The Ultimate Titan Homecoming : Football: Fullerton ends years of frustration by opening stadium tonight against Northridge.

Nomads no more, the Cal State Fullerton football team will play its first game in its first permanent home facility when the Titans meet Cal State Northridge at 6 tonight in the new Titan Sports Complex.

No more bus drivers getting lost on the way to a home game or having the site of a home game changed two hours before kickoff. Fullerton, which has played on six home fields in 22 years, has a 10,000-seat, on-campus stadium it can finally call its own.

It’s not quite finished--the stadium support building, which will include locker rooms and training facilities, is not furnished, and the east-side grandstand consists of concrete steps until aluminum bleachers can be added.

But for the Titans, it’s home, a place where they can finally hang their hats after years of delays and setbacks throughout the 1980s that had some wondering whether the sports complex would ever become a reality.

“It’s going to be fun,” Titan Coach Gene Murphy said. “The players and coaches are genuinely excited, and a lot of former players have been calling, saying they’re going to come. I just hope everything is up.”

It has been something of a scramble in the Fullerton athletic department this week as administrators put the final touches on the stadium and made final preparations for the grand opening ceremony, which begins at 5:30.

Though construction of the base portion of the complex was completed last winter, financing for the scoreboard couldn’t be secured until August, and the board was finally erected Wednesday. Concrete for the casings that will hold the goal posts were poured Wednesday as well.

Permanent concession stands have not been completed, so arrangements had to be made with several vendors, who will sell a variety of items out of portable stands.

“It’s been extremely hectic, but everything is in place to be done by Saturday,” said Ron Andris, director of sports facilities and recreation. “A lot of people have gone the extra mile to get various parts of the stadium done in time for the game. It’s been a real university effort.”

There have been some glitches. Workers ran into a three-inch wide water line while digging the hole for one of the goal posts, and the line had to be rerouted. Locating conduits for electrical, audio and telephone lines has at times been an adventure.

“There are always various things that happen when you open a facility that are unexpected,” Andris said. “Until you have 10 or 15 events in a stadium, you’re not sure how it will work. But as long as you plan for the worst, you’ll be OK.”

A series of half-price and free ticket offers should boost attendance. The west-side grandstand, which includes 2,000 chair-back seats and aluminum bleachers that can accommodate 2,500, is sold out.

Larry Zucker, the school’s associate athletic director in charge of development and marketing, said phones “have been ringing off the hook” this week. A crowd of 6,000-8,000 is expected and 10,000 is not out of the realm of possibility.

When Titan coaches and players erected portable bleachers on the campus football field in 1980, a crowd of 7,282 witnessed Fullerton’s home opener against Fresno State, which the Titans won, 39-25.

“Maybe it will be a novelty for some people,” Murphy said. “I have a bet with someone that we’ll get between 8,000-10,000.”

The athletic department’s marketing strategy for the sports complex is to entice people to an event any way they can--even if it means giving tickets away--and hope they enjoy the experience enough to come back.

“We have the opportunity to do something positive, and how we treat the customer is on the top of the list,” Andris said. “We want to make it as pleasurable as possible for the fans.”

An entertaining football game would help, and though neither the Titans nor Matadors are expected to be very good this season, tonight’s game should be competitive.

Last season’s Fullerton-Northridge game went down to the wire, with Titan cornerback Darrius Watson intercepting a pair of Marty Fisher passes, including one in the end zone with less than two minutes to play, to preserve Fullerton’s 17-10 victory.

Fisher and Watson will be in their respective starting lineups again tonight, but the key matchup will be Northridge’s strength--tailback Jamal Farmer--against Fullerton’s strength--inside linebackers Lorenzo Hailey, Mike Gullo and John Haynes.

Farmer is a transfer from Hawaii who rushed for 2,124 yards in 440 carries in 2 1/2 seasons there before quitting the team midway through last season. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound senior was the Western Athletic Conference freshman of the year in 1989 and set an NCAA freshman record of 18 touchdowns, a mark that San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk broke last season.

“He’s a load and a half,” said Murphy, whose team faced Farmer at Hawaii in 1990. “He’s quick, strong and can run real well.”

How well Titan quarterback Trendell Williams runs Fullerton’s new option attack should dictate Fullerton’s offensive fortunes. Williams, a junior, beat out Quincy Guy and Richard Fanti for the starting position.

“He doesn’t make mistakes, and he provides a good balance between the run and pass,” Murphy said. “My main concern with the offense is ball security, but we’re making progress.”

So is Fullerton. No one will be comparing the Titan Sports Complex to the Rose Bowl or Coliseum, and there is still much work to be done on the stadium. But for this school, which has played in second-rate facilities for so long, it’s a major step forward.

“For us who have been here a long time, it’s a great feeling to see the stadium and gives you a great sense of pride,” Andris said. “It’s a home.”

Titan Notes

Festivities for the Titan Sports Complex Grand Opening begin with a 5K run/walk at 8 a.m. today. The Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara soccer teams will play at 1 p.m. A Founders picnic, honoring those who have contributed $25,000 or more to the school’s capital campaign, is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on the infield of the track, and a tailgate party will be held in parking lot G at 4 p.m. . . . Titan football games can be heard this season on KORG (1190 AM) with sports information director Mel Franks calling the action. . . . The Titans will wear the initials “D.B.” on their helmets in memory of Dan Byrnes, former director of public safety, who died in March.