Gray Wave can’t sustain Fresno State sports by itself much longer

The Gray Wave can’t be the lifeblood of Fresno State sports much longer.

Yes, Gray Wave. That’s the term people around here use to describe a Bulldogs fan base (aka the Red Wave) that skews … well, old.

Gray Wave is usually employed by those of younger vintage and meant as a putdown. But not today. Today is an opportunity to thank and salute Fresno State’s greatest generation for its decades of support and let it know reinforcements will soon be on the way.

Maybe I should rephrase that last bit. Reinforcements will soon be on the way, or else.

The results of a recent Athletics Department survey paint a picture our eyeballs have long suspected: The typical ticket-buying Bulldogs fan is old and getting older every year.

RELATED: Red Wave turns into Gray Wave as Bulldogs struggle to attract young fans

Only 4 percent of season-ticket holders for men’s basketball are 35 or younger, compared with 75 percent who are 56 or older. In football, the disparity is not as large, but it’s still glaring. The under-35s make up 9 percent, compared with 49 percent for the 56-and-overs.

You don’t need to be a statistician to see where this trend is heading. As members of the Gray Wave generation fade away, Fresno State desperately needs younger ones not only to buy tickets, but also to donate toward athletic scholarships.

At stake is nothing less than the future of the Bulldogs as a Division I, Football Bowl Subdivision-playing entity.

“The old guard is passing away – and their kids and grandkids don’t have the same level of interest,” said Dan Bushey, president of the board of the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, formerly known as the Bulldog Foundation. “They don’t have the same die-hard loyalty.”

The history of Fresno State sports may date to the 1920s, but it’s easy to forget (or not realize at all) the Bulldogs were a small-college outfit during most of those decades.

Not until the 1980s, when a small but dedicated group of boosters took it upon themselves to build facilities and raise money for scholarships, did things begin to approach the big time.

Fans should recognize the names: Joe Dale Jr., Bob Duncan, Lou Eaton, Harry Gaykian, Ron Metzler, Leon Peters.

These are the people who built Bulldog Stadium, completed in 1980, by purchasing 10-year seat options and taking it upon themselves to sell options to others in the community. It’s the same group that financed the expansion of Selland Arena in 1984. And the one that renovated Beiden Field and built Margie Wright Field in 1996.

Bud Richter, Earl Smittcamp, Dennis Woods, Walt Reinhardt, Jess Rodman.

Take a look at the dedication plaques at any Bulldogs athletic facility. The names are mostly the same. It’s the same group of 25 to 30 families.

Fresno State sports would look a lot different today, probably something closer to Sacramento State, if not for the commitment of those pioneers.

But this generation, the one that has largely sustained Bulldogs athletics over the past four decades with donations and season-ticket purchases, cannot do it forever. It desperately needs help.

Don’t get me wrong. Fresno State still needs older boosters, people who typically have more wealth and willingness to give. It still needs generous octogenarians such as Marvin Meyers, who a few years ago contributed $2 million toward the Meyers Family Sports Medicine Center.

At some point, though, those sources are going to dry up. New ones must be tapped.

Don’t listen to me. Listen to Bushey.

Bushey is 42, which places him right in between the Gray Wave and millennials. And during Bushey’s involvement with Fresno State booster clubs and fundraising, he always has been the youngest person at every meeting.

It’s something he jokes about, even though the subject is serious.

“I have the utmost respect for the Walt Reinhardts, the Harry Gaykians, the people who built the fund drive and the endowment,” Bushey said. “But we can’t depend on that generation forever. We need the younger ones to carry it forward.”

I’m using Bushey as an example, since his story is illustrative of how a little involvement can sometimes lead to a lot.

Fourteen years ago, the Fresno State graduate was purchasing football season tickets and decided, on a whim, to also buy some for women’s basketball. He began taking his daughter to games, and soon she became a ball girl. The next thing Bushey knew, he was an officer in the program’s booster club. Which eventually led to his involvement with the Bulldog Foundation.

Now he’s president of the board.

“The more I got involved, the more I saw the need to get involved,” Bushey said. “Every year I’ve increased my monetary donations and also my time donations.”

Bushey is the exception in a situation where apathy has become the norm. Oh, sure. There are many younger fans who wear Fresno State apparel and cheer for the Bulldogs. But as the numbers show, they’re less likely to back up those allegiances with their wallets.

Under President Joseph Castro and Athletic Director Jim Bartko, the culture around Bulldogs athletics has become more welcoming and inviting to fans – especially when compared with the previous regime.

Unfortunately, the football team’s recent skid has made growing the ticket and donor base next to impossible. It’s like trying to ride a bike up Sky Harbour Road with a flat rear tire.

Win or lose, the Gray Wave has sustained Fresno State for decades. Let’s salute it for that. But now it’s time for the younger generations to lend a hand. Or else the future is going to look a lot different, a lot more dim.

This story was originally published February 11, 2017 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Gray Wave can’t sustain Fresno State sports by itself much longer."