SAN DIEGO – During the 2022 campaign, San Diego State football will reveal an All-Decade team the week of each home game, as the program celebrates the 100th season of Aztec football.
The first SDSU All-Decade football team consists of 21 players and four coaches for the period from 1921-59, including 17 competitors who received all-conference recognition on multiple occasions, while 10 individuals were ultimately inducted into the Aztec Athletics Hall of Fame.
Art Wilson (1928-29) is lone player from the 1920s represented on the first SDSU All-Decade team, joining Aztec Hall of Fame coaches C.E. Peterson (1921-29) and Morris Gross (1929-42). Wilson twice earned first-team all-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) honors at the fullback position as a member of the SDSU football program, which was launched by Peterson in 1921. A nine-time letterwinner in three sports, Gross was an assistant coach with the football team who also served as the Aztecs' athletic director from 1935-41.
The first SDSU All-Decade team features eight players from the 1930s, including a pair of Aztec Hall of Fame offensive linemen in John Butler (1933-35) and John "Jake" Duich (1935, 1937-38). Butler merited all-SCIAC distinction in each of his three seasons at the guard position but also played linebacker for SDSU. Both players were recognized as the Aztecs' first Little All-Americans in 1935 and 1936, respectively, prior to the Division I era.
San Diego State boasted three additional offensive linemen who collected multiple all-conference certificates in the 1930s, including tackle Owen Rice (1932-34), who was an all-SCIAC selection in 1933-34, guard Herb Ward (1936-37), who accomplished the feat in both of his seasons on The Mesa and guard Abbie Vanoni (1936-39), who was an all-league honoree in 1937-38.
Not to be outdone, George Mosolf (1930-33) was a three-time all-SCIAC selection at the end position in 1930, 1932, and 1933, while fullback Bill Bailey garnered the same accolades in 1932-33. In addition, Aztec Hall of Famer Bob Breitbard was a three-year letterwinner from 1937-40 and later coached the SDSU football team for one season in 1945.
Three players with ties to the Aztecs from the late 1940s found their way onto the first SDSU All-Decade team, including Aztec Hall of Famers Tom Dahms (1947-49) and Art Preston (1949-51), along with Hugh Latham (1949-51). Dahms was two-time all-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) selection at offensive tackle in 1948-49 and later played professionally with the Los Angeles Rams, winning an NFL championship in 1951. Later in 1977, Dahms was also on the coaching staff of the Oakland Raiders when they captured the Super Bowl XI title. In addition, Preston garnered all-conference accolades in 1950 and 1951 as a back, before his selection by the Rams in the 21st round of the 1952 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, Latham put together an all-conference season as a defensive lineman before getting picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the 17th round of the 1953 NFL Draft.
In addition, Bill Schutte served as the Aztecs' head coach from 1947-55 and led the school to its first-ever bowl, the 1948 Harbor Bowl. An Aztec Hall of Fame inductee, Schutte guided SDSU to a pair of CCAA titles in 1950 and 1951, with the latter capped by a 34-13 win over Hawai'i in the Pineapple Bowl.
Rounding out the first SDSU All-Decade Team are nine more players with ties to the 1950s, including back Volney Quinlan (1951), who was the first Aztec to be drafted by an NFL team when he went to Rams in the fourth round with the 49th overall pick in 1952. Quinlan later was named to the NFL Pro Bowl in 1954.
Other stars from this era include Aztec Hall of Famers Norm Nygaard (1952-54) and Jay Gutkowski (1953-56). Nygaard was a two-way player who received Little All-America recognition in 1954 as a running back. His 2,619 career rushing yards stood as an Aztec record until the arrival of the legendary Marshall Faulk. An offensive guard, Gutkowski is San Diego State's only two-time Little All-American, accomplishing the feat in 1955 and 1956. He later served as an assistant coach under Don Coryell in 1963-64 and was a faculty member in the physical education department at SDSU for 25 years.
In addition, Paul Held (1951-53) was a two-time all-CCAA selection and later played quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1954) and Green Bay Packers (1955) after getting drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 19th round of the NFL Draft.
The extensive list of multiple all-conference honorees from the 1950s continues with center Harry Higgins (1952-54), defensive back Marshall Malcolm (1951, 1953-55), tackle William Ledford (1955-56) and back Joe Duke (1957-59). Higgins, Malcolm and Ledford landed on the all-CCAA team in each of their final two seasons, while Duke was an all-league pick in 1957-58.
Elsewhere, the final player out of SDSU drafted into the NFL in the 1950s was guard Bob Newton (1953-55), who was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers in 1955.
The 1960s Aztec Football All-Decade team will be announced next week prior the San Diego State-Idaho State game, which is slated for Saturday, Sept. 10 in Snapdragon Stadium. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT.
San Diego State Football 1921-1959 All-Decade Team
* - Aztec Hall of Fame Members
FB Art Wilson (1928-29)
E George Mosolf (1930-33)
FB Bill Bailey (1931-33)
OT Owen Rice (1932-34)
OG/LB John Butler (1933-35)*
OT John "Jake" Duich (1935, 37-38)*
OG Herb Ward (1936-37)
OG Abbie Vanoni (1936-39)
Bob Breitbard (1938-40 (Player), 1945 (Coach))*
OT Tom Dahms (1947-49)*
T Hugh Latham (1949-51)
B Art Preston (1949-51)*
B Volney Quinlan (1951)
B Paul Held (1951-53)
DB Marshall Malcolm (1951-55)
C Harry Higgins (1952-54)
RB-DB Norm Nygaard (1952-54)*
G Bob Newton (1953-55)
OG Jay Gutowski (1953-56)*
OT William Ledford (1955-56)
B Joe Duke (1957-59)
Coach C.E. Peterson (1921-29)*
Coach Morris Gross (1929-42)*
Coach Bill Schutte (1947-55)*