There has never been, and with all certainty, there will never be at SSU, another team like the 1991 Cossack football squad.
The team had it all. One of the nation's toughest defenses, a solid offensive unit with speed and power, skilled special teams and a top-notch coaching staff.
This team is all about names. Names that anyone associated with Cossack football over the years knows well. Sam Hernandez, Greg Franklin, Henry Milton, Ray Mosones, Corey Cheney-Rice, Charles Guy, Andre Bailey, the list goes on. And the coaches - look at where they went. Tim Walsh, the head coach, went on to coach at Portland State. Defensive coordinator Gary Patterson is manning the helm at Texas Christian University. Offensive coordinator Bob Cole went on to the same posiiton at Utah State. Defensive line coach Jesse Williams is a top assistant at Colorado State. All great coaches, coaching at the Division I level.
This team did something that no other team had been able to do. Wrestle the Northern California Athletic Conference title away from UC Davis. The Aggies had won the league championship for an NCAA record 20 years in a row prior to 1991. The Cossacks almost knocked them off in 1990, but the Aggies pulled a rabbit out of their hat to win it. But in 1991, the Aggies ran out of tricks. In front of nearly 4,000 fans at Cossack Field, the largest crowd ever to witness a sporting event at SSU, Sonoma State defeated UC Davis 23-12.
Most of all, this team had fun. They were a cast of characters straight out of the movies who liked to party (remember Halloween?) and play hard. Football is gone now at SSU, but thanks to the 1991 team, it will never be forgotten.
