The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played in San Diego since 1978.
David Lee Grayson was an American professional football cornerback and safety who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. He played college football for the Oregon Webfoots.
Kirk Harold Gibson is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager. He is currently a color commentator for the Detroit Tigers on Bally Sports Detroit and a special assistant for the Tigers. Gibson spent most of his career with the Detroit Tigers, but also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted and threw left-handed.
William Stanley Humphries is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers. He played high school football at Southwood High School and college football at Northeast Louisiana. He was selected by the Redskins in the sixth round of the 1988 NFL Draft.
Rolf Joachim Benirschke is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1977 until 1986. He is probably most known for missing a potential 27-yard game-winning field goal in overtime of the playoff game known as the "Epic in Miami” but then getting a second chance and connecting from 29 yards fourteen minutes into overtime to win the game on January 2, 1982.
Donald James Warren is an American former professional football player and scout in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a tight end for his entire 14-year playing career with the Washington Redskins, winning three Super Bowls.
Kirk David Morrison is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs. Morrison was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.
Billy Ray Smith Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, and was twice recognized as a unanimous All-American. Smith was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the NFL's San Diego Chargers.
Donald Joseph Strock is a former American football player and coach. He played professionally as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) with the Miami Dolphins (1973–1987), Cleveland Browns (1988), and Indianapolis Colts (1989). Strock served as the head football coach at Florida International University from 2002 to 2006, compiling a record of 15–41.
Ernie Zampese was an American professional football coach in the National Football League (NFL). Playing for Santa Barbara High School, he was selected as the CIF Player of the Year in 1953 and went on to play at the halfback position for the USC Trojans in 1955 and 1956. Between 1962 and 1975, he was a college football coach at Allan Hancock Junior College (1962–1965), Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (1966), and San Diego State University (1967–1975).
The San Diego State Aztecs football team represents San Diego State University in the sport of American football. The Aztecs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the West Division of the Mountain West Conference (MW). They are coached by Brady Hoke and started playing at the new Snapdragon Stadium in 2022. They have won 21 conference championships and three national championships at the small college division.
Douglas Wilkerson was an American professional football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers and San Diego Chargers. Named to the Pro Bowl three times, he was also a three-time All-Pro, including a first-team selection in 1982. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame. He also played one season in the Austrian Football League for the Graz Giants in 1987.
Gustavo David Miguel Diaz-Infante is a former professional American football guard and center and current head coach of the Bellarmine College Preparatory Bells. He formerly served as an assistant offensive line coach for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). In the NFL he played for the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Diaz-Infante also played in the World League of American Football (WLAF) for the Frankfurt Galaxy, in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Sacramento Gold Miners and in the XFL with the Las Vegas Outlaws. Diaz-Infante played college football at San Jose State University. Inducted into SJSU Sports Hall of Fame, and Bellarmine College Prep Hall of Fame. Diaz-Infante was a Voice of Denver Broncos Color Analyst for the Denver Bronco's Radio Network. He was recently named the head coach of the Bellarmine Bells, the 7th football coach in the school's history.
Snapdragon Stadium, known during its planning and early construction phases as Aztec Stadium, is an outdoor stadium in San Diego, California. It is located on the campus of San Diego State University at SDSU Mission Valley, a 166-acre (67 ha) noncontiguous expansion parcel west of the main campus. Opened in August 2022, the 35,000-seat stadium is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs of the Mountain West Conference in NCAA Division I FBS college football.
Claude L. Gilbert was an American college football coach. He served as head football coach at San Diego State University from 1973 to 1980, and San Jose State University from 1984 to 1989, compiling a career record of 99–56–3.
The San Diego Toreros baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of the University of San Diego, located in San Diego, California, United States. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I West Coast Conference since prior to the 1985 season. Since 2013, its home venue has been Fowler Park, located on the University of San Diego campus. Rich Hill was the program's head coach from 1999 until 2021. As of the end of the 2012 season, the team has appeared in seven NCAA tournaments, all since 2002. It has won four conference championship series, three regular season conference championships, and two regular season division championships. As of the start of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, 15 former Toreros have appeared in Major League Baseball.
Ronald Allen Caragher is an American former college football coach. He was previously the head coach at the University of San Diego and San Jose State. Originally from Morgan Hill, California, Caragher played college football at UCLA and later became an assistant coach for UCLA football, first as a graduate assistant from 1994 to 1995, then as wide receivers coach from 1996 to 2002. From 2003 to 2006, Caragher served as running backs coach for Kentucky and was part of the 2006 Music City Bowl championship coaching staff.
Matthew Ryan Araiza is an American football punter who is a free agent. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs, setting the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season record for average punt yardage as a junior. Araiza entered the National Football League (NFL) as a sixth-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he was released prior to the 2022 season after being accused in a lawsuit of gang rape. The San Diego County District Attorney declined to press criminal charges.
Cameron Thomas is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State and was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Daniel George Bellinger is an American football tight end for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State.
