Fresno State Athletics
Football to Play in Inaugural Jim Thorpe Classic
3/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 7, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - The success of the Bulldog football program over the last two seasons has led to Fresno State being invited to play in the Inaugural Jim Thorpe Association Football Classic. Fresno State will play Colorado in the event, scheduled for August 25 at Boulder, Colo. It will be the earliest season opening game in school history.
"We are thrilled to be invited to participate in this prestigious event," said director of athletics Dr. Al Bohl. "This says a lot about the direction that our program has taken under Pat Hill. We are getting more national recognition which helps us participate in an event like the Jim Thorpe Association Football Classic. This is a great opportunity to generate exposure for our university. We have put together a great schedule and I know our fans are going to be excited about the schools we will be playing this season."
The Inaugural Jim Thorpe Association Football Classic is contingent upon final approval of the NCAA Football Certification Subcommittee during its April 24-26, 2001 meeting. It will give Fresno State 13 games, matching the 1994 total for most in school history. That season, Fresno State opened the season against Ohio State in the Pigskin Classic. Fresno State has six home games this season and will kickoff the home schedule on Sept. 1 vs. Oregon State, which finished the 2000 football season ranked No. 4 in the nation.
"We have as tough a schedule as we could possibly play," said head coach Pat Hill. "This is a great game for us and a great showcase for our program and our players. Colorado had one of the best programs of the 1990s and we have had a couple great games against them going back to the Aloha Bowl and three years ago in Boulder. Our guys are really excited about this opportunity. We are always looking forward to the challenge of play against great programs."
The 2001 schedule features games against schools from the Big 12, Pac-10, Big Ten, Mountain West and Big West Conferences. In addition, four of Fresno State's 2001 opponents won bowl games last season (Oregon State, Wisconsin, Colorado State and Boise State).
Hill has guided Fresno State to a 27-21 record over the last four seasons and taken them to consecutive bowl games. The Bulldogs won the 1999 WAC title and finished third last season with a 6-2 league mark, finishing 7-5 overall. All five losses were to teams that played in bowl games. The Bulldogs boast the nation's third-longest home winning streak at 15 games and are 21-10 in WAC games under Hill.
The Bulldogs and Buffaloes have played three times in the regular season and once in a bowl game, with Colorado winning each game.
Fresno State vs. Colorado Series HistorySept. 25, 1965..........Colorado 10, Fresno State 7Sept. 25, 1988..........Colorado 45, Fresno State 3Dec. 25, 1993...........Colorado 41, Fresno State 30 (Aloha Bowl)Sept. 12, 1998..........Colorado 29, Fresno State 21In addition, the athletics department announced today that the Colorado State game that was originally scheduled for Oct. 6 has been changed to one week later, Oct. 13.
