Dr. Cliff Bee - Donor Spotlight

So Cliff, how did your “Aztec For Life” begin?

Well, the beginning was exciting. As soon as my wife Mary and I arrived from Michigan State University to join the faculty at San Diego State College in the summer of 1969, we became Aztecs—actually “Aztecs for Life.” On the academic side of campus, it involved teaching. On the athletic side, it was joining the Aztecs as season ticket holders and boosters. It just doesn’t seem like it was 55+ years ago.

We know that you have met numerous Aztecs during your tenure on campus. Can you comment on this?

I have met and worked with so many wonderful people—faculty and staff colleagues, administrators, students, coaches, and Aztec boosters—too many to count. On the athletic side of campus, I had the opportunity to work with nine Athletic Directors plus several who served in an interim capacity.

I’ll only mention three coaches because so many people know them for their many successes.

The first was Tony Gwynn, who I met when he was the point guard on our Aztec basketball team and still holds the assist record. Following his Padres career, he returned to campus as our baseball coach and helped with fundraising on many occasions. A highlight event was attending Tony’s 2007 induction into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown with my son Steve.

The second coach that I knew very well was Don “Air” Coryell. Don was our head football coach for 12 seasons before moving on to the NFL. He was the first head coach to win more than 100 games at both the collegiate and professional levels. Coach Coryell was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was always a great supporter of SDSU.

A third coach that I would like to recognize is Steve Fisher. When Steve arrived on our campus in 1999, along with our current head coach Brian Dutcher, SDSU’s basketball fortunes changed dramatically. Coach Fisher not only filled Viejas Arena with SDSU basketball fans, he filled the arena’s rafters with championship banners. Steve is certainly a preeminent example of being an “Aztec for Life.”

What about SDSU’s Presidents? Who have you worked with and what stands out from those relationships?

There have been nine presidents since SDSU began as a “Normal School” in 1897. I’ve had the privilege to meet and work with six of the nine—plus all three interim presidents.
I’ve had several special experiences with SDSU presidents, including Brage Golding and Stephen Weber.

One experience occurred when I was in Brazil working for USAID. President Golding was visiting Brasilia and asked if I could pick him up at the Hotel National for dinner. Mary and I invited him to our home for dinner, and he enjoyed it so much that he asked if he could come again the next evening—which he did. Another experience was with President Weber. When he arrived on campus, he invited me several times to meet with him to discuss athletics and campus culture. One memorable statement he shared was: “athletics is our front porch.”

Another memory was in Coronado, when he shared that he and his wife Susan would soon be moving to the new President’s House in Alvarado Estates. He was the first president to live there. Even after he retired and moved back to Maine, we kept in touch.

How did you become so involved with the athletic side of our campus? Isn’t it somewhat unusual for an academic professor to do so?

Perhaps it was somewhat unusual, but I didn’t think about it that way then. One day in the late 1980s, a close friend and former scholar-athlete, Pat Connors, invited me to attend an Aztec Athletic Foundation lunch meeting with SDSU’s Head Basketball Coach Jim Brandenburg. After that meeting, I just never stopped attending. I later discovered that I was the only academic professor to ever serve as a volunteer on the athletic board.

Cliff, you have attended countless Aztec games and events. What keeps you so connected and active after all these years?

It’s easy when you enjoy sports and enjoy others who are passionate about SDSU. When it’s reciprocal, you stay involved. Relationships like that keep you going.

As you reflect back on the many experiences you’ve had, what one highlight comes to mind?

That’s a tough one, but without a doubt SDSU’s “Scholar-Athlete Recognition Program” is #1 for me. I’ve always believed that academics and athletics should go hand in hand. In 1993, when I was President of the Aztec Athletic Foundation, I wrote a proposal that linked the two and presented it to Athletic Director Fred Miller and his staff. In 1994, we celebrated our first 43 scholar-athletes with a 3.2 GPA or above. In 2024, 31 years later, we recognized 404 student-athletes—51 achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA. It doesn’t get any better than achieving Aztec Scholar-Athlete status.

You’ve also been involved with extraordinary fundraising moments. What stands out?

The Sinatra–Minnelli concerts during San Diego’s 1988 Super Bowl. SDSU brought Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli to perform two concerts in the sold-out Sports Arena. We raised about $500,000. It was an incredible moment of community support for the Aztecs.

Are there other fundraising events that come to mind?

One was HOOPLA. About 35 years ago, I joined a small group of Aztec basketball supporters who organized dinner-auctions for 14 consecutive seasons, raising six-figure gifts annually for the Aztec Basketball program.

You’ve received recognition for your contributions—can you share a few?

In 2004, I received the San Diego State University Alumni Association Distinguished University Service Award. In 2010, SDSU Athletics honored my wife Mary and me with the Lifetime Achievement Award during halftime of an Aztec basketball game.

As a wrap-up response, how would you reflect on today’s collegiate athletics related to our Aztec community?

NIL and the transfer portal have significantly changed collegiate athletics. However, I strongly believe in the importance of SDSU’s Scholar-Athlete program. Support comes from connection. Athletics is the “front porch” to many of the university’s successes.

As an AZTEC FOR LIFE, the winning formula is:

GETTING INVOLVED -> BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS -> INVESTING IN THE SUCCESS OF OUR SCHOLAR-ATHLETES.

Please consider donating to the Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund to impact more student-athletes across SDSU athletics.