Members of the 1965-66 UCSB football teams probably didn’t give hoot about soccer back when they ruled the roost at what was then a new Harder Stadium.
But they were showing their full support for the Gaucho fútbol teams in a return to the facility that is undergoing some major upgrades. Players from the ’65 Camellia Bowl championship team were prominently in attendance Friday to pay tribute to their coach “Cactus” Jack Curtice during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Curtice Gate entrance to the stadium.
The gate is named for the legendary former football coach who led UCSB to national prominence with the Camellia Bowl title. He died in 1982 at the age of 75.
The construction of the gate is part of nearly $2 million in stadium improvements before the 2010 NCAA Men’s College Cup, Dec. 10-12. A new field of bermuda grass and a state-of-the-art irrigation system was put in about three weeks ago. Other improvements on the list include a new scoreboard with video capabilities, an upgraded press box and a new ticket booth.
John Keever, a tight end on the Camellia Bowl championship team and the chairperson of the Gaucho Order, a fundraising group of UCSB letterwinners, said he was moved to do something for his coach.
“About a year ago (UCSB athletic director) Mark Massari called me and said he had this idea that maybe we should keep the legacy of football here, not futból, but football, which started this stadium,” Keever told the crowd. “He challenged me. He said, “How’d you like us to build a gate here and name it after your coach?’ “
Keever couldn’t say no. Coach Curtice was one of the most influential people in his life.
“I get emotional because our coach did so much for us,” Keever continued. “When this project started the stories started flying on the emails. We collected stories, unbelievable stories, and not about winning football games. They were about our teacher and our coach and what he did for us in our lifetime.
“All you Gauchos out there, you heard my new challenge, so I’ll be calling you.”
Jim Curtice, who played for his father at UCSB, thanked the university for honoring the man who helped revolutionize the game of football. He’s been called by many as Mr. Forward Pass.
“We know this is a labor of love and my family wants to thank you,” Jim Curtice said.
Jim then looked at his mother, Margaret, seated in the front row, and, fighting back tears, said, “Jack would be pleased to know his players and colleagues would still remember him some 40 years after his retirement.”
He acknowledged his mother as the key person behind UCSB football and the construction of Harder Stadium back in 1966.
“There would not have been a Camellia Bowl team, no Harder Stadium and there certainly wouldn’t be a Curtice Gate without the love and generosity of Margaret Curtice. Thank you for your generosity.”
As the story goes, Margaret Curtice encouraged her husband to take the UCSB job after his coaching stints at Utah and Stanford.
UCSB men’s soccer coach Tim Vom Steeg said his program owes a lot to the community and alumni for their support of the Curtice Gate, the other stadium improvements and what the Gauchos have done on the field.
“What I see here is the fact a lot of people had to step up in order to put us where we’re at right now,” said Vom Steeg, who’s guided UCSB to eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two College Cups and won the national title in 2006. “So it’s a huge thank you to the community, a huge thank you to the staff, a huge thank you to the chancellor and, of course, along the way we have great student athletes who played when there weren’t a lot of people in the stands, and the field certainly didn’t look like this.
“It’s a real transformation,” he added. “We work really, really hard to make sure our current players and new players understand how much has been done for them so they can enjoy what they have today.”
Curtice told the men’s and women’s soccer teams in attendance that they should feel special.
“You’re going to get to walk through Curtice Gate, play on Meredith Field in Harder Stadium. I know what that’s like … I wish I were you,” he said.
“When you walk out there, this stadium will become soccer heaven and you know it.”
Curtice then told the players about the obligation they have.
“Now these old football players that raised the money and made this pitch in this stadium — soccer heaven to you — it comes with a price. A price that you can pay.
“We want you to be national champions again. Go Gauchos.”
