Titan Memories: The COVID-19 Pandemic, Titan Athletics, and Me – California State University, Fullerton – fullertontitans.com

Story Links By Kirk San Roman

It all happened so fast. In March, 2020 I was blissfully serving as an Assistant Director, Athletics Communications at Cal State Fullerton. After a long career in sales, and distribution management, I had been offered a dream opportunity to use my writing skills for my alma mater, and favorite sports programs. At nearly 60-years-old, I hoped to spend my remaining working years in the position. With Hall of Fame Sports Information Director, Mel Franks, retired for several years, it was planned for me to become the archivist of Titan Athletics history.

I was soon given the day-to-day responsibility for reporting on women's basketball, women's tennis, and men's golf. Happily, these were all sports that I genuinely enjoyed. Additionally, over my many years as a booster, I already enjoyed a personal relationship with most of the Titan coaches throughout the department.

Although I was probably older than some of their fathers, my colleagues in the Sports Information Department were all genial and good-humored, although our tastes in music surely differed. Things were going well until

On Tuesday, March 10, things began to happen. The Titans had the previous day completed a home women's tennis match with the University of Memphis.At that time, we four SID's would write a website preview of the next game, match, or series for our respective sports. As I was scanning the Abilene Christian University website for details about their tennis squad for my story, I noticed that they had removed the match at Fullerton from their online schedule.

Curious about the unannounced change, I sought out then-Titan women's tennis head coach, Dianne Matias, to find out what she knew. Not in her office, I walked out to the tennis courts where the team was practicing.Coach Matias was in a huddle with Steve DiTolla, who was Senior Associate Athletics Director.

After I waited for their conversation to wrap-up, I queried coach Matias. She explained to me that Abilene Christian was not coming out due to COVID-19 concerns. While we had all very recently heard about this contagious disease in the news, I couldn't believe that an entire sports team would refuse to travel as a result of some very new, and incomplete information.

Fullerton's tennis team was 7-5 at the time, with a talented lineup, and had just begun to play conference matches. Coach Matias was understandably anxious to fill the hole in her schedule. Westmont College, near Santa Barbara, quickly agreed to host the Titans. The match was set for Friday, March 13th. It would never be played.

Later that Tuesday evening, as the Big West Women's Basketball Tournament was about to open at Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid, it was suddenly announced that although the scheduled contests would be played, no spectators would be allowed inside the arena. My thoughts went immediately to those fans who had spent their time and money to travel from as far away as Hawaii and Northern California in order to attend the games.

The Titan women were coming off of their best season in decades, and Raina Perez had just been named Big West Player of the Year. Titan head coach, Jeff Harada, was justifiably excited about his tournament prospects.

It was eerie walking around the cavernous, empty arena, looking at 4,000 unfilled seats.As SID for the sport, I was one of the very few allowed into the building. Athletic Director, Jim Donovan, was among the few familiar Fullerton faces, and we spoke about the odd experience.

The bouncing basketballs and yelling coaches had never seemed louder to me as I sat courtside. The Titans comfortably advanced after a 15-point victory over CSUN, and would compete again the next day, Wednesday, March 11.

Playing once more in an empty arena, the Titans had an 8:30 p.m. tip-off against Hawaii.Our ladies put up a valiant fight, but Fullerton ultimately fell to the Rainbow Wahine squad. I remember sitting in the press room, typing up my recap story and linking in the box score on my laptop until almost midnight before driving home from the Pyramid.

While I was disappointed that the Titan women were eliminated, I was excited that the Men's Tournament would be opening the following afternoon, Thursday, March 12, at the 18,336-seat Honda Center in Anaheim. While the no spectators' rule would also be in effect for the men's tournament, I had secured an all-access pass that would allow me to roam freely while my beloved Titans opened against CSUN. The pass would also allow me to attend all of the other games that would be played over the three-day tournament. Before I could get in my car that morning to make the 10-minute drive to the Honda Center, I received word that the Big West Conference had canceled the men's tournament, and the remaining games of the women's tournament. Soon, I learned that conference basketball tournaments were being canceled all over the country, and even the NCAA March Madness tournament was in serious doubt for the first time in its history.

Later, I was to reflect that with the Titans vs. Hawaii women's game concluding around 10:30 p.m. Pacific time, I may have witnessed the final college basketball game that was played in America that season.

Things began to snowball immediately after that: Following a win at the Sacramento State Invitational, the men's golf team learned that the scheduled March 13-14 Grand Canyon University Invitational had been canceled. Fortunately for the squad, they were informed before they left for Phoenix.

In the Titan Athletics department, information and instructions were changing daily, if not hourly. There was initially talk that sports would go on a two-week or so hiatus before resuming.That became impossible when the Big West Conference officially canceled the remaining 2020 athletic schedule on Friday, March 13th.Soon, six-foot distancing rules were put in place, as well as other measures hoped to control the disease.

Athletic Director, Jim Donovan thought back: "I remember the looks on coaches faces and the gasps many of the student-athletes made when we told everyone in an all-staff, all student-athlete meeting in the Titan Volleyball practice facility.

"I specifically remember telling all of them, 'We don't know how long it will be (that we'll be shut down), but we have to do it to save lives' - not necessarily our lives, because the young and healthy seem to weather COVID illness better, but so that our grandparents, the elderly and maybe even our parents would have a better chance to survive (because everyone staying home will slow the spread, and maybe a vaccine would be approved at some point)."

The Titan baseball team would only participate in 20 games, while softball would play in 24 before college sports were called off throughout the nation.

Eventually, the entire Cal State Fullerton campus was closed down, and we, in Athletics Communication, were sent to work at home for an unspecified period of time. After a few lethargic Zoom meetings, and with no current activities to write about, no game tickets to sell, and no student-athletes to work with, several members of the Athletics department, including yours truly, were quietly laid off for an indefinite period of time.

Said Donovan: "One of the hardest things I've had to do in my career, was to lay off 14 full-time and part -time staff because of budget issues."

I was fortunate, and was fairly quickly able to return to my distribution management roots before fully retiring in June, 2023.Donovan added, "I'm beyond proud on how our coaches, staff, and student athletes responded. With Steve DiTolla and Assistant AD, for Sports Medicine, Jaime Potter, taking the lead on our 'Return to Practice Plan,' we were the first of 23 CSU campuses to bring our student-athletes back for practices, with COVID restrictions, in August, 2020.

"About a half dozen other CSU athletics departments, and a few UC campuses, used our Plan as a guide to get approval for their athletics departments to return to campus. Another example of Titans leading the way."

The Fall of 2020 saw the cancelation of women's volleyball, and men's and women's soccer by the Big West Conference before they had a chance to get started. Men's and women's basketball returned in November, but there were several COVID-related cancelations, and spectators were unable to enter historic Titan Gym.

Outdoor sports, baseball and softball, were more successfully able to compete in the latter part of the school year.Baseball managed to complete 55 games, while softball participated in 53. Only very limited spectators were allowed in Goodwin and Anderson Family Fields.

In that whirlwind month of March, 2020, I wrote my first Titan Memories story. While working from home, I wrote six more stories prior to being laid off in April. I had so enjoyed sharing these experiences on the FullertonTitans.com website that Athletics Director, Jim Donovan, graciously agreed to allow me to continue writing more stories as a Volunteer Features Writer. This is my 59th Titan Memories story.

I am also grateful to Bryant Freese, Director of Athletic Communications, for posting the stories in a timely manner, and for finding appropriate pictures to go on the header.

When I reminisce about my time serving on the Titan Athletics staff, I like to remember that my three sports were remarkably successful during my tenure:Women's tennis enjoyed a winning, 7-5 record before they were shut down.Jadie Acidera and Eira Tobrand were an impressive 14-8 and 13-7 respectively in singles play.Women's basketball completed their first winning season since 1990-91, and Raina Perez had been selected as Big West Player of the Year.The men's golf team won two tournaments, and Titan golfers, Derek Castillo and Jack Dyer combined to earn three first place finishes in the seven tournaments that the Titans were able to compete in.

For a year or longer, Titan Athletics had to contend with changing rules and information, COVID testing, online education, and a campus devoid of the hustle and bustle of daily activity. Thanks in large part to Donovan's leadership, things are now largely back to normal, and the university and its resilient sports programs are perhaps stronger than ever.

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Titan Memories: The COVID-19 Pandemic, Titan Athletics, and Me - California State University, Fullerton - fullertontitans.com