About the Club

The Gridiron Club has a long standing tradition of supporting Wildcat Football. The Gridiron Club was established in 1982 by a group of very patient, very dedicated Weber State Football supporters who were looking for ways to provide support for the program.

Head Coach Mike Price’s original idea was to develop a friend-raising program.  Coach Price sent out an open invitation to Weber Football Alumni and friends of the program to join him for a round of golf at El Monte golf course.  After the golf outing, Edie George, Director of the Alumni Association, Head Coach Mike Price, Assistant Coach Dave Arslanian, and football alum Ron McCall & John Knight were discussing the success of the event and how they wanted to expand the idea of a friend-raising program. It was at this meeting that it was decided an organization would be established with the sole purpose of providing extra financial support, through membership dues, to the football program. The organization would be called the Gridiron Club and the first president would be Ron McCall.

As membership and the Gridiron Board grew, so did the financial support.  Ideas on how to use the revenue in support of Wildcat football also grew.

In 1986, Phil Sotomayor had just finished his playing career and became the youngest member of the Gridiron Club Board. He relayed to the Gridiron Board how he felt about his 1985 Senior Banquet.  Phil’s banquet consisted of the coaching staff and the seniors who had stayed around long enough to go to a party that was held in February or March following their last season.  There were some snacks & a keg of beer.  No formal program, no awards, no recognition of any kind.  The evening was spent sitting and talking as coaches and players in an informal setting.  It was great for Phil and the other seniors to have one final get together, but it left an empty feeling after it was over.  It just didn’t seem like an appropriate farewell to the players who had been in the program from one to five years.

Phil suggested to the Gridiron Club that they should provide a more fitting farewell to the seniors.  After making this suggest, he was put in charge of the event.  The history of the new and improved Senior banquet began at the end of the 1986 season–even though the ‘86 season didn’t offer much to celebrate after only 3 wins. The Gridiron Club sponsored the dinner and awards banquet for all seniors leaving the program.  The first one was held at Senior Frogs on 23rd street in the basement of the restaurant.  They acknowledged the outgoing seniors with a dinner and a small program acknowledging their accomplishments.  The evening culminated with giving each senior a certificate and a free membership to the Gridiron Club for the next year.

Players receiving their lettermen jackets is the longest standing tradition in Weber State history. Over time there have been many methods of players receiving their jackets.  In the early 60’s players would receive an actual letter. In the 70’s and early 80’s players would just come up and receive their jackets from the coaches. In the late 80’s, a lunch was held for coaches and only the players receiving a jacket.  It was in the mid 90’s that the Senior and First-Time Lettermen Banquet was born. The Gridiron Club had grown financially which has allowed the club to cover the cost of the jackets, an expense that in the past came from the football budget. At the original Senior and First-Lettermen Banquet, only seniors and players receiving awards or Lettermen jackets attended.  In 2004, because of the efforts of the Gridiron Club and its supporters, all players were invited to attend the Banquet. This was a big step in creating a team environment at the annual event.  In 2008, the Gridiron Board realized that the event had grown in popularity among its supporters and the concept of table or player sponsorship was introduced.

The Gridiron Banquet started from very humble beginnings and is now a major event. More than 350 people attend, there is a formal program, First-time Lettermen and Seniors are recognized along with several individual accomplishments. For the last ten years the event has been on the eve of the spring Purple & White game.

The growth of our Golf Tournament has turned it into our second longest standing tradition. The concept of a friend-raising program Coach Price introduced in 1982 has stayed intact. The tournament is open to all supporters of Weber State Football. For the last 12 years it has always been held on the first Friday of June and has turned into quite an event consisting of putting and closest to the pin contests and a raffle. Our football alumni and friends of the program have done an outstanding job of donating items to make this a very successful friend-raising program.

As a Weber State Football Alum, I take pride in knowing the Gridiron Club is an organization that has the strength to develop and uphold Weber State Football traditions.

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