Long Beach State athletics

Baseball Unlike all other Long Beach State sports teams, the baseball team unofficially goes under the moniker "The Dirtbags." After the hiring of Dave Snow as head coach in 1989, the LBSU baseball team has become one of the most successful teams in the school's athletic history. From 1989 to 2008, the Dirtbags appeared in 17 of the 20 NCAA tournaments and were consistently ranked in the national top 35. Along the way, the team won 9 Big West conference championships, hosted 5 NCAA regionals (plus 1 super regional), and appeared in 4 College World Series (1989, 1991, 1993 and 1998). The Dirtbags nickname refers to a gritty, team first style of play taught by Coach Snow and subsequent coaches. The school has also produced a number of prominent professional players over the years, including former American League MVP Jason Giambi, former American League Rookie of the Year Bobby Crosby, and all-star and 2008 American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria. Many more ex-Dirtbags have participated in the prestigious MLB All-Star Futures game, including Jered Weaver, Troy Tulowitzki, Danny Espinosa, and Jarren Duran. As of 2024, 57 Long Beach State baseball alumni have played in the big leagues. The baseball team plays off campus at 3,238-seat Blair Field in Recreation Park (center of city; 1.7 miles off campus). Opened in 1956 and remodeled in 1992, Blair Field has been the full-time Long Beach State home field since 1993. The university counts four Olympic medalists and numerous World and American Records produced by these individuals in their careers. This success has been most notable in the jumping and throwing events. In the high jump Dwight Stones, Joni Huntley and John Rambo all won Olympic bronze medals in 1964, 1972, 1976, and 1984, with Stones placing third back-to-back in 1972 and 1976 and a 4th place finish in 1984. Among the most accomplished of the university's athletes in any sport, Dwight Stones broke the World Record indoors and outdoors 8 times, the American Record countless times, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice-once in a LBSU uniform. Stones is among the most decorated American Track and Field athletes in history, with an astounding 19 USA national titles to his record. He later went on to a long career as a Track & Field commentator in network television. Joni Huntley competed in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 1984 and setting four American Records.Pole vaulter Steve Smith competed in the 1972 Olympics, and broke the World Record twice indoors. In the throws Kate Schmidt won the Olympic bronze medal in 1972 and 1976 in the javelin, setting a World Record. Hammer Thrower Bill Green set three American Records, three American Collegiate Records (three of six on the LBSU field), and placed 5th in the Olympic Games in 1984. George Frenn was a two-sport champion, making the 1972 Olympic team in the hammer throw, breaking the World Record multiple times in the indoor weight throw, and holding the World Record for 13 years in the early days of the sport of powerlifting. His multi-sport success resulted in a cover photo and feature in Sports Illustrated in 1970. Distance runner Francie Larrieu Smith had one of the longest international careers in Track and Field, making five Olympic teams between 1972 and 1992 with a best showing of 5th place in 1988 in the 10,000 meters. She set 13 World Records indoors, which included the mile. The Track and Field program has won eight Big West Men's Track and Field Championships and three Women's Championships in the last 35 years, and has had 77 All-American athletes, won 32 conference Athlete of the Year awards, and achieved 24 Track and Field Athlete of the Year accolades. Cross country The Long Beach State Beach men's cross country team appeared in the NCAA tournament six times, with their highest finish being 10th place in the 1971–72 school year. The Long Beach State Beach women's cross country team has never made the NCAA tournament. Women's soccer The Long Beach State women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 3–7 through seven appearances. Women's tennis Long Beach State women's tennis team ('Beach Tennis') competes in the Big West Conference. As of the end of the 2018–19 season, the team has won thirteen Big West tennis titles since 2002 and qualified for thirteen NCAA tournament championships since 2002; advancing to the Round of 32 three times. Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello has won a league record eight Big West Conference Coach of the Year awards (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014) and was named the ITA West Region Coach of the Year and a finalist for the national award in 2004. The women's tennis team plays at the Terry L. Rhodes Tennis Center, which opened on campus Fall 2008. The tennis center is named after 49er alumnus Terry Rhodes following his $1.25 million gift to the women's tennis program. Rhodes' gift is the largest single sport donation in university history. Women's volleyball Long Beach State is home to one of the top women's volleyball teams in the nation. LBSU alumnus Brian Gimmillaro has coached the team since 1985 and his tenure is the second-longest of any Long Beach State coach with one team. Long Beach State has appeared in the NCAA tournament 25 consecutive times under Gimmillaro from 1987 to 2011, only missing the tournament under his tenure in 1986 and 2012. Long Beach State has won five national titles in women's volleyball, in 1972, 1973, 1989, 1993 and 1998, the first two being AIAW championships. The 1998 women's team was the first team in NCAA Division I history to have an undefeated season. The team's most famous alumna is Misty May, who won three Olympic gold medals in Beach Volleyball in 2004, 2008, and 2012. The Long Beach State Beach women's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of through twenty-seven appearances. Water polo The Long Beach State men's water polo team competes in the Big West Conference. The men's team has an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 7–12 through twelve appearances. The Long Beach State women's water polo team competes in the Big West Conference. ==Former varsity sports==