Cal State LA has a sports history just as rich and as eventful as its academic history. Right out of the gate, the university’s sports teams have shown time and time again that setting higher and higher records and overcoming insurmountable odds is always within reach. 

Cal State LA’s sports history starts in October 1948, with the athletic program being officially greenlit. The original goal was to form a basketball team, in which 14 men signed up for tryouts. Funding was also allocated for coaching, equipment, and other expenses. Some of their first expected opponents included Pepperdine University, Whittier College, Occidental College, and Loyola Marymount University. The first athletic advisor was Dr. Floyd R. Eastwood, and the first basketball manager was Ludwick Cooper, who had experience from Los Angeles City College. Volunteer help was also provided by Dr. D.J. Archer, also from LACC. During this time, interest in other sports like baseball, track and field and wrestling were also vocalized. 

The basketball team played its first ever game against Cal Poly Pomona on Dec. 3, 1948, winning with a score of 34-29. On March 1, 1949, an awards banquet was held to honor the ‘48 basketball team and their accomplishments thus far. 

In December 1948, talks of a baseball team started with recruiter “Toots” Brown contacting former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill Whitaker to help procure old uniforms and gear through his connections to the Hollywood Stars team. The Los Angeles Angels were also considered to aid them in starting up the team. 

1949 is the year that marks the start of track and field. In February, Coach Harry Campbell called for any enthusiast to join track and field in order to kick start a new team. The team formed shortly after and began practicing for their first meet at Long Beach. At the end of March, Cal State LA was introduced to volleyball during a sports and recreation event. David Davis, the chairman of the Collegiate Committee of the United States Volleyball Association, came to visit and hosted a night to teach students the ins-and-outs of the game. 

In September of that year, Dr. Margaret Mochal joined the faculty, marking the birth of women’s athletics. Arrangements were made with LACC to use their facilities and the sports featured were basketball, tennis, and hockey. Casual Swim was also considered but sufficient interest was needed. The program was complete and open to join in October.

National success is no stranger to Cal State LA Athletics, although it eluded the university for decades. Cal State LA won six national championships between 1960 and 1980, the last one from the women’s badminton team in 1981, a sport no longer offered. After ‘81, Cal State LA went four subsequent decades without a national championship victory. The men’s soccer program brought the school back to success on the national level when they won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II title in 2021 for the first time in program history. The women’s volleyball team soon followed suit with a NCAA DII title of their own in 2023, another first in program history. 

Although there haven’t been any national championships since then, multiple programs, including both basketball teams, both soccer teams, volleyball, and other sports teams on campus have made it into the NCAA tournament. With NCAA appearances almost a yearly occurrence now for the Golden Eagles, Cal State LA is surely bound for another national championship soon.