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Jack Fallon
Off and running from the 33-yard line of Hughes Stadium on Oct. 2, 1954, Jack Fallon (Education, ‘57) made the first-ever touchdown for the Hornets. And launched Sac State’s football legacy.
Just moments into their first home game, Fallon caught the ball punted by the opposing Humboldt Lumberjacks. “I went all the way through their team and ran 77 yards to make the first touchdown,” Fallon says. “I don’t think anybody ever really touched me. They were a little surprised that we were coming back with the ball (so soon).”
Having lost their first game on the road against San Diego Navy 46-0, that first touchdown was all the more triumphant. “We’d scored the first touchdown during the first quarter and (then the extra point made) it seven to nothing. We thought we were on our way,” Fallon says, remembering fans, including his family, standing up and cheering in the stands. “Everyone was pretty excited.”
Tight end Fred Moeller (physical education, ‘59), who kicked the extra point, remembers how the Hornets helped clear the way for Fallon’s touchdown. “Humboldt had a tall skinny quarterback, but he was still pretty big,” Moeller says. “We managed to hold him back.”
The lead gave the team a much-needed boost, says teammate Lloyd Snelson (Psychology, ’57). “We thought that’s good. We’ve scored first. Maybe we’ve got a chance here,” he says.
But the unseasoned lineup was only able to hold onto its lead until the second quarter. The brand-new Hornets lost 28 to 7. Still, that first touchdown unified them. “We didn’t win any games that first year. But we made a lot of good memories,” Fallon says.
Sac State finally won their first game in 1955, defeating Southern Oregon University 7-6. A decade later in 1964, the Hornets won their first Far Western Conference Championship.
Through the years, Snelson, a retired San Juan Uni- fied School District principal, has stayed connected with the Hornets as Booster Club president for 10 years, and as its chief fundraiser from 1995 to 2002. Moeller retired in 1994 from Placer High School where he taught math and coached baseball and football for 35 years.
And after graduation Fallon taught at Aerojet and at Vandenberg Air Force Base before earning his master’s degree from Oregon State University. He then taught history and political science in the Grant Union High School District. He retired in 1995 as chair of the social science department.
The touchdown stands out as one of his fondest memories. “We still looked good in that first quarter,” Fallon insists. “It was an absolutely beautiful night.” |
