History of the Titans

The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big West Conference (BWC) for most sports.

College Sports Established
1969

Location
Fullerton, California

College Name
California State University, Fullerton

Collegiate History
1970 - Present / NCAA Division 1

Conference History
1990 - Present / Big West Conference
1975 - 1989 / Pacific Coast Athletic Association
1970 - 1974 / California Collegiate Athletic Association

Nickname
Titans - “It was the students’ decision in a vote,” explained Dr. Ernest Becker, founding Dean of Students, of the nickname “Titans.” “More than a hundred names were suggested, and the Student Council took on the job of narrowing the list down to a few for the purposes of an election. The vote was close, with Titans narrowly prevailing over Aardvarks and Rebels.”

It was a unique student body, all upper-division students, until 1963. There were 453 of them, mostly female, in 1959, the first year of classes at what was then known as Orange County State College.

“Even when it was decided that ‘Titans’ would be the nickname, there was confusion about what it represented,” said Becker. “I was thinking of a large mythological figure from Greek history, not unlike Tommy Trojan, but with perhaps straighter, more modern lines. In the same vein, the original dormitories were named Othrys Hall. Others, however, related the name to the Titan missile then in prominence.”

Old CSUF Elephant photo Nothing official was done, but then along came the “First Intercollegiate Elephant Race in Human History.”

What began as a practical joke attracted elephants from universities around the nation and even Oxford from England. A crowd estimated at more than 10,000 people turned out on “Dumbo Downs” as the hastily graded field became known that spring afternoon in 1962.

To publicize the event, a circus-like elephant called Tuffy the Titan was used, and it began appearing on sweaters and notebook covers around the campus. With no other mascot, the elephant was unofficially adopted. Several revisions of the caricature have been made to create a more tenacious Tuffy, or Titus, as he also was called, in an attempt to make him Greek. The costume that brings the mascot to life also has changed. Tuffy even attracted a female Tiffy in 1992.

The origin of the school colors also bears discussion. The students voted for royal blue and white, but the athletic equipment manager at the time thought orange was appropriate on uniforms for a school known as Orange County State College. The unofficial color was “adopted” and finally was formally acknowledged by the Athletics Council in 1987. A change to navy blue was initiated in 1992 with a de-emphasis on the orange.

NCAA Championships
Baseball 4
2004, 1995, 1984, 1979

Men's Basketball 0

Women's Basketball 0

Football 0

Soccer 0