Fresno City College won the Inaugural Junior/Community College Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup for the athletic excellence it showed during the 2011-2012 year. The Rams topped the nation with 169.5 points beating second place Mt. San Antonio by 9.
The National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) gave the recognition to FCC for being the highest point-getter of their three divisions. Iowa Central CC won the NJCAA Scholarship division for the fourth consecutive year, and Gloucester CC won the NJCAA Non-Scholarship division for the third consecutive time.
Although all of the team’s performances contributed to this award, the Rams were led by their state champion wrestling program, men’s basketball, and men’s tennis teams.
“My goal as a wrestling coach is to coach my team and I don’t have any control over soccer, football, or baseball, or any of those guys,” wrestling coach Paul Keysaw said.
“But I have a lot of confidence that those coaches are doing the same thing that I’m doing, getting their teams ready to compete and by all of us doing that it has come together and ended in us winning that award. And that’s what’s really special about it.”
The Rams were also in the progress able to win their third state association title, which is more than any of the other 104 two-year schools in California
“It’s very special when your total athletic program can work together so you have a team of teams that come together and to win that type of national award, it’s very special,” said Athletic Director Susan Yates.
“We were unaware of the Director’s Cup because it was an award for four year colleges,” Yates went on to say. “I was going to a convention to accept the NATYCAA cup in Dallas, and I got a call saying I needed to stay two more days because we won the National award as well.”
“At this athletic program I see caring coaches,” said Yates. “And above that I see a caring chancellor, caring president, and a caring board without any of those components we wouldn’t have the athletic success that we do, it takes a district.”
In these tough budget times, Keysaw sees a lot of schools where athletics aren’t really supported that much. “Being an athletics guy, I don’t like to see that,” said Keysaw. He feels FCC is a special place because “people appreciate athletics here, and athletics has brought some good things to FCC.”
FCC will be celebrating this accomplishment at halftime of the Oct. 20 football game against American River College, where the Director’s Cup will be presented to the campus.
“No one else can get the first trophy,” Yates said. “Fresno City is the oldest community college in California so we’re first in a lot of things. This will just be another one.”
“A lot of times, I think, in athletics we are not viewed the same as an English department, or the Math department but here at Fresno City College I don’t think that’s true,” said Keysaw. “I think the Athletic department is very well respected here, so it’s cool to be a part of that.”
“This is the greatest department to work in. Fresno City has been an absolute blessing to work for,” Keysaw said.
