Fresno State Athletics
Higueros Joins the Bulldogs
8/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 10, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - He's a Giant, been a Raider, a 49er and even an Oakland A. Erwin Higueras is now a Fresno State Bulldog.
The Fresno State football fans will hear a new voice in 2009 as Higueros has been named the Spanish Voice of the Bulldogs for the 2009 season. He will announce play-by-play for all Bulldog games on ESPN Deportes 1600 AM.
An Oakland native, Higueros will commute to Fresno for the five home games. Originally from Guatemala, he moved to the U.S. in 1976 at the age of 12, since moving here at a young age, Higueros, embraced the American culture especially sports like football and baseball.
Higueros has been calling games for over 20 years. For the past 11 seasons, he's been working with the San Francisco Giants as the Hispanic Media Relations Coordinator and been the Hispanic voice of the Giants on radio.
"We are excited and thrilled to get someone with the talent and experience of Erwin Higueros to broadcast our games," said Associate Athletics Director Paul Ladwig. "He will bring his unique flavor to the broadcast and a wealth of experience in broadcasting professional sports franchises in a major market. We appreciate our radio partner ESPN Deportes' efforts to enhance the broadcasts and we are pleased to have Erwin `s recognizable voice telling the story of the 2009 Bulldog football season."
In the past, he has worked with several Bay Area teams like, the Oakland A's, San Jose Sharks, San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders.
"Sports are in my blood, I see it as a challenge," said Higueros. "I don't know much about Fresno State, but once Sept. 5 comes I'll be ready like the players." The idea to work with ESPN Deportes came through other business ventures and mutual acquaintances. Higueros reached out to a friend about his station joining the Giants baseball network and through that he met Kevin O'Rorke, the General Manager of ESPN Deportes.
O'Rorke suggested Higueros should call the plays for Fresno State football this fall, something Erwin initially took as a joke. Hiqueros later emailed O'Rourke to find out if he was serious and was excited to talk about the possibilities of broadcasting Fresno State football.
"It started out joking, but became a reality," said Higueros. "It's a new and exciting opportunity and I and going to have to do a lot of reading to get to know the program. I know there have been some NFL quarterbacks that have come from Fresno State like, David Carr, Trent Dilfer, but I have a lot of work to do."
ESPN Deportes is a driving force behind the season opening game, which has been tabbed as Football Fiesta Night at Bulldog Stadium, one of the largest Hispanic celebrations ever on the Fresno State campus.
"I am excited for Sept. 5 and see what Football Fiesta is all about," Higueros said. "I know Coach Hill is behind the Hispanic community and that there is a lot of Hispanics that follow football and I share Coach Hill's dream of filling the stadium."
PRACTICE UPDATE
The Bulldogs held their first full-contact practice Monday morning and although the Dogs did not have any live tackling drills, the contact and team spirit was noticeably improved.
"It was good to see the guys be able to fly around out there," said center Joe Bernardi. "We love contact and it was good to be able to hit someone for a change."
The Dogs will hold their first "two-a-day" practice on Tuesday with a 9 a.m. morning session and then will return at 8 p.m. for an evening practice.
One of the features Pat Hill has implemented in fall camp is having former Bulldogs talk to the newcomers. Today, former All-WAC linebacker Dwayne Andrews talked to the newcomers about fighting camp fatigue, using the most of their opportunity to get their degree, and how to prepare for the start of school when balancing class schedules, the demands of being a Division I athlete and social lives will be something new and tough to juggle.
Fans are welcome to attend practice sessions through the August 15 scrimmage in Bulldog Stadium. After that date, all practice sessions will be closed. Fans are asked to remain on the hillside that surrounds the practice facility and no video cameras, including cell phones with video capacity, are permitted. Fresno State asks that fans not post video practice highlights on the internet, as it could help opponents prepare when they play the Bulldogs.
FRESNO STATE FACT: Although the Bulldogs are not ranked in the 2009 preseason USA Today/Coaches Poll, Fresno State is no stranger to being nationally ranked in recent years. The Dogs spent five weeks in the Top 25 last season and this decade have spent 30 weeks ranked in the Top 25, reaching an all-time high No. 8 national ranking in 2001. Prior to this century, Fresno State has only been ranked in the Top 25 of national polls for 11 weeks in the school's history.
"We Are Your Team" - The `Dogs will be starting their 2009 Football season off right with Football Fiesta Night on Saturday, September 5th at 7pm when the UC Davis Aggies come to town. Football Fiesta Family Pack tickets are available now - the package includes four game tickets, a gift coupon to the Bulldog Shop, and a $4 drink and hotdog special. To inquire about the Football Fiesta Family Pack, contact the Bulldog Ticket Office at 559-278-DOGS.
