Long Beach State athletics

Long Beach State Beach
Logo
UniversityCalifornia State University, Long Beach
ConferenceBig West Conference (primary)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (indoor track & field)
GCC (men's water polo)
NCAADivision I
Athletic directorBobby Smitheran[1]
LocationLong Beach, California
Varsity teams19
Basketball arenaWalter Pyramid
Baseball stadiumBlair Field
Softball stadiumLBSU Softball Complex
Soccer stadiumGeorge Allen Field
Other venuesJack Rose Track
Lindgren Aquatics Center
Rhodes Tennis Center
Virginia Country Club
MascotElbee (2018–present)[2][3]
Prospector Pete (1949–2018)[4]
NicknameThe Beach
ColorsBlack and gold[5]
   
Websitelongbeachstate.com

Long Beach State athletics, or simply Beach athletics (previously known as the 49ers), are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Long Beach. Teams compete in 19 sports at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. Long Beach State is a founding member of the Big West Conference, and also competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the Golden Coast Conference for sports not sponsored by the Big West.[6][7][8]

Nickname

[edit]

In the realm of sports the school is referred to as "Long Beach State." The university's intercollegiate athletics program will continue to use "Beach Athletics", and its teams the prefix moniker "The Beach"[9][10] as it is the only university on the West Coast and only NCAA Division I university with the word "Beach" in its name. One can see the cheer "Go Beach!" written on many CSULB products around campus and on the large water tower near the entrance to the campus.[11] "'49er" remains an informal nickname and identifier for anyone affiliated with the university.[9] The term "'49er" references the institution's founding year.[9] The baseball team will continue to be the Dirtbags.[10]

Sports sponsored

[edit]
Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball
Cross country Cross country
Golf Golf
Track and field1 Soccer
Volleyball Softball
Water polo Tennis
Track and field1
Volleyball
Water polo
1 – includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball

[edit]
A Dirtbags baseball player during a 2007 game at Blair Field

Unlike all other Long Beach State sports teams, the baseball team unofficially goes under the moniker "The Dirtbags." After the hiring of Dave Snow as head coach in 1989, the LBSU baseball team has become one of the most successful teams in the school's athletic history. From 1989 to 2008, the Dirtbags appeared in 17 of the 20 NCAA tournaments and were consistently ranked in the national top 35. Along the way, the team won 9 Big West conference championships, hosted 5 NCAA regionals (plus 1 super regional), and appeared in 4 College World Series (1989, 1991, 1993 and 1998).[12] The Dirtbags nickname refers to a gritty, team first style of play taught by Coach Snow and subsequent coaches.

The school has also produced a number of prominent professional players over the years, including former American League MVP Jason Giambi, former American League Rookie of the Year Bobby Crosby, and all-star and 2008 American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria. Many more ex-Dirtbags have participated in the prestigious MLB All-Star Futures game, including Jered Weaver, Troy Tulowitzki, Danny Espinosa, and Jarren Duran. As of 2024, 57 Long Beach State baseball alumni have played in the big leagues.[13]

The baseball team plays off campus at 3,238-seat Blair Field in Recreation Park (center of city; 1.7 miles off campus).[14] Opened in 1956 and remodeled in 1992, Blair Field has been the full-time Long Beach State home field since 1993.[14]

Basketball

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Long Beach State men's and women's basketball teams compete in the Big West Conference. The teams play their home games at the Walter Pyramid.

Men's basketball

[edit]
Long Beach (in black) v Duke game in 2009

On April 6, 2007, it was announced that Dan Monson (formerly of Gonzaga University and the University of Minnesota) would become Long Beach State's next head men's basketball coach, succeeding Larry Reynolds.

Women's basketball

[edit]

The women's basketball team had its greatest success during the 1980s when coached by Joan Bonvicini for 12 years. During that time the team went 325–71. The Beach won 10 Big West Conference titles, made 10 straight NCAA appearances, had 12 consecutive winning seasons, and never won fewer than 24 games in a season. Bonvicini guided the Beach to Final Four appearances in 1987 and 1988.

Cross country

[edit]

The Long Beach State Beach men's cross country team appeared in the NCAA tournament six times, with their highest finish being 10th place in the 1971–72 school year.[15]

Year Ranking Points Notes
1969 No. 17 430 Defeated Tennessee, Cal Poly Pomona, Princeton, Kansas, Missouri,
Georgetown, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, St. John's, Murray State,
Harvard, and Florida
Lost to UTEP, Villanova, Oregon, Washington State, Illinois,
Western Michigan, Minnesota, Penn, Bowling Green, Penn State,
Connecticut, Houston, Miami (OH), Manhattan, Nebraska, and Providence
1970 No. 23 548 Defeated Lehigh, Illinois, Cornell, Alabama, Cincinnati,
Harvard, Texas, Kentucky, North Carolina, SMU, West Chester,
Virginia Tech, Furman, East Carolina, Virginia, and The Citadel
Lost to Villanova, Oregon, UTEP, Indiana, Western Michigan,
Missouri, Michigan State, Bowling Green, San Diego State,
William & Mary, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Penn State, Oklahoma State,
Colorado, BYU, Duke, Manhattan, Houston,
Kansas State, East Tennessee State, and Penn
1971 No. 10 323 Defeated Miami (OH), Duke, Michigan State, Wichita State, Cornell,
Indiana, William & Mary, Ball State, American, Murray State,
Tennessee, Kentucky, Air Force, Princeton, North Carolina,
Colorado, Providence, Texas, Florida, and Louisiana
Lost to Oregon, Washington State, Penn, Villanova, East Tennessee State,
Kansas State, Bowling Green, Penn State, and Northern Arizona
1972 No. 23 614 Defeated Alabama, Rice, Arkansas, and Houston
Lost to Tennessee, East Tennessee State, Oregon, Washington State, Miami (OH),
Bowling Green, Oklahoma State, BYU, Manhattan, Indiana, William & Mary,
Penn State, Eastern Michigan, Kansas, Wisconsin, Oregon State,
Maryland, Princeton, Montana, Arizona, Navy, and Kentucky
1974 No. 26 660 Defeated Arkansas and Syracuse
Lost to Oregon, Western Kentucky, UTEP, Washington State, Providence,
Eastern Michigan, Georgetown, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Penn State,
Duke, Michigan, BYU, Iowa State, Navy, Kentucky,
Wichita State, Maryland, Missouri, Minnesota, East Tennessee State,
Montana, Kent State, Florida, and Kansas State
1975 No. 30 737 Defeated Dartmouth and Florida
Lost to UTEP, Washington State, Providence, Penn State, East Tennessee State,
Western Kentucky, BYU, Colorado State, Wisconsin, Illinois,
Oregon, Kansas State, Arkansas, New Mexico, Princeton,
Tennessee, Indiana, Northeastern, Georgetown, Colorado,
Maryland, Michigan, William & Mary, Pittsburgh, Navy,
Navy, Wichita State, Penn, Kent State, and Rice

The Long Beach State Beach women's cross country team has never made the NCAA tournament.[16]

Women's soccer

[edit]

The Long Beach State women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 3–7 through seven appearances.[17]

Big West Conference in Long Beach logo
Year Round Opponent Result
2008 First round San Diego L 0–1
2010 First round Santa Clara L 0–1
2011 First round
Second Round
Third round
Quarterfinals
Pepperdine
Miami (FL)
San Diego
Duke
W 1–0
W 1–0
W 1–0
L 0–2
2012 First round Santa Clara L 1–2
2015 First round Santa Clara L 0–1
2016 First round Santa Clara L 0–3
2018 First round USC L 0–6

Women's tennis

[edit]

Long Beach State women's tennis team ('Beach Tennis') competes in the Big West Conference. As of the end of the 2018–19 season, the team has won thirteen Big West tennis titles since 2002 and qualified for thirteen NCAA tournament championships since 2002; advancing to the Round of 32 three times.[18]

Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello has won a league record eight Big West Conference Coach of the Year awards (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014) and was named the ITA West Region Coach of the Year and a finalist for the national award in 2004.[19]

The women's tennis team plays at the Terry L. Rhodes Tennis Center, which opened on campus Fall 2008.[20] The tennis center is named after 49er alumnus Terry Rhodes following his $1.25 million gift to the women's tennis program. Rhodes' gift is the largest single sport donation in university history.[20] The new facility also includes The Gloria and Bob Hendricks Family Scoreboard, a 40-foot (12 m) high electronic display of all matches donated by the family of the former 49er women's tennis head coach.[20]

Volleyball

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Men's volleyball

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The men's volleyball competed in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and now in the Big West Conference. They won the MPSF regular season title in 2008 and 2017 and the Big West Conference regular season titles in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023*, 2024. They won the 1991, 2018 and 2019 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship and have placed second seven times.

  • * Co-Champion

As of 2023, the Long Beach State men's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 19–11 (.633) through ten appearances.[21]


Year Round Opponent Result
1970 Pools
Pools
Pools
Semifinals
National Championship
Ball State
UC Santa Barbara
UCLA
Ball State
UCLA
W 2–0
W 2–0
L 1–2
W 3–1
L 0–3
1973 Pools
Pools
Pools
Semifinals
National Championship
Ball State
Army
San Diego State
Army
San Diego State
W 2–0
W 2–0
W 2–1
W 3–0
L 1–3
1990 Semifinals
National Championship
Rutgers–Newark
USC
W 3–0
L 1–3
1991 Semifinals
National Championship
Penn State
USC
W 3–0
W 3–1
1999 Semifinals
National Championship
Purdue Fort Wayne
BYU
W 3–2
L 0–3
2004 Semifinals
National Championship
Penn State
BYU
W 3–0
L 2–3
2008 Semifinals Pepperdine L 0–3
2016 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Erskine
BYU
W 3–0
L 1–3
2017 Semifinals BYU L 0–3
2018 Semifinals
National Championship
Ohio State
UCLA
W 3–1
W 3–2
2019 Semifinals
National Championship
Pepperdine
Hawai'i
W 3–1
W 3–1
2022 Semifinals
National Championship
UCLA
Hawai'i
W 3–2
L 0–3
2023 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Grand Canyon
UCLA
W 3–1
L 0–3
2024 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship
Belmont Abbey
Grand Canyon
UCLA
W 3–0
W 3–2
L 1–3

Women's volleyball

[edit]

Long Beach State is home to one of the top women's volleyball teams in the nation. LBSU alumnus Brian Gimmillaro has coached the team since 1985 and his tenure is the second-longest of any Long Beach State coach with one team. Long Beach State has appeared in the NCAA tournament 25 consecutive times under Gimmillaro from 1987 to 2011, only missing the tournament under his tenure in 1986 and 2012.

Long Beach State has won five national titles in women's volleyball, in 1972, 1973, 1989, 1993 and 1998, the first two being AIAW championships. The 1998 women's team was the first team in NCAA Division I history to have an undefeated season. The team's most famous alumna is Misty May, who won three Olympic gold medals in Beach Volleyball in 2004, 2008, and 2012.

The Long Beach State Beach women's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 49–24 (.671) through twenty-seven appearances.[22]

Year Round Opponent Result
1985 First round San Jose State L 0–3
1987 First round Pacific L 0–3
1988 First round
Regional semifinals
UC Irvine
Pacific
W 3–2
L 1–3
1989 First round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Semifinals
National Championship
San Diego State
Pacific
Hawaii
UT Arlington
Nebraska
W 3–0
W 3–1
W 3–2
W 3–1
W 3–0
1990 First round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
San Jose State
Hawaii
Pacific
W 3–0
W 3–1
L 1–3
1991 First round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Semifinals
National Championship
Northern Iowa
UC Santa Barbara
Hawaii
LSU
UCLA
W 3–0
W 3–1
W 3–2
W 3–1
L 2–3
1992 First round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Semifinals
Arkansas State
Illinois State
Pacific
Stanford
W 3–1
W 3–0
W 3–1
L 1–3
1993 Second Round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Semifinals
National Championship
George Washington
Ohio State
Hawaii
Florida
Penn State
W 3–0
W 3–1
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–1
1994 Second Round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Montana
Hawaii
Ohio State
W 3–0
W 3–2
L 1–3
1995 First round
Second Round
Colorado State
San Diego State
W 3–0
L 1–3
1996 Second Round
Regional semifinals
Minnesota
Michigan State
W 3–0
L 1–3
1997 Second Round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Semifinals
Loyola Marymount
Washington
Nebraska
Stanford
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–0
L 1–3
1998 First round
Second Round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Semifinals
National Championship
Southern
Arizona
Illinois
Texas
Florida
Penn State
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–2
1999 First round
Second Round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Semifinals
Florida A&M
Arkansas
Colorado State
Texas A&M
Stanford
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–1
W 3–0
L 0–3
2000 First round
Second Round
Regional semifinals
San Jose State
Santa Clara
Hawaii
W 3–1
W 3–2
L 2–3
2001 First round
Second Round
Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Semifinals
National Championship
San Diego State
San Diego
Northern Iowa
UCLA
Arizona
Stanford
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–0
W 3–0
L 0–3
2002 First round UCLA L 0–3
2003 First round Kansas L 0–3
2004 First round
Second Round
Utah
UCLA
W 3–0
L 0–3
2005 First round San Diego L 1–3
2006 First round
Second Round
Pepperdine
Hawaii
W 3–1
L 1–3
2007 First round
Second Round
UNLV
USC
W 3–2
L 2–3
2008 First round
Second Round
Pepperdine
Stanford
W 3–1
L 0–3
2009 First round UCLA L 0–3
2010 First round San Diego L 0–3
2011 First round San Diego L 1–3
2014 First round
Second Round
San Diego
UCLA
W 3–0
L 0–3

Water polo

[edit]

The Long Beach State men's water polo team competes in the Golden Coast Conference.

The men's team has an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 7–12 through twelve appearances.[23]

Year Round Opponent Result
1969 First round
Semifinals
Yale
UCLA
W 17–1
L 6–9
1970 First round
Semifinals
Colorado State
UC Irvine
W 9–7
L 6–9
1971 First round
Semifinals
New Mexico
UCLA
W 13–8
L 1–10
1973 First round UC Irvine L 5–7
1975 First round California L 6–9
1981 First round
Semifinals
National Championship
Air Force
California
Stanford
W 15–6
W 11–9
L 6–17
1983 First round
Semifinals
UCLA
California
W 10–8
L 5–8
1985 First round UC Santa Barbara L 6–7
1988 First round Stanford L 4–5
1989 First round Pepperdine L 8–13
1991 First round UC Irvine L 8–11
2018 First round
Quarterfinals
PomonaPitzer
UC San Diego
W 12–5
L 9–14

The Long Beach State women's water polo team competes in the Big West Conference.

Former varsity sports

[edit]

Football

[edit]

Long Beach State competed in Division I football for a number of years (1969–91), producing a number of professional players, including Terrell Davis and Mike Horan, among others. George Allen, the famed Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins coach, had a short one-year tenure at Long Beach State. Long Beach State discontinued its football program after the 1991 season due to budget constraints. Prior to going Division I in 1969 the football team competed in the old "College Division" of the NCAA from 1955 through 1968.

Rowing (Crew)

[edit]

Long Beach State Rowing, also known as Beach Crew, was initially a varsity sport but has since become a club sport following nationwide changes to the organization of collegiate rowing following the introduction of Title IX.

Despite its status as a club sport Beach Crew continues to uphold a storied legacy and remains a highly competitive program on the West Coast.

Non-varsity sports

[edit]

In addition to NCAA-sanctioned sports, Long Beach State also fields numerous competitive club sports teams, such as rugby, ice hockey, ultimate, soccer, crew, skiing and many others.

Rowing (crew)

[edit]

Long Beach State Rowing, more popularly known as "Beach Crew," was founded in the fall semester of 1957, and continues to be one of the oldest, continuous, collegiate sports on campus.[24] The team is currently run through the office of Club Sports & Recreation, but has been a part of the CSULB athletic department in past years.[25] The team was co-founded by Bill Lockyer, a local businessman of Long Beach, and Dr. Ludwig Spolyar, a campus activities adviser.[24] Lockyer, who coached for over a decade, was succeeded by Ed Graham in 1970.[24]

Long Beach State Rowing is a member of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA), whose participants are mostly non-Pac-10 schools on the West Coast. The team is a founding member of the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA), the national collegiate organization whose members are not eligible to compete in the National NCAA Championships or the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships.

In the 2022 spring season Long Beach State’s double sculls placed first in WIRA. The team overall would later place 9th in small boats at ACRA and became the 2nd best small boats program on the west coast.

The team is currently coached by Mike Long, John O’Donnell, and former US National Team member Scott Erwin.[26]

Beach Crew rows in Alamitos Bay and Marine Stadium in Long Beach.[27] The boathouse, The Pete Archer Rowing Center, was established in 1932.[27] Marine Stadium was built for the 1932 Olympics and is listed as a historic landmark by the State of California.[27] In 2020 it was announced that Marine Stadium will once again host Olympic Rowing in 2028.

Rugby

[edit]

Founded in 1974, the Long Beach State Rugby Club plays college rugby at the Long Beach State rugby field. The rugby team moved up from playing as a Division I-AA member of the Golden Coast Conference of Intercollegiate Rugby and became a Division I-A member of the California Collegiate Conference in 2022, which also means moving from American College Rugby to the College Rugby Association of America, the top level of college rugby recognized by USA Rugby.[28] Long Beach has had a strong history winning 16 League Championships, 21 tournament championships, 1 National Championship appearance(loss to Air Force 1989), 13 All-Americans and 3 US Eagles. In 1995 Chris Rohrbach received the Woodley Award (Rugby Heisman) as the Collegiate player of the year. More recently Long Beach has been successful, Winning conference championships in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. Long Beach has also reached the national playoffs in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015.[29] Long Beach is led by Head Coach Jason Reynolds.[30]

Facilities

[edit]
  • Blair Field: opened in 1956 and home to the baseball team. It was renamed "Bohl Diamond at Blair Field" after Marilyn Bohl, supporter and donator.
  • George Allen Field: home to the women's soccer team. It was opened in 1991 and dedicated to NFL coach George Allen (1918–1990).
  • Jack Rose Track: athletics track, named after Long Beach track and field coach Jack Rose.
  • Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center: an olympic-sized swimming pool, home to the men's and women's water polo teams.
  • Rhodes Tennis Center: Inaugurated in 2008 as home to the women's tennis program. It was named after Terry Rhodes, contributor.
  • Walter Pyramid: a pyramid-shaped indoor arena, home to the basketball and volleyball teams of the University.
[edit]

Championships

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Appearances

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The Long Beach State Beach competed in the NCAA tournament across 16 active sports (8 men's and 8 women's) 206 times at the Division I level.[31]

  • Baseball (21): 1970, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2017
  • Men's basketball (10): 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1993, 1995, 2007, 2012, 2024
  • Women's basketball (12): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2017
  • Beach volleyball (1): 2017
  • Men's cross country (6): 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975
  • Men's golf (5): 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1982
  • Women's soccer (7): 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018
  • Softball (33): 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018
  • Women's tennis (13): 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019
  • Men's indoor track and field (11): 1965, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007, 2009, 2017
  • Women's indoor track and field (2): 1998, 2000
  • Men's outdoor track and field (23): 1964, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2019
  • Women's outdoor track and field (10): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2011
  • Men's volleyball (14): 1970, 1973, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Women's volleyball (27): 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014
  • Men's water polo (12): 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2018

Team

[edit]

The Beach of Long Beach State earned 6 NCAA championships at the Division I level.[32]

Results

School year Sport Opponent Score
1989–90 Women's volleyball Nebraska 3–0
1990–91 Men's volleyball USC 3–1
1993–94 Women's volleyball Penn State 3–1
1998–99 Women's volleyball Penn State 3–2
2017–18 Men's volleyball UCLA 3–2
2018–19 Men's volleyball Hawai'i 3–1

Long Beach State won 3 national championships at the NCAA Division II level.[32]

  • Men's swimming and diving: 1968
  • Men's tennis: 1967
  • Men's outdoor track and field: 1967

Below are six national championships that were not bestowed by the NCAA.

  • Women (6)
    • Badminton (2): 1970, 1974 (AIAW)
    • Field hockey (1): 1979 (AIAW)
    • Volleyball (2): 1972–73 season, 1973 (fall) (AIAW)
    • Beach volleyball (1): 2013 (AVCA)

Below are five national club team championships won at the highest collegiate level.

  • Archery (recurve) (1): 2015 (mixed team)
  • Roller hockey (1): 2011
  • Sailing (2): 1966 match race, 1981 team race
  • Surfing (1): 2001

Individual

[edit]

Long Beach State had 16 athletes win NCAA individual championships at the Division I level.[32]

Long Beach v Air Force, track and field, 2017
NCAA individual championships
Order School year Athlete(s) Sport Source
1 1963–64 John Rambo Men's outdoor track and field [33]
2 1968–69 Hans Fassnacht Men's swimming and diving [34]
3 1968–69 Hans Fassnacht Men's swimming and diving [34]
4 1969–70 Mitch Ivey Men's swimming and diving [34]
5 1974–75 Keith Goldie Men's outdoor track and field [33]
6 1974–75 Yoichi Tomita Men's gymnastics [35]
7 1975–76 Tim Shaw Men's swimming and diving [34]
8 1975–76 Tim Shaw Men's swimming and diving [34]
9 1975–76 Dwight Stones Men's indoor track and field [36]
10 1975–76 Dwight Stones Men's outdoor track and field [33]
11 1976–77 Don Baird Men's indoor track and field [36]
12 1976–77 Tim Shaw Men's swimming and diving [34]
13 1977–78 Robert Jackson Men's swimming and diving [34]
14 1977–78 Greg Jagenburg Men's swimming and diving [34]
15 1977–78 Greg Jagenburg Men's swimming and diving [34]
16 1996–97 Jason Hinkin Men's indoor track and field [36]

At the NCAA Division II level, Long Beach State garnered 29 individual championships.[32]

National award winners

[edit]
Corbett Award
Year Name Position
2007 Fred L. Miller Athletic Director

Traditions

[edit]

Coaches

[edit]

Long Beach has had a number of nationally prominent coaches in its history, including Tex Winter, Jerry Tarkanian and Lute Olson in men's basketball, George Allen in football, Alan Knipe in men's volleyball, Frances Schaafsma in women's volleyball and basketball, Joan Bonvicini in women's basketball, Anita Miller Huntsman in women’s field hockey, throwing coach Art Venegas in track and field, and Jon Urbanchek and Don Gambril in swimming.

Mascot

[edit]

In spring 2018, the school's previous mascot, "Prospector Pete", was retired. On May 10, 2019, the school announced that its new mascot will be a shark, although there are no current plans for the school to be officially known as the "Sharks".[9][10]

Olympics

[edit]

Long Beach State has had an athlete participate in every Summer Olympic Games since the first Olympiad after the school's founding.[37]

School colors

[edit]

The school colors have been black and gold since 2000, when they were changed by a student referendum (after George Allen changed the football uniform colors) from the original brown and gold.[38]

Rivalries

[edit]

Beach Athletics has several rival schools in the sports in which it competes. Besides being located in close proximity to each other, Long Beach State and the Cal State Fullerton Titans have competed heavily as conference rivals.[39] Since 2006, Long Beach State and the UC Irvine Anteaters have participated in the annual "Black and Blue Rivalry Series." In this challenge, each school earns points for its collective conference championships and head-to-head victories against each other (across all NCAA sports in which both schools participate). The totals are added up at the end of the season and a winner is declared.[40] Finally, Long Beach State also has a long-standing "beach school" rivalry with the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.[41][42]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BobbySmitheran". Long Beach State University Athletics. California State University, Long Beach. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  2. ^ "CSULB Unveils New Shark Mascot". csulb.edu. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Spirit Team". Long Beach State University Athletics. California State University, Long Beach. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  4. ^ Fry, Hannah (September 21, 2018). "Cal State Long Beach retires Prospector Pete mascot amid cries of racism and genocide during California gold rush". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  5. ^ "Long Beach Athletics Style Guide" (PDF). June 21, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "Members – Mountain Pacific Sports Federation". mpsports.org. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  7. ^ "GCC Men's Members – Golden Coast Conference". www.gccwaterpolo.com. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  8. ^ "Spirit Team". Long Beach State University Athletics. California State University, Long Beach. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d "Students Select Shark As New Mascot". www.longbeachstate.com. Long Beach State University Athletics. May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c Emily Rasmussen (May 13, 2019). "Cal State Long Beach will begin year-long transition to using "sharks" as its new mascot". www.presstelegram.com. MediaNews Group, Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  11. ^ "Water tower that looms over CSULB undergoes maintenance". Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  12. ^ Championship Teams Archived February 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. 49er Historical Archive. Retrieved August 10, 2007
  13. ^ [1] Dirtbags in the Pros. Retrieved September 29, 2024
  14. ^ a b "Home of Long Beach Baseball". longbeachstate.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  15. ^ "Division I Men's Cross Country Championships Records Book" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  16. ^ "Division I Women's Cross Country Championships Records Book" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  17. ^ "Division I Women's Soccer Championships Records Book" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  18. ^ "Record Book" (PDF). longbeachstate.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  19. ^ "Jenny Hilt-Costello". longbeachstate.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  20. ^ a b c "Rhodes Tennis Center". longbeachstate.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
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