I am a Cougar and I Ain’t Lion

Referee Joe Brudage, first casualty Juanita Booth, college nursing program director, brought him back quickly. Faculty/student basketball game featuring FATS (Faculty Athletic Training Society) against the varsity in the old Camp San Luis Obispo gym. ©Michael Raphael/The Tribune

Cuesta had a band?
A theme song?
Why did this tradition die out?
Paging Cuesta Cougar, Cuesta Cougar to the white courtesy phone.

From the March 13, 1969 then Telegram-Tribune

Annual game
FATS (faculty) wins at Cuesta

By Mike Raphael
Staff Writer

Capitalizing on a slam-bang attack, Cuesta College’s “FATS” (Faculty Athletic Training Society) thoroughly demolished an obviously outclassed varsity basketball team in the second annual faculty – varsity game Wednesday.
FATS coach Wayne Anderson, of business office fame, vowed before the game that he intended to extend his one – game winning streak.
The elderly team jumped to an early 1-0 lead after three or so minutes of the first quarter of three – quarter game, that was sort of played in three-quarter time.
The biggest crowd of the season—if you include the band, faculty wives, children and several dozen county high school students — watched as varsity players got their entire team into foul trouble.
But the younger set seemed bent on defeating the oldsters and at halftime (the end of the second quarter), held an 18-16 lead.
But in the final quarter, FATS surged to a 25-20 lead.
The debacle ended minutes later with the final score 25-23 for the still unbeaten faculty five.
Campus officer Grover Miller led the special team of referees, and often was compelled to use his gun to stop severe attacks by Cougars on the FATS team.
The game ball went to somebody, possibly a band trumpeter, who also may have been the person who set the game records on fire. The scoring is unknown, but it is believed that either Don Hansen, regular Cougar basketball coach, adorned in a hula skirt, or Del Crystal, of plaid skirt fame, led all the scorers.

"Coach" Wayne Anderson (right) cheers, Glover Miller in referee regalia. © Michael Raphel/The Tribune

The game was played under the most rigid of conditions, with only one time out called. That was to allow the band to play a medley of tunes that included the school theme, “I am a Cougar and I Ain’t Lion.”
The varsity crew set several records, including(1) most shots called back, and (2) Most fouls committed in a single game, and (3) most fouls committed after a game.
FATS shot 92.345 per cent, missing only two shots. Both were by Carmen Mauro while flat on his back with referee Joe Brundage standing on his good hand.
One FATS tactic, in the interests of justice and objectivity must be condemned.
That was the old faculty-cheerleader-Jay-Basseri-on-the-ladder-pushing-the-ball-thrown-to-him-through-the-net trick.

[Full disclosure, the author of this blog is not in fact a Cougar but a Mustang. I'd still like to hear their theme song played by a full band.]

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3. “Attention! This is the Hair Police! Come out with your sideburns trimmed!”
4. Jim Lonborg, Red Sox Ace SLO High grad
5. 1901 SLOHS Track Team