San José City College welcomed back members of its 1986 national championship football team Oct. 24, honoring the undefeated squad at Jaguar Stadium 40 years after its title run.
The current Jaguars beat their predecessors, defeating the De Anza College Mountain Lions 26-16.
The 1986 Jaguars went 11-0 under head coach Howard Gay, finished No. 1 in the state and won the national junior college championship. For some players, the reunion marked the first time they had seen one another in more than 30 years.
The evening opened with a reception at the Jaguar Sports Center, where the former players heard from SJCC head football coach James Winkler and Vice President of Academic Affairs James Carranza. Four members of the 1986 team joined the Jaguars’ captains for the pregame coin toss, and the full group was recognized on the field at halftime.
“It’s always great to honor our alumni, especially a team that has won a national championship,” said Tommy Abdenour, SJCC’s director of athletics. “And you always want to have them come back to campus to honor their extraordinary achievement.”
Abdenour said the night also gave the current roster a chance to learn from the men who came before them.
“They’re able to look up at them and see exactly what they can do,” he said. “And then there’s a bit of a mentorship that goes on. Whether it’s a little tip that helps them or just a conversation about knowing what they’ve been through.”
Gay, who coached at SJCC for more than two decades, said his teams won five consecutive Golden Gate Conference championships, but 1986 stood apart.
“We just got a good group of kids together, and they played well,” Gay said. “It’s kind of very special when you go 11-0. You’ve got to be more than just good. You’ve got to be a little bit lucky, and we were, but we had some great players there.”
He also credited his staff, including defensive coordinator Bob Crabtree, inside linebackers coach Don Stagnaro, and offensive line coach Ron Mosier.
Norman Brown, a middle linebacker, was one of four team captains along with Jimmy Mastro, Rick Huck and Vernon Todd. He said Gay set the tone.
“When you came in here, you were expected to do one main thing,” Brown said. “Compete your rear end off every day.”
That paid off late in games. Brown said the Jaguars trailed by about six points at halftime about six times during the championship season.
“We weren’t ahead. We were losing,” he said. “Somehow, some way we had to scrap our way back into the lead and then keep it.”
Brown said the roster was loaded with confident players, but they left their egos at the door.
“When we walked in the door, we were humble,” he said. “And whether there was a starter or not, we were rooting for each other.”
After SJCC, Brown played four seasons of arena football and won a World League championship with the Frankfurt Galaxy in 1995. He later coached at SJCC under both Gay and Stagnaro and has coached high school football for 25 years. He is now head coach at McFarland High School, which won 57-0 the night before the reunion. He wore his 1986 SJCC championship ring to that game.
“I wore this for good luck,” Brown said. “We’re blessed with what we had and what we were given and what we want to serve back to everybody.”
Todd, a cornerback who now lives in Gilroy, went on to start two seasons at Washington State University. He returned to SJCC after college and coached with Gay and Stagnaro for about three years. He said he saw about 10 former teammates at the reunion whom he hadn’t seen in more than 30 years.
“A lot of guys look the same,” Todd said. “We’re all getting older, but it’s fun to see them.”
He was also struck by how much the campus had changed.
“Compared to what we used to have here, lots of small sheds and very little room,” Todd said. “You can’t get any better than this for junior college, especially.”
Todd said no SJCC team had won a national title before 1986, and none has since.
“You hope it can come back, but you’re the first,” he said. “And so far, you hope that you’re not the last.”
This year’s Jaguars have had a tough season, and the former players offered advice. Todd told them to take it one game at a time and put in the work after the season.
“Offseason is where you make your season,” he said.
Gay kept it simple.
“Just keep working at it. Keep your chin up,” he said. “You’ve got to make a commitment if you want to be good.”
Asked for his favorite memory of 1986, Gay didn’t name a game. He named his players.
“They were serious about it. They went to class. They lifted. They committed to themselves,” Gay said. “They made it work.”
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