Few individuals have had as much of an impact on Sonoma State University Athletics as Ernie Jensen. The president of the University Athletic Association from 1988 to 1996, Jensen used his influence and hard work to make a difference for a generation of SSU student-athletes and fans.
Jensen's involvement in SSU athletics began in the fall of 1981 when he was invited to attend a U.A.A. meeting by Gene Benedetti. For the next 16 years he would donate nearly all of his energy to SSU athletics.
Every spring Ernie Jensen was the top fundraiser in the U.A.A.'s annual fund drive. Jensen was personally responsible for over a half million dollars in outdoor facility upgrades. His crowning achievement was the two-story press box and stadium club at Cossack Stadium that bore his name. Jensen spearheaded the movement to raise $350,000 to build the structure that was regarded as one of the top facilities of its kind in the west.
Jensen's involvement was not just seen on projects like the stadium club. He was also instrumental in building a 1700 foot sewer line from Ives Hall to a previously waterless football stadium. Jensen's hand prints were all over Cossack Stadium, from the retaining wall he helped build to the concessions stand and ticket booth that he enlisted volunteers to construct. He also helped the baseball team build the new, sunken dugouts.
As president of the U.A.A. from 1988 to 1996, Jensen was able to bring in many individuals who would help build the Sonoma State athletic department into what it is today. A highly respected Division II program with multiple national championships and a slew of All-Americans....it couldn't have happened without Ernie Jensen.
