Fullerton Adds Florida to ’87 Football Schedule

Cal State Fullerton announced some revisions in its 1987 football schedule Sunday. For better or worse, depending on your point of view, the schedule has been upgraded.

Gone is Witchita State, which last week announced the demise of its program, the victim of financial woes the school’s administration deemed too great to sustain. In its place is Florida, a team the Titans were originally not scheduled to play until 1989.

Wichita State recently completed what turned out to be its last season with a 3-8 record. Florida went 6-5 in 1986 and 18-2-2 in the two seasons that preceded it. Gator quarterback Kerwin Bell will be a senior next season and could be a Heisman Trophy candidate.

So, Cal State Fullerton, once considered a logical opponent for the Boise States and Cal Poly San Luis Obispos, will play road games at Florida and Louisiana State in the same season.

The idea isn’t particularly appealing to Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy, but neither is the fate that may be awaiting the program at Cal State Long Beach. The LSU and Florida games may not do much for the Titans’ win column, but they do help balance the books.

“It’s a matter of money is what it amounts to,” Murphy said. “We don’t want to end up like Wichita State, or go through the problems Long Beach is going through right now.”

The revised schedule doesn’t call for the Titans to play five straight road games, as originally planned, but it does have them visiting nearly every corner of the country. Besides LSU and Florida, Fullerton has games scheduled at Northern Illinois, Utah State, San Jose State, Hawaii, and Fresno State.

In a statement issued by the school’s sports information office, Athletic Director Ed Carroll said: “We’re excited about the schedule. Although our opposition is more formidable with Florida replacing Wichita State, we also were able to break up the season-opening five-game road trip while keeping five home games, which is as many as we’ve played in recent seasons.”

Something to consider: Cal State Long Beach is scheduled to play at Michigan next season. Should the 49er program go the way of Wichita State’s, which seems a possibility, both Michigan and Fullerton will have openings on their schedules.

The Titans at Ann Arbor?