San Diego Colleges / Rick Hazeltine : UC San Diego Hopes to Revive Intercollegiate Football Team

Plans to field an intercollegiate football team at UC San Diego are being considered by the student body and the athletic department.

The Tritons last played football in 1968, when they did not win a game.

UCSD’s claim to fame? It helped Caltech end its 33-game losing streak--the longest in the country at the time--with a 34-31 loss at Pasadena.

The program was dropped after the ’68 season because of lack of interest.

The sentiment to renew it has primarily come from members of the student body, who will be responsible for its subsidizing through an increase in student fees. A student referendum is being planned for the spring.

The move toward sanctioned football comes from the UCSD Tritons Football Club, which plans to play as a club team in the fall and then move to Division III status the next season. UCSD is a Division III program.

The school’s athletic department is preparing a budget analysis to determine the cost.

“My commitment would be that it is self-supporting and does not take away from existing sports, which still need enhancement,” Athletic Director Judy Sweet said.

Initial costs have yet to be determined, Sweet said.

One problem is the lack of a proper on-campus playing field. Though there is a field in the middle of the school’s track--it is used by the Chargers for preseason training--a lack of fences precludes charging admission. Also, Sweet said, there are no rest rooms or locker rooms, and the bleachers are in disrepair.

The lack of facilities could be partially solved by the school’s planned North Campus Sports Complex, which is being organized by Bert Kobyashi, chairman of the physical education department.

Kobyashi said the complex would consist of an all-weather track, two fields and include a building that would house offices, weight rooms, locker rooms, rest rooms and physical therapy rooms.

UCSD officials are hoping the Chargers will help finance the facility. Kobyashi said the plan is for the Chargers to use the complex during the summer and the university the remainder of the time. Kobyashi estimated that the cost would be between $5-7 million, not including an all-events center planned for the future.

The Chargers have held their summer training camp at UCSD the past 11 years.

“We’re looking for a long-term commitment (from the Chargers) to this campus,” Kobyashi said. “Until now, it’s been been one-year contracts. We haven’t benefited a whole bunch from the Chargers being here.”

The complex would be used by the athletic, physical education and intramural programs. UCSD estimates that half its 14,000 students participate in intramurals. Last quarter, there was a 60-team waiting list for intramural floor hockey.

With its recent victories over San Diego State and Utica College, the United States International men’s basketball team has equalled last year’s victory total and is closing in on the school’s best record, which was set in 1980-81 when the Gulls (13-12) had their only winning season.

USIU (7-11) has nine games remaining, including home contests against Florida A&M; (Monday), Eastern Washington (Feb. 14) and UC San Diego (Feb. 17). The Gulls opened their season with a loss to the Toreros.

Coach Gary Zarecky has won 16 games since taking over last season. The four previous seasons, USIU was 15-96.

Mike Erb, San Diego State pitcher, has been selected a preseason, second-team All American by Baseball America. The weekly newspaper also picked the Aztecs to qualify for the expanded, 48-team NCAA Tournament. Hawaii, ranked No. 23 in the publication’s preseason poll, was picked to win the Western Athletic Conference title. The unranked Aztecs were chosen to finish second.

Coach Jim Dietz has scheduled a long trip in July for his baseball team. The Aztecs will play in the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam, Holland, July 8-15. SDSU will be the only U.S. team in the five-team, round-robin tournament that includes Cuba, Japan, Taiwan and the Dutch National team. The Aztecs open against Cuba on July 9.

Leroy Dotson and Tony Williams have been named co-coaches of the San Diego City College football team, said Harry West, athletic director. Both coaches were assistants at San Diego City from 1973-’83 and replace Joe Duke, who resigned after the 1986 season.

Dotson was head coach at Clairemont High School from 1965-’72. Williams’ son, Kevin, plays for the Buffalo Bills.

Chuck Cecil, a University of Arizona defensive back, has been named to the CoSIDA All-Academic football team. Cecil, who played at Helix High School, was named to the second team of the university division. Cecil, a business administration major, has a 3.42 grade-point average.

Wide receiver Jeff Mansukhani of the University of San Diego was named to the second team of the college division.