The time is now for SDSU’s football program
Credit: Don De Mars/EVT
San Diego State, in partnership with San Diego MTS, unveiled a new trolley wrap commemorating the opening of SnapDragon Stadium and its 100th season of football.
“On September 3rd, we are going to kick off the next 125 years of our institution and the next 100 years of Aztec football so the time really is now,” said J.D. Wicker, SDSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Wicker was joined by Mark Olson, MTS Director of Marketing and Communications for the event at the 12th & Imperial Station adjacent to Petco Park. The Aztec-themed trolley cars will run on the Green Line, which starts at this Downtown station and heads East, with a dedicated stop for the stadium and the SDSU campus while it speeds to Santee.
The design includes the Snapdragon Stadium logo on one car, the date “9.3.22” on another, and a montage of five SDSU football seniors on the third and final car.
The players on the wrap (from left to right) are RB Jordan Byrd, QB Braxton Burmeister, LB Caden McDonald, S Patrick McMorris, and RB Chance Bell. When asked how the decision was made for which players would be included, Wicker deferred to the coaching staff. “They talk about who is the most deserving, who has done the work to get there…ultimately, [head coach Brady Hoke] has more say than anybody,” he added.
Wicker praised their partnership with MTS as part of their plan to build a stadium that the community of San Diego could access freely. “This is a great opportunity to brand the stadium, market the stadium but it is also an important element to our gameday success,” Wicker explained. “We want to encourage people to ride the trolley…it’s going to be one of the easiest ways to get to the stadium.”
While Wicker said the site will be ready for the first game, he jokingly acknowledged that the operational planning for the remaining construction – the premium areas and the locker room – continues to wake him up in the middle of the night terrified.
San Diego State will be releasing information on parking and single-game ticket sales in the next week along with additional founding sponsor announcements in the near future. Wicker estimated that season ticket sales had surpassed 13,000 and anticipated selling out the premium season ticket seating sections.
While September 3rd is the opening regular-season game for the new stadium, season ticket holders may have an opportunity to attend a football game prior to that date. Wicker noted the university is discussing a “soft opening” for the stadium with the annual Fall Camp Scrimmage that typically is played prior to the start of the regular season the “ideal day” for that. The scrimmage was played in Carson the past two years while the new stadium was being built. A final decision and date will be made in the coming weeks.
Avid sports fan and historian of basketball, baseball, football and soccer. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in America’s Finest City. Diverse team following across multiple sports leagues, but Aztecs come first in college athletics.