Looking Back at Homecoming

In celebration of SDSU’s upcoming homecoming celebration, here’s a look back at some earlier homecoming celebrations on campus.   

Homecoming in 1958 was a traditional affair. The celebration kicked off with a bonfire on Friday. Saturday morning saw a parade down Montezuma Road which included 21 floats, eight local bands and a military drill team. The parade was followed by the annual homecoming football game against rival Fresno at the Aztec Bowl.

Halftime activities included the crowning of the 1958 Homecoming Queen, Dorothy O'Laughlin, and a review of the prize-winning floats. The celebration included the annual Homecoming chariot race and concluded with a homecoming dance at the El Cortez Hotel, which ended at 1 a.m.

In the mid-1970s, the homecoming tradition fell by the wayside. In 1979, the tradition was revived, with a combination of traditional and new events planned. Rather than a homecoming queen and bonfire, a "community faire" was planned, in which activities representing the spectrum of life on campus, university history and SDSU in the future were highlighted. 

While there was no parade, there was a series of musical performances on campus and free tours of KPBS's campus studios. Films were shown in the Little Theater, and a series of receptions for various past graduating classes were held throughout the day. In the evening, a tailgating event was free to anyone with a ticket to the SDSU-University of Wyoming football game.