Tropico Spartans: No Football Team is an Island

[Bulletproof Punk]

February 3, 1993

 

TROPICO LAUNCHES FOOTBALL PROGRAM TO JOIN WAC

 

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Gerald Womack, Tropico University Director of Athletics

 

TROPICO (AP) -- Statehood isn't enough for Tropico. Now it wants a Division I-A football team.

 

Tropico University, which launched a fact-finding mission in 1991 to explore the possibility of creating a Division I-A football program, has accepted an invitation to play as the ninth member of the Western Athletic Conference.

 

"This is a great day for Tropicans," athletic director Gerald Womack said during Thursday's press conference at TU. "Only five years ago, we were granted statehood into the United States. Now, we will have a full-fledged football team to compete with the best that the U.S. has to offer."

 

The tiny island off the coast of California will join the likes of Fresno State, Boise State, and Hawai'i in the conference when it starts play in 1994. The athletic department will have just a year and a half to build a football program from the ground-up. That includes hiring a head coach and building a stadium to satisfy the NCAA's minimum requirement of 30,000 seats. TU also unveiled its new team name and team colors that will adorn their helmets and uniforms.

 

"We chose the Spartans because we have a proud history as an independent island-nation," University Chancellor Grant Adams said. "Tropico has long fought off invaders and would-be conquerors, so what better mascot than the Spartan?"

 

The Spartan team colors of blue and gold represent the blue ocean of the Pacific that surrounds the island of Tropico, and the mineral deposits that have fueled a gold rush on the once-tranquil island.

 

"Tropico will be a state for the 21st century, and so will its football team," Chancellor Adams said. "We are going through an unprecedented transformation on our island and our football team will ride that wave into the next century."

 

That wave includes plans for a new 31,000-seat outdoor stadium to be constructed by 1995. The Spartans will play at the downtown Tropico soccer stadium for the timebeing. Brennan also said the University will launch a nationwide search for a new head coach to help lay the foundation for the program.

 

"I don't think it will be hard finding someone who wants this job," Womack said. "You get to write the history book here, literally from the first page. And Tropico isn't a bad place to live either."

[Bulletproof Punk]

Spartans Hire Fresno's Bloom As Head Coach

 

TROPICO SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

August 4, 1993

 

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Rick Bloom, first head football coach in Tropico Spartan history

 

TROPICO (AP) -- The Tropico Spartans don't yet have a football stadium. Or uniforms, for that matter. But they finally have a man to coach its team, even if there still aren't any players on the roster. Rick Bloom was introduced as the new coach on Monday, ending a six-month search for the University's first-ever head football coach.

 

A graduate of Arizona State, Bloom spent the last two years as the offensive coordinator at Fresno State, where the Bulldogs capped off the 1992 season with an improbable 24-7 upset of USC in the Freedom Bowl. The Bulldogs grabbed a share of the Western Athletic Conference title in their first year in the league, thanks in large part to Bloom's high-octane offense.

 

"It will be fast-break on turf," said Bloom at Monday's press conference. "We will air it out, and we'll ram it down your throat. We will come after you."

 

Though Bloom's offensive credentials are substantial, the real test will be overseeing the construction of a football program from scratch. The Spartans begin their inaugural season in the WAC in less than one year, when they open fall football camp in August, 1994. Bloom, 38, told reporters he can't wait.

 

"This is the kind of job you dream of," Bloom said. "We get to write the history books at TU. Is it going to be difficult? Sure. But nothing worth winning is going to come easy."

 

Bloom began his coaching career in 1978 at Granada Hills High School. The following year he was a graduate assistant at Northridge before joining the Jack Elway at now-defunct San Jose State as wide receivers coach, where he tutored future pros Mervyn Fernandez, Mark Nichols and Stacey Bailey.

 

He followed Elway to Stanford in 1984 and was an assistant there through 1989. From 1990-93 he was head coach at Santa Barbara City College, going 9-2 with a Potato Bowl bid in 1991. He spent one year at Santa Rosa Junior College before taking the Fresno State job. He was 31-21 in five seasons on the junior college level.

 

Bloom said he was considering another offer from a school he declined to name. "For a couple of weeks, this is the place I figured I'd be going," he said.

 

Said Tropico athletic director Gerald Womack, "He's the right man at the right time. He has outstanding experience recruiting on the West Coast, and he knows what it takes to compete in the Western Athletic Conference."

[Bulletproof Punk]

Signing Day: Spartans Introduce Inaugural Recruiting Class

 

February 3, 1994

 

TROPICO -- Exactly one year after Tropico University launched its Division I-A football team, the Spartans announced their inaugural recruiting class under first-year head coach Rick Bloom. Thirteen of the sixteen initial signees come from California, and the remaining three are Alaskans.

 

"These kids all took a leap of faith to come here," Bloom said at Wednesday's press conference for National Signing Day. "We explained to them what TU football is all about, and these young men bought in."

 

Bloom worked his connections in California, having worked as an offensive coordinator in the fertile recruiting grounds of the Golden State for two years. Bloom credited defensive coordinator Willie Kennison for his contacts in Alaska.

 

"Frankly, we don't have the advantage of recruits coming to us, we have to go to them," Bloom said. "Until we get this program up and running, we need to pound the areas that we know best and really dig deep to find the next Spartans."

 

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Everyville HS (Calif.) Quarterback Steve Jones

 

 

*** 3-Star Recruits:

 

Ed Farr: TE, Dorsey HS (Los Angeles, CA) - 6'6", 237 lbs

"Very athletic kid. Eddie has had some issues off the field he's been dealing with, but we're confident he can get a fresh start here in Tropico. I was really impressed with him while I was coaching at Fresno and he's been on my radar for a few years. He's coming to Tropico on the condition that he can also play basketball here. A beast in the Tony Gonzalez mold."

 

Bob Womack: CB, Anchorage Christian (Anchorage, AK) - 5'9", 151 lbs

"We found Bob by accident when we were looking at Braham and Cromartie. He was this little kid playing wideout, but the moment we saw him, we knew he was a college db. He's going to be a hard worker for us, and I know he's going to instantly be a leader on this team."

 

Felipe White: CB, Rancho Cucamonga HS (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) - 6'0", 174 lbs

"A solid all-around defensive back. He covered some of the top wide receivers in the state in high school and can do it all. We might also throw him in as a returner on special teams."

 

Chuck Mialik: FS, Chatsworth HS (Chatsworth, CA) - 5'9", 184 lbs

"This guy has the determination and athleticism to become a good cover safety in the future. He has such good discipline and that will come in real handy in the secondary."

 

 

** 2-Star Recruits:

 

Rob Bradford: RB, Redwood HS (Visalia, CA) - 5'11", 194 lbs

"Disciplined runner and can really attack the holes and run for daylight. A really solid all-around back who can block in the backfield, which is huge in our system."

 

Autry Mul-key: OG, Rio Vista HS (Rio Vista, CA) - 6'2", 253 lbs

"He's been doing all the right things in the weight room to make the switch from defensive end to offensive line in high school. He has good instincts on the football field and could end up playing on either side of the ball for us."

 

Sidney Luck: DE, Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, CA) - 6'2", 243 lbs

"He's kind of a tweener, not quite big enough to be a run stuffer and not quite quick enough to be a speed rusher, but he is a well-balanced defensive lineman. When he fully develops, his agility is going to surprise some people. We think he has a ton of upside."

 

Larry Ball: DT, El Modena HS (Orange, CA) - 6'0", 267 lbs

"An eye of the storm kind of guy. Larry was so good in high school at just occupying space and letting the play come to him. He's uncommonly smart for a d-tackle. If we can put a few pounds on him, I think he's going to make for a real solid college player."

 

Ike Vrabel: OLB, Crescenta Valley HS (Crescenta Valley, CA) - 6'0", 208 lbs

"He can play any of the linebacker positions on the field. He's got some work to do, but at the end of the day, he's going to be a good defender out there. He has tremendous drive and played his entire senior season with a broken wrist."

 

 

Mike Johnson: SS, Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho San Marga, CA) - 6'0", 161 lbs

"Instinctive safety who has a great football motor. He absolutely flies to the football. He might end up being the biggest surprise of this recruiting class."

 

 

* 1-Star Recruits:

 

Steve Jones: QB, Emeryville HS (Emeryville, CA) - 6'1", 179 lbs

"Great work ethic. He's a smart kid who is a real student of the game."

 

Billy Cromartie: WR, Kenai HS (Kenai Central, AK) - 5'11", 175 lbs

"A good route-runner who should fit well into our offensive system. He's an all-state track kid in Alaska and he can help us stretch the field."

 

John Braham: OT, Chugiak HS (Eagle River, CA) - 6'1", 297 lbs

"Just a big mountain of a blocker. He's very raw and only started playing football, but he can be a dang good lineman with some improvement on his footwork."

 

Jack Kelcher: OG, Mammoth HS (Mammoth Lakes, CA) - 6'1", 262 lbs

"Nobody's going to work harder on the field or in the classroom that this young man. He is going to really push our offensive line and bring out the best in them."

 

Reggie Cappelletti: ILB, Helix HS (La Mesa, CA) - 6'2", 225 lbs

"Comes from a reknowned prep football program, and kind of got lost in the shuffle with some of the higher recruited players there. He really improved on his blitzing late in the season as a senior, and is just an all-around good kid."

 

Steve Ziegler: K, Dimond HS (Anchorage, AK) - 5'9", 173 lbs

"Good head on his shoulders and has decent range."

[Bulletproof Punk]

<p>S.I.: Why Tropico Won't Win</p><p> </p><p>

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<em>by Dave Cotton, Sports Illustrated</em></p><p> </p><p>

It's a scene straight out of a bad sports movie. A team in a podunk town hires a coach with nothing to lose, and assembles a squad of has-been's and never-will-be's. Except the team exceeds all expectations, bands together, and wins the whole dang thing. Sound familiar?</p><p> </p><p>

Good, because it's not happen in Tropico.</p><p> </p><p>

The Spartans don't play professional baseball, where a rich owner can bankroll a championship by signing all of the top free agents. They don't play pro basketball, where it takes just one great player to turn around a franchise. And they sure as heck don't play in the NFL, where thanks to parity, any team can win eventually if they just hang around long enough.</p><p> </p><p>

It takes decades for a college football team to build a reputation in order to land the top recruits and hire the best coaches. It takes tons and tons of money to build top-notch facilities. And let's not forget, you have to play in a major conference to get a chance to play in the top bowl games.</p><p> </p><p>

So, let's look at Tropico University:</p><p> </p><p>

Reputation? None whatsoever. At this point, they don't even have uniforms or helmets. It took Michigan, USC, Ohio State, Penn State, and Texas years and years to build their reputations to the point where they were considered national powers. Talk to me again in the year 2150, and maybe Tropico will have a reputation and tradition worth mentioning.</p><p> </p><p>

Money? Less than your kid's piggy bank. TU has no alumni with the kind of influence or means to build a state-of-the-art football stadium, or woo kids with fancy jerseys or weight rooms. Unless their AD wins the lottery and decides to donate it all to the program, the Spartans are staring at a very Spartan $1.8 million budget for 1994. That is a fraction of typical football programs, let alone money-making machines like Southern Cal.</p><p> </p><p>

Major Conference? Major problem. The Western Athletic Conference is the isle of misfit toys. All are no-name schools who ditched no-name conferences to build their own mega conference of mega-losers. Don't believe me? Boise State plays its home games on blue turf. BLUE TURF! What's next? Red turf!? The best bowl the champion of the WAC can hope to play in is just short of the Toilet Bowl.</p><p> </p><p>

The fact is, Tropico will start a team full of lightly-recruited freshmen and upperclassmen bored of co-ed softball. You can practically hear all of the other teams in the WAC -- even the bad ones like Utah State -- panting and salivating at the chance to pile on the points against a junior varsity football team.</p><p> </p><p>

In all seriousness, TU will be glad to get 2 wins this year. 3 wins would be tremendous. 4 or more? Close down the streets and hold a parade. The team is about to unveil its 1994 schedule, and unless they are able to schedule a slew of I-AA schools, there will be zero non-conference wins. That leaves two winnable WAC games: New Mexico State and Utah State, both at home on Tropico Island. And let's not forget, while a football-only stadium is being constructed, the Spartans will be playing their home games in a -- gulp -- soccer stadium. I know Tropicans pride themselves with their soccer, but there's going to be nothing that resembles a sporting event being played on that field this fall.</p><p> </p><p>

Let's hope Tropico has a good athletic training department.</p>

[Bulletproof Punk]

<p>Spartans To Visit Pac-10's Best This Season</p><p> </p><p>

<em>April 1, 1994</em></p><p> </p><p>

TROPICO -- In what seems like a cruel April Fool's joke, Tropico University announced its schedule for its inaugural season on Monday. The 1994 schedule is highlighted by consecutive road trips to Arizona Sate, Stanford, and Southern Cal to start the season. The team will also face Middle Tennessee State in its regular season finale. </p><p> </p><p>

"We are going to be tested early and often," TU Athletic Director Gerald Womack said. "This is not a schedule for the faint of heart."</p><p> </p><p>

As if the three straight road games to open the 1994 campaign wasn't daunting enough, the team will play three more road games in a span of four weeks against conference foes Hawaii, Boise State, and Idaho in three straight road games. That will end a span of seven road games in the team's first eight games. TU will get to play its last four games all at home, though the games will be played at Tropico's downtown soccer stadium while a new football stadium is constructed on campus.</p><p> </p><p>

The Spartans open Spring Football camp on Wednesday.</p><p> </p><p>

<em><strong>1994 Tropico Spartans schedule:</strong></em></p><p>

@ Arizona State</p><p>

@ Stanford</p><p>

@ Southern Cal</p><p>

@ Fresno State</p><p>

NEW MEXICO ST</p><p>

@ Hawaii</p><p>

@ Boise State</p><p>

@ Idaho</p><p>

NEVADA</p><p>

UTAH STATE</p><p>

LOUISIANA TECH</p><p>

MIDDLE TENN ST</p><p> </p><p>

*Home games in ALL-CAPS</p>

[Bulletproof Punk]

<p>Fresno State Picked to Win WAC; Tropico Last in Poll</p><p> </p><p>

<em>July 28, 1994</em></p><p> </p><p>

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colorado -- Fresno State is #1 in the Western Athletic Conference preseason poll, released on Monday. This marks the second-straight season that Fresno State has been picked in the top two of the conference, after being tabbed second in last year's poll.</p><p> </p><p>

"The WAC is traditionally one of the quality conferences in the country and this year is no exception. There are not any surprises with the polls," third-year USU head coach Rick Simmons said. "The top three teams have proven themselves with the consistency that they have had with their records and going to bowl games the last few years. I believe it is going to be a very competitive conference throughout and we are looking forward to the season."</p><p> </p><p>

"We are now focusing our attention to the start of fall camp and get our minds and bodies right to have a great fall camp which will lead to a great season. However, in the end, it is not as important where you are picked in the preseason polls, but where you finish on the field and in the final standings," Simmons continued.</p><p> </p><p>

Coming off an 8-4 campaign in 1993, the Bulldogs received 18 first-place votes by the media for a total of 292 points, while Hawai'i received 12 first place votes to finish second in the preseason poll of WAC teams. Boise State also picked up 11 first place votes from the media. Division I-A newcomer Tropico was picked by the media to finish last out of the nine conference teams.</p><p> </p><p>

1. Fresno State (18) 292</p><p>

2. Hawai'i (12) 284</p><p>

3. Boise State (11) 264</p><p>

4. Utah State 184</p><p>

5. New Mexico St. 166</p><p>

6. Nevada 141</p><p>

7. Louisiana Tech 85</p><p>

8. Idaho 60</p><p>

9. Tropico 49</p>

[Bulletproof Punk]

Tropico Wilts in Desert Debut at ASU

 

September 3, 1994

 

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ASU freshman Todd Woodson vaults over the Tropico defense

 

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- The Tropico University football team couldn't stand the heat at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday. They couldn't stand Arizona State either. Led by Darryll Womack's 338 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, the Sun Devils (1-0) beat the Spartans, 34-3, in both team's season openers.

 

Tropico (0-1) was playing its first football game at the Division I-A level, leaning on a team of lightly-regarded freshmen and walk-on upperclassmen. Freshman QB Steve Jones completed just 11-of-24 passes for 154 yards while being intercepted once.

 

"We just ran out of gas, plain and simple," TU head coach Rick Bloom said. "I thought we really kept with the gameplan the first quarter, but then the heat seemed to get to us and we just fell apart in that second quarter."

 

The gametime temperature at Sun Devil Stadium was 102 degrees. Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, but the Sun Devils torched the Spartans for four scoring drives in the second quarter, taking a 24-3 lead into the locker room.

 

"We got a long way to go, I guess," Tropico freshman runningback Rob Bradford said after rushing for 56 yards on 14 carries against a stout Sun Devil defense that surrendered just 230 yards of total offense. "We just never got into a rhythm out there. You can't score until you start moving the chains."

 

As poorly as the Spartans played on offense, they were perhaps worse on defense. ASU made 27 first downs while netting an even 500 yards of total offense. Sun Devil freshman runningback Todd Woodson scampered for 127 yards on 33 carries.

 

The game is the first of three road trips against Pac-10 schools for Tropico. The Spartans visit Stanford in Palo Alto next Saturday.

 

Game Information:

Attendance: 63,308

Temperature: 102

Weather: Slightly overcast

 

 

 

NCAA Scoreboard:

#14 Notre Dame def. #1 USC, 48-26

#17 Penn State def. Memphis, 61-0

#6 Florida def. Stanford, 48-8

Fresno State def. Vanderbilt, 17-14

[Bulletproof Punk]

Not in the Cards: Tropico Loses 33-0 at Stanford

 

September 10, 1994

 

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Stanford's Mazio Dupre and the Cardinal run past Tropico.

 

PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) -- It's not a question if Tropico (0-2) will win a game this season. It's now a question if they'll even score a touchdown. Kept out of the end zone for a second straight week, the Spartans were humiliated by Stanford on Saturday afternoon, losing to the Cardinal 33-0.

 

"I believe we can play with these guys (Stanford)," Tropico head coach Rick Bloom said. "For the first part of the game, our players did too. Then things started going the other way, and we just couldn't battle through it. We're a young team and we're showing it."

 

Scoreless through the first quarter, the Cardinal (1-1) got on the scoreboard early in the second on a 36 yard field goal by Chris Smith. After a Spartan fumble (one of five by Tropico on the day) Stanford scored its first touchdown of the afternoon on Mazio Dupre's 44 yard touchdown run. The redshirt junior finished with 117 yards rushing and two scores after being held to 53 yards on 21 carries in a season-opening loss to Florida.

 

"Our defense obviously has to get getter," Bloom said. "We have to make stops. I do like that we got to their quarterback a little bit, but we have to crank up the pressure and force them into some bad throws. Their guy just picked us apart."

 

Stanford junior Carlos Harris finished 24-of-34 for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns while getting sacked twice. For Tropico, freshman quarterback Steve Jones didn't throw an interception, but was sacked three times and passed for just 108 yards on 8-of-18 passing. Still, the Spartans tried to focus on the positive.

 

"We're actually running the ball pretty well," Bloom said. "That Rob Bradford is a spunky little back, isn't he?"

 

Bradford, a freshman, carried the ball 16 times, rushing for 82 yards. He is averaging 4.6 yards per carry on the young season.

 

As daunting as Tropico's first two games have been, the Spartans face their toughest challenge in their young history next Saturday when they travel to #6 USC, the preseason #1 team in the country.

 

Game Information:

Attendance: 56,812

Temperature: 88

Weather: Sunny and clear

[Bulletproof Punk]

#6 Trojans Conquer Spartans, 43-16

 

September 17, 1994

 

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USC WR Ike Green celebrates after a 22 yard TD catch vs. Tropico

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It took nine quarters of football, but Tropico finally scored its first touchdown in its brief history Saturday afternoon, in a 43-16 loss to #6 USC. The Spartans (0-3 overall), held scoreless in their first two games at Arizona State and Stanford, found the end zone late in the second quarter on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Steve Jones to Dexter Johnson. Jones tossed a second touchdown -- a 61 yard strike to walk-on senior Reuben Granger -- in the fourth quarter against USC's second-stringers.

 

"The offense is starting to come around," TU head coach Rick Bloom said. "I'd still like to protect our quarterback much better, but overall, we are progressing on the offensive side of the ball."

 

Jones, a freshman quarterback, completed 9 of 24 pass attempts for 155 yards, while throwing for 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions and being sacked five times.

 

"It was a blur out there to be honest," Jones said. "Everytime I looked up there was a guy flying right at me. I'm surprised I didn't get my head taken off."

 

The porous Spartan defense surrendered 482 yards of total offense, including two 100-yard efforts from USC runningbacks Bob Micho (131 yards, TD) and David Stanley (124 yards, 2 TD).

 

"There were some holes big enough to drive a truck through," Bloom said. "We made a concerted effort to pressure their QB more, which we did. But we really exposed ourselves on the interior and gave up too many big runs."

 

Tropico's defense racked up a season-high 3 sacks for the game, but Chip Griffith seemed unfazed, passing for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns. Griffith was subbing in for starting quarterback Charlie Atkinson, who was held out of the game with an undisclosed injury.

 

"It doesn't matter who's throwing the ball," Bloom said. "They've got plenty of golden arms on that team."

 

Game Information:

Attendance: 92,000

Temperature: 88

Weather: Slightly overcast