SAN JOSE, Calif. — Big plays such as long touchdown passes, pick-sixes, and vice versa highlighted the San Jose State Spartans’ first scrimmage of the 2019 spring practice period.
SJSU was in full pads to conclude the second week of spring practice with a 70-plus plays scrimmage when adding in some special teams work.
“We had a great day. We had a bunch of fans and recruits here. We had our man, ‘DJ Brother Reese’ spinnin’ tunes for us. And, the guys ran around. Looked like the energy was great, intense and we made some plays on both sides of the ball,” said SJSU head coach Brent Brennan.
“We did a nice job of creating some turnovers and getting to the quarterback, threw it well and caught it well, and had some nice runs. We had a lot of young players trying to figure it out. So, it’s pretty exciting,”
The offense had the upper hand early. Senior quarterback Josh Love showed the form similar to the 2018 Hawaii game when he threw for 451 yards and three touchdowns. As the first signal-caller under center, Love completed 9-of-12 for 150 yards and touchdown passes of 13 yards to Leki Nunn and 37 yards to Tre Walker.
Freshman quarterback Nick Nash accounted for the offense’s remaining two touchdowns. Nash recently found community college transfer Lamar Housley streaking down the right sideline for a 96-yard touchdown play. Nash, the son of one-time Spartan wide receiver Kenny Nash from the 1980’s, concluded the offense’s scoring with a 4-yard run. Nash was the leading rusher in the scrimmage with 49 yards on eight carries.
Walker, the team leader in receiving yards with 714 in 2018, showed off his big-play explosiveness as the receiving leader with four receptions for 105 yards and the 37-yard touchdown play.
The Spartan defense scored on interception returns of 43 yards by junior safety Bobby Brown, II, and 24 yards by senior linebacker Ethan Aguayo. The defense also was credited with five quarterback sacks–two of them by sophomore defensive tackle Jamaar Hardy.
“I think we’re moving that way. And, I think recruiting is a big part of that,” Brennan said when asked about upgrading the overall speed of the team. “We have a handful of guys that will join us this summer that will add to our speed and length that we need.
“I thought the offensive line and Josh (Love) did a nice job picking up some of the pressure. It was fun. I thought the players had a great time. It’s just another step for us and we need to keep taking steps in the right direction with this team.”
SJSU hosts its next scrimmage on Saturday, March 23 at 11 am PT.
Linebackers Christian Webb and Lionell Wiggins share a lot in common. They are in their first spring with the San Jose State football team after joining the Spartans last fall as community college transfers. They contributed mainly as special teams players last year and are looking to earn spots in the linebacker rotation in their senior season.
“My first spring as a Spartan has been amazing. I really love the environment. It’s a great chance to learn plays and get used to the system than when you come (than) in during the fall,” said Webb, an Orange Coast College transfer.
“Spring has been going very well. Having a new linebackers coach in Coach (Scott) White and having him open his hands up to me and show me my assignment and what I am supposed to do on each and every play, it’s been going quite well,” said Wiggins, a transfer from San Jose City College. “He keeps coaching me and helps me get better as a player,” His older brother is former SJSU defensive lineman Larnell Ransom who was a Spartan from 2002 to 2004.
When Webb and Wiggins are on the field for Saturday’s first full-contact scrimmage, they will be keeping their eyes on a wide receivers group hoping for big things. Those WRs are Tre Walker, who came on strong at the end of the season to finish as the team leader in receiving yards with 714, Bailey Gaither, who averaged 20.4 yards per catch, JaQuan Blackwell and Leki Nunn. All four players have the most experience in the WR group.
According to WR coach Kevin Cummings, he will be looking for big plays from his group, not just in the passing game, but in the running game, too.
“This Saturday, I want guys to be physical. It will be the first time our guys can be ‘live’ in their blocking. I want our guys to be very physical in the run game, because we have to be a better run team this year. We know that. It starts with the receivers getting out on the perimeter and giving the running backs space to run,” said Cummings.
“For the linebacker corps, we want to make sure we want to grade out high first. We want to do our jobs and know our responsibilities. After that, we want to be explosive. We want to make plays and have ‘100-100’ effort,” Webb added.
When Webb referenced ‘100-100,’ it also could refer to he and Wiggins giving it a 100% effort in the classroom, too. Webb and Wiggins are two more of the program record-setting 29 SJSU football players to be named Academic All-Mountain West for last season.
“That was a huge accomplishment. It shows I’m not just a football player. I’m also a student as well. They say we’re ‘student-athletes.’ You have to be a student, first, and an athlete, second,” said Wiggins, a sociology major.
The first SJSU football scrimmage of the 2019 spring practice session is Saturday, March 16, 7:30 pm in CEFCU Stadium. There is no admission charge.
San Jose State University is pleased to announce that it has received two major gifts to support a new football operations center on the east side of CEFCU Stadium, home of the Spartans. Thomas Thompson, ’72 Behavioral Science, and his wife, Jane Bradley, have committed $500,000 to support the development of the new football facility, with a remaining percentage of their trust to establish the Thomas E. Thompson Athletics Scholarship. SJSU Athletics is also proud to share that an additional gift of $500,000 has been committed to support their football center by an anonymous donor.
“Both of these gifts come from long-time football season ticket holders and steadfast supporters of our Athletics program,” said Marie Tuite, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. “They are also keenly aware of the importance and significance of completing the funding for the football operations center. Tom and Jane believe in San Jose State and support the mission of the entire university. Our anonymous donor may be one of my favorite individuals–he simply wants us to build the football center and enhance the opportunities for our football program. I’m offering a sincere and gracious ‘thank you’ to these terrific Spartans.”
By supporting the creation of the new SJSU football operations building, these gifts will enable future generations of Spartan athletes to pursue an education while playing NCAA Division I sports.
Bringing Sport to New Heights At 6-foot-8, Thompson gravitated toward basketball at a young age, playing in high school and community college. He later transferred to SJSU. Thompson was the first in his family to graduate from both high school and college–achievements that made it possible for him to pursue careers in juvenile probation, construction management, trade association management and real estate. He and his wife are grateful for the opportunity to give back to his alma mater.
“Jane and I want to show our appreciation to SJSU and to assist future students,” said Thompson, a long-time fan of SJSU football and basketball. “San Jose State provided my only opportunity for a good education at essentially no cost, and a great foundation to help me later earn a graduate degree. With the scholarship, we hope that students will have the chance to play football or basketball while earning a degree, just like I did.”
The anonymous donor, who graduated from SJSU in the 1960s, is also a loyal fan of Spartan football.
“I am making this gift because I believe the football program is moving in the right direction under the leadership of Marie Tuite and Coach Brennan,” the anonymous donor said. “I know there are other Spartans like me who care deeply about this program and want to see it thrive. It is my hope that other Spartans will join the growing group of donors in doing what they can to provide Coach Brennan and the program with the resources necessary to compete in the Mountain West.”
“Our momentum continues to build as we move closer to our goal of creating modern, vibrant spaces for our student-athletes and our fans,” said Paul Lanning, vice president for university advancement and CEO of the Tower Foundation. “We are so excited to see donors like these and so many others investing in the future of SJSU football, Athletics and the university.”
To track fundraising progress and learn how you can support Spartan football, please visit sjsufootball.com or contact Josh Thiel, Deputy Athletics Director for Athletics Advancement, at (408) 924-1697 or joshua.thiel@sjsu.edu.
About San Jose State University The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, SJSU provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study–offered through its eight colleges.
With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, SJSU continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce.
The university is proud of the accomplishments of its more than 270,000 alumni, 60% of whom live and work in the Bay Area.
About San Jose State Athletics SJSU sponsors 22 (nine men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 470 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s FBS, the NCAA’s highest level of competition.
The Spartans’ primary conference affiliation is with the MW. Selected teams belong to the MPSF, the WAC, and the GCC.
SJSU has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles. 62 Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. SJSU athletes have won seven gold, six silver and seven bronze medals at the Olympics.
Annually, about one-third of the student-athlete population earns either institutional, conference or national recognition based on outstanding academic performance.
Photo credit: @SJSUMBB, @SJSUSpartanFB, and sjsuspartans.com
On the San Jose State podcast with Ana:
1. SJSU lost to Wyoming 81-71 and was unable to get a win for Oumar Barry on Senior Night last Wednesday.
2. More than two dozen SJSU student-athletes called donors to thank them for their support of the Spartan Athletics Fund and SJSU’s 22 Division I sports programs last Wednesday.
3. SJSU closed out the 2018-19 season with a horrifically embarrassing loss 121-81 at Fresno State last Saturday.
4. SJSU has been putting in work in spring football to prepare for the 2019 season.
5. What does SJSU need to do to beat the No. 6 Air Force Falcons in the first round of the Mountain West Conference men’s basketball tournament?
Ana recorded the San Jose State podcasts each week for SportsRadioService.com. Catch Ana on the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts as the Quakes’ season progresses.
Remember when former San Jose State football head coach Dick Tomey led the Spartans to the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M. against–you guessed it–the New Mexico Lobos in 2006? SJSU won that game 20-12 and handed a loss to UNM. Tomey’s hard work ethic played a role in the Spartans’ win.
According to Tuscon.com, Tomey asserted: “Let’s win the game first.”
Tomey didn’t care if his players were tired or the weather was unfavorable. Tomey gave his undivided attention to college football. Tomey coached the Spartans from 2005 to 2009.
10 years later, Tomey was diagnosed with lung cancer, which was saddening to say the least. I haven’t actually interviewed Tomey, but I grew up watching Spartan football and he was one of the many coaches that I’ve seen in person. Tomey was definitely more than a coach — he was also a mentor and friend to a lot of folks.
Tomey provided the vital leadership and vision to significantly overhaul the academic deficiencies that plagued the SJSU football program at the time he became head coach. SJSU became the model institution among NCAA Division I FBS for academic reform.
In appreciation for Tomey’s continued athletics program involvement and impact, the Dick Tomey Class Act Award is presented each spring at the SAMMY Awards sponsored by SJSU’s SASS unit.
On Thursday, SJSU Athletics released a statement: “The entire San Jose State University community is saddened to learn that beloved football coach Dick Tomey is undergoing treatment for lung cancer. We hold Coach Tomey in very high regard for everything he has done for our university and, specifically, for our football program since he became a member of family in 2005. Even after he concluded being our head football coach, he continues being a viable mentor, trusted voice of reason, visionary, and loyal friend to our student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff and friends of our athletics program. Our best wishes go out to Coach Tomey, his family and all who love and adore him during this challenging time.”
Tomey’s family previously released a statement: “Coach Dick Tomey was recently diagnosed with a type of lung cancer at Tucson Medical Center and is currently undergoing further tests this week at MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston, Texas.
“We (Coach and his family) greatly appreciate all the people who have reached out to help in so many ways and all the expressions of love and well-wishes being sent our way from so many people. Following Coach Tomey’s example, our family is feeling very grateful and hopeful for a positive outcome.”
An all-time high 57 San Jose State student-athletes from five sports were named to the Fall 2018 Academic All-Mountain West team.
The 57 student-athletes are an all-time high at SJSU for this past fall, including an all-time high 29 Spartan football players. SJSU has the second-most football award winners in the MW.
Spartan volleyball had nine players honored, tying for the most honored since joining the MW in 2013. Women’s soccer had nine players honored, followed by women’s cross country at six and men’s cross country at four.
Five Spartan student-athletes received their fourth Academic All-MW honor — Luiza Andrade (volleyball), Darriell Franklin (women’s soccer), Craig Huff (men’s cross country), Josh Oliver (football) and Jeanette Zambrano (women’s cross country). Seven students-athletes received honors for the third time in their career, while 13 Spartans earned Academic All-MW recognition for the second year. 32 achieved the recognition for the first time in their career.
“We are elated to recognize a record-number of Spartans who exemplified academic prowess this past fall,” said Eileen Daley, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Academic and Student Services. “We reach these goals by setting high standards, providing academic support and genuinely investing in the academic achievement of our student-athletes. The ongoing partnerships with our academic team, coaches and student-athletes have led to this success. This Mountain West recognition also provides incentive for more student-athletes to continue their hard work and effort in the hopes of standing among their peers as Scholar-Athletes.”
To earn Academic All-MW recognition, a student-athlete must complete at least one semester, maintain a 3.00 or better cumulative GPA and participate in at least 50% of the contests for the season.
A league-record 703 student-athletes have been named to the Fall 2018 Academic All-MW team. Sports recognized include men’s and women’s cross country, football, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.
1. Frank Ginda, a former Spartan linebacker, and the San Diego Fleet soaked in their first AAF (Alliance for American Football) win 24-12 over the Atlanta Legends on Sunday, February 17th.
2. SJSU lost its 16th in a row last Wednesday 91-70 at home against the Colorado State Rams.
3. What were your thoughts on SJSU’s games against Air Force and New Mexico?
It’s obvious that not all of you are going to recall the late Rick Rasnick (1959-2019), but he was more than just a former San Jose State Spartan football starter, team captain and assistant coach. Unlike most other newcomers, Rasnick spent two years at El Camino College as the team’s Most Valuable Offensive Lineman and then weighed offers from San Jose State and Fresno State to continue his college football career. He chose SJSU because he wanted to be on the biggest possible college football stage.
Rasnick placed his stamps of focus, determination, skill, athleticism and knowledge of the game on a stage that resulted in 12 football seasons, most of which were successful, at SJSU, followed by four seasons at the University of Utah (1991-94) and five seasons as the Eastern Michigan University football head coach (1995-99).
Rasnick used all of those traits along with a trove of sports-related experiences in a five-plus year battle against Alzheimer’s disease. The tough battle ended on February 13, 2019 when Rasnick succumbed peacefully at age 59 surrounded by loved ones. It happened a little over a week ago, but it’s still hard to believe that he’s already gone.
Rasnick was born in Las Vegas and raised in Southern California. Rasnick ran the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, which was a very fast time for an offensive lineman in his era. There was some question about his size, especially his listed playing weight, and whether he could deal with the constant contact of defensive players 20-50 pounds heavier than him, but that eventually subsided.
“‘Ras’ was one-of-a-kind, 215-pounds soaking wet,” recalled offensive tackle Max Hooper, Mr. Rasnick’s Spartan teammate in 1979 and 1980 and a team captain in 1981.
Rasnick was listed at 225 pounds on the Spartans roster for his two seasons. Hooper also recounted one story involving weigh-ins when he tried to help Rasnick weigh more than he actually did. The scheme didn’t quite work, but a lot of things did as a starting center in the offensive line, team captain in 1980, undergraduate assistant, graduate assistant, offensive line coach, offensive coordinator and interim head coach during the 1990 spring prior to the appointment of Terry Shea as a head coach.
Rasnick played for San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame coach Jack Elway and coached with SJSU Sports Hall of Famer Claude Gilbert and Shea. His first game as a SJSU player was a 48-48 tie with Utah State in Spartan Stadium, then the highest scoring tie in NCAA Division I-A history. The Spartans had winning seasons in 1979 and 1980 and knocked off No. 10 Baylor, 30-22, in Waco, Texas on November 1, 1980, after trailing 15-0 in the second quarter.
“He told me Mike Singletary (Baylor’s middle linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Fame member) was the best player he’s ever seen on a football field and about the joy they going to Baylor (as a 28-point underdog) and beating them… I think he was joking around, ‘He was so good, I never really touched him during the game because he was so fast and so good.’ He would look up and see Mike Singletary six feet in front of him — the best player he’s ever faced and trying to chase him down the whole game was kind of comical. That was one of his biggest thrills — beating Baylor,” said younger brother Ryan Rasnick, a starting free safety for the Spartans from 1986-89.
Rasnick defeated both Cal and Stanford in the same season twice in 1981 and 1987. The “mythical Bay Area championship” eluded the Spartans until then.
During his SJSU days, Rasnick experienced beating Stanford 6-of-12 times; Cal on four occasions; going 2-2 with Oregon and 2-0 at Washington State. The Spartans lost a pair of seven-point games at Arizona State and lost two nail-biters at Washington by three (20-17 in 1990) and four (35-31) in 1988.
Rasnick won four conference championships and playing in four bowl games between 1981 and 1990.
Rasnick got promoted to the offensive coordinator position in 1987. At age 27, he was the youngest offensive coordinator in NCAA Division I-A football. In four seasons, the Spartans averaged 31 points a game, were never shutout, led the nation in passing offense in 1987, was in the top-15 in passing offense each year and averaged at least 400 yards of total offense a game each season.
“Coach Rasnick always made sure that we were 100% prepared to be successful. He made sure we knew what was likely coming at us, and what to do about it. As a player, that builds great confidence and that’s the only thing you can ask from your coach, really,” said 1987 First-Team All-Conference offensive guard Jim Carter, who originally came to the SJSU football program as a tight end prospect.
“Putting your players in the best position to be successful, and then let them play. That’s what he did. He was the best tactical coach I ever had.”
“He enjoyed the game, enjoyed watching game film, enjoyed being prepared and preparing his players. …Our guards were 235 (pounds). You play Stanford. Those guys were 275, 280, 290 years ago. Back in the day, he would take middle linebackers and if you weren’t starting, ‘You want to come over and play guard for me.’ We had pulling guards at 235 pounds that could run. That was an advantage we did have,” said the younger Rasnick about his older brother’s approach to coaching.
Rasnick was appointed SJSU’s interim head football coach in the spring of 1990 during a time of considerable consternation surrounding the program. His steadying hand was instrumental in laying the groundwork for a 9-2-1 record, conference championship, California Raisin Bowl victory and a final national ranking of 20th in the United Press International coaches poll. The Sporting News, the nationally-known weekly publication based out of St. Louis, named him the Big West Conference’s top offensive assistant coach for the 1990 season.
Rasnick shifted his priorities to the University of Utah in 1991 as the Utes assistant head coach for offense, working alongside Spartan alum Ron McBride.
“Rick’s talent as a coach extends far beyond his years. I’ve watched him coach and recruit. He is an excellent teacher of the game of football. He understands our offense, inside and out,” said McBride at the time he hired Mr. Rasnick.
The Utes would go on to play in three bowl games in his four seasons and be voted eighth in the final 1994 USA Today/CNN coaches poll and 10th the final Associated Press writers poll.
Rasnick’s coaching success led to his appointment as the head coach at Eastern Michigan University in 1995, just months before his 35th birthday. In his first season, EMU posted a 6-5 win-loss record, the school’s only winning season between 1989 and 2016. Though his head coaching record at the Mid-American Conference school was 20-34 over five seasons, he remained as EMU’s sixth winningest head football coach among the 41 to serve the school in that position.
Rasnick’s final years were spent often at the Beach Cities Health District Center for Health & Fitness in Redondo Beach, Calif., following the unfortunate diagnosis. In 2018, Rasnick was honored with the organization’s “Spirit of Wellness” Award” for the year.
Mr. Rasnick is survived by his parents, Jim and Donna Rasnick; brother, Ryan Rasnick; sister, Kendahl Rasnick; sons, Blair and Pierce Rasnick; and companion, Annette Adams.
A celebration of life has been set for Saturday, March 16, 2019 from 2-5 p.m., at the Rice Mortuary, 5310 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, Calif., 90503.
