that success into his “dream job” as head coach at Michigan.
So it was ten years ago that the head coaching position was open and up for grabs … well sort of.
San Diego State didn’t have to look very far to make their replacement decision a decade ago. The head coach job was offered to defensive coordinator Rocky Long. The Aztecs’ first opponent of the Rocky Long era back in that 2011 season: Cal Poly. No big deal, right?
The Mustangs were FCS, and the Aztecs led the series 13-11, with all of those wins coming when both teams were “College Division” programs (the precursor to D-2). But the last two games, FCS vs. FBS matchups played in 2006 and 2008, resulted in Mustang victories, inexcusable losses and a point of contention for much of Aztec Nation.
Wide receiver Colin Lockett. Photo credit Ernie Anderson
Rocky was not about to let history repeat a third time; the team and staff were focused on opening the season with a win over the Mustangs. I had the pleasure of playing golf with new assistant (at that time) Zach Arnett in the summer of 2011. I made a comment about how we should start with a win and he shot back: “Well, they beat you the last two times.”
History did not repeat. The Aztecs won handily, 49-21. Ryan Lindley completed 15 of 27 passes for 203 yards, 4 TDs and no interceptions; Ronnie Hillman carried 28 times for 189 yards and 2 TDs; Colin Lockett added two more TDs with an 18-yard reception and 94-yard kick-off return. The Aztecs finished the season 8-5 and played in their second of 10 consecutive bowl games—which was something not seen or felt among the Aztec Nation faithful in a very long time. Hard to believe the euphoria of those season results are accepted only now as the bare minimum for our great Aztecs football program.
Quarterback Ryan Lindley. Photo credit Ernie Anderson
So how will the 2nd Hoke season this go around with the Aztecs start? Back in 2010, the Aztecs beat Nicholls State 47-0 in his first 2nd season.
The Aztecs are 10-1-1 all-time vs. New Mexico State in a series that dates back to 1936. The last Aggie win was in 1955, and the Aztecs have never lost a home game to them. The Aggies are an Independent FBS team that did not play in the fall of 2020. They played two games this spring, finishing 1-1, including a 43-17 loss to FCS Tarleton State. Look for the Aztecs to keep that perfect home record vs. NMSU intact.
Listen to our Sons of Montezuma Pregame Podcast Previewing the San Diego State vs New Mexico State game! Click below!
You can subscribe to the Sons of Montezuma Podcast on Spotify, the iHeart app, or at Apple Podcast.
Check out below for a flashback of the 2011 team highlights vs that Cal Poly team.
When news broke that legislation had passed in California allowing student athletes to receive compensation from use of their name, image and likeness, it was only a matter of time that the rest of the country would follow.
Just how soon was anybody’s guess.
We at Sons of Montezuma believed this could be a great way to create fun and entertaining projects with some of the Aztecs student athletes…someday. So, this year when the NCAA made the declaration to allow this business model for students all across the nation, I must admit it caught us by surprise.
Change from the NCAA to help its student athletes gain for themselves, outside of scholarship restrictions, has long been an issue talked about by almost every sports media outlet. Now that we’ve seen some of the early results from this NIL experiment, it’s truly debatable whether this new policy will pan out as a help or a hinderance to the many G-5 programs. Many of which continually scratch and claw to keep up with their association counterparts.
If there was one thing we knew here at Sons of Montezuma however, it’s that we weren’t going to wait and find out by someone else’s testimony. We wanted to roll up our pant legs and get a feel for the chilly waters ourselves.
So, it was exciting to see Aztecs running back Greg Bell take to social media to open his NIL partnership availability.
From all that we’ve gathered, Greg Bell and Sons of Montezuma are THE first student athlete and apparel company in all of San Diego County to have struck a partnership and developed their own form of clothing together. We are extremely proud to be the first!
And for those still not understanding fully, young Greg Bell absolutely earns the lion share of profits from each T-shirt purchased by you—the REAL San Diego Football fans! What a tremendous way to support one of our own!
All things considered; this was one of the most fun and creative projects I’ve had the chance to work on in my entire marketing & design career. So much that, I’d like to share my impressions about Greg Bell and the process of navigating our first NIL agreement with a San Diego student athlete.
I reached out to Greg via Instagram, and he was open to have a zoom meet to hear my sales pitch. I still remember the first image of Greg on my computer screen. He was sporting a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up covering most of his face. Lightly pulling the drawstrings to slightly shield his eyes, no doubt protecting himself from the unknown view of who he was going to see across his screen. It made me laugh with a smile and I know that positive reaction helped to quickly lower his guard and the hood over his head.
But as humorous as that first gesture was to me, it was a swift reminder that working with young people is a big responsibility. Young people are so full of promise and eagerness for their future. Greg hearing me out that day was an honest attempt to trust that whoever was on the other side of his screen was there to do right by him. I’m appreciative of that trust.
Greg showed himself to negotiate well. He knew his worth within the structure of our deal. It’s experiences like this, that I fully believe will lead to beneficial disciplines for our student athletes. Now, before a student athlete signs that first professional deal with team ________, they will have already on some level experienced for themselves a business proposal, negotiation process and execution strategy within their college years. And that is what they are here in school for right? To learn how to be a professional.
Together we agreed upon the apparel and podcast creative ideas, within the next two weeks we developed our art works and arrangements, and all in one day we were able to capture photos with the actual t-shirt product and record our podcast interview.
During the actual podcast interview Greg was as cool as they come. He agreed to do a one-hour interview and I ended up choosing McGregor’s Ale House near the new Aztecs Stadium as our location. Sunday mornings during the off season are ideal for quiet time there. Come football season, forget about it.
He arrived with a camera man following his day in the life story. In between breakfast burrito and chicken tender breaks we conversed for almost two hours and it was a great time.
If you know anything about Greg’s football journey, we could’ve talked all day.
We recapped his time winning a CIF Championship for Bonita Vista High school–their first in 50 years. We detailed not being able to come to San Diego State out of high school, moving to Yuma to join the JUCO ranks at Arizona Western and inevitably earning National attention and committing to play Nebraska football in the most lucrative conference in College Football, the Big Ten. It’s been a windy road for Greg to finally join the hometown Aztecs.
We covered the freak accident, an eye injury almost ending his career, and soon after the full recovery the COVID-19 global pandemic that almost kept him off the field for two straight seasons.
After the interview was over, I spent days of my time on the editing room floor. I thought what I had in the conversations was enough. But as I began to dig deeper into all the media that was out there for Greg thru-ought his many stops, I knew I had to feature much of the real audio that captured all of these priceless moments.
As I watched and listened to all of these highlights that chronicled Greg’s career, I really came to a deeper appreciation for what the young man has overcome in his time.
When I had asked Greg what was that moment for him that he fell in love with the game of football he replied, “My older cousin was playing and I was too young to play. So I used to go to his games all dressed up like I was on his team, but I couldn’t play. So I always used to cry. But seeing him, it made me want to play so much. So that’s what made me real passionate about the game.”
Not many people in their lives are so blessed to pinpoint an exact moment where their passions were awaken so much that they knew exactly what they were meant to do with their time spent here.
But how often do we as humans find a spark. How often are business ventures or relationships started one day and quit the next. It’s one thing to set forth a plan with good intentions. But it’s another to persevere through challenges. To continue the pursuit, despite our own shortcomings or perhaps factors outside of anything we can ever control.
Greg has had to rise above so much and take so many detours, the passion of his pursuit is undeniable.
To think about all the stops that he has had to make, there’s been a different head coach at each one of them. Each time a player has to fit to the mold of a new coaches leadership and locker room style, it proves to be a challenge. To trust and accept a new voice of discipline and leadership is not an easy thing for adults to do in the professional world, let alone young adults in a non-paying situation.
But the one noteworthy factor that truly stood out in my mind was the relationship that he values from his then Bonita Vista high school head coach, Chris Thompson (now Head Coach at Mira Mesa High, San Diego, CA).
He credits Coach Thompson for the guidance in choosing Arizona Western in his pathway back to major D1 football. The two maintain their friendship to this day and he credits Thompson as helping him get to where he is today.
In this new NIL world of College athletics, that high school coach relationship will prove to be an even greater factor in the lives of our student athletes.
Do I know what the future holds for the NIL system in Collegiate athletics? Surely not. But in the end, hopefully this was just the first of many Sons of Montezuma student athlete projects to come.
When SDSU President Walter Hepner challenged then music major Frank J. Losey to write the SDSU fight song back in 1936, it was an instant hit. “Fight on and on ye Aztec Men, Sons of Montezuma we will win again!”… The lyrics were full of energy and perfectly suited for the game on the gridiron.
San Diego State University Marching Aztecs – Fight Song
Now you might presume that we, with our name “Sons of Montezuma”, might oppose this decision. In fact we whole heartedly agree with it and applaud our heralded Director of Athletic Bands, Bryan Ransom, for his foresight and creativity! I mean, does it really make sense to belt out ‘Sons of Montezuma!‘ at the ladies volleyball match? Not so much.
Little did Losey or Ransom know, that this change in the SDSU Aztecs athletics culture would pave the way for our creation soon after.
In the middle of a resurgent football season in 2015, Sons of Montezuma was born as a fun social media brand creating Aztecs sports graphics for both the players and our fellow fans. Once the War for Mission Valley came to our doorstep in 2017, the Sons of Monty crew was assembled in full effect.
Getting the word out to voters on behalf of SDSU West for Measure G through online postings, street team activities, and of course the daily twitter battles with our adversaries in the private hedge fund’s camp. Instinctively our online efforts quickly formalized into our Sons of Montezuma Podcast with our original host K5James.
Sons of Monty guerilla warfare tactics
SDSU won a decisive victory at the polls and gained the schools very own brand new Aztecs Stadium and an expanded western campus. Simultaneously however, it appears the school has begun to lose ground in keeping hold of its old Aztecs sports traditions. The elimination of the Montezuma mascot years ago has now led to the recent decision of eliminating any warrior iconography in the representation of a human image.
Today, we here at Sons of Montezuma seek to do whats never been done in Aztecs Nation. We aim to create a new and different kind of Aztecs sports hub—integrating sports news articles, in-depth recruiting information, game film analysis, graphic edits and original merchandise—all while celebrating to keep the old Montezuma traditions of our San Diego Sports culture alive.
This is ‘Monty’s Den’ blog entry #1. Keep an eye out for more personal stories, reflections and celebrations here. Because maybe you’re an SDSU alumnus that lives in town or perhaps you relocated outside the San Diego County lines … maybe you were a real San Diego football fan that wants to cheer for a real San Diego football team again … or maybe you’re just a Barry from La Mesa, Kearny Mesa, or Clairemont Mesa, one thing’s for sure … we are all Sons of Montezuma.
