San Jose State Spartans football The San Jose State Spartans represent San Jose State University and the Silicon Valley in NCAA Division I FBS college football . The Spartans play all home games in Spartan Stadium , which offers a seating capacity of over 30 , 000 . The latest head coach is Mike MacIntyre , who held the position from 2010 to 2012 . By 2013 , the Spartans will assign to the Mountain West Conference . Ron Caragher will led San Jose State to the Mountain West ' s long awaited football championship game . History . The SJSU Spartan football team competes in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as part of the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) . SJSU first fielded a football team in 1893 and has won 16 conference championships dating back to 1932 . The first regular football seasons began in 1898 and mostly consisted of games against local high schools and some colleges and junior colleges . During the 1930s and 1940s , the Spartan football program was considered a powerhouse , winning eight conference championships over an 18 - year span . The 1932 and 1939 teams went 7 - 0 - 2 and 13 - 0 respectively , the only undefeated seasons in school history . Spartan Stadium was completed in 1933 with a capacity of 18 , 000 . The Spartans won the first football game played in the stadium , 44 - 6 , over San Francisco State on October 7 , 1933 . Two stadium expansions and renovations in the 1980s increased the seating capacity from 18 , 000 to 30 , 456 . The San Jose State Spartans football team served unexpectedly with the Honolulu Police Department during World War II . The team had just arrived in Honolulu to play a series of post - season games ( including the Shrine Bowl ) against the University of Hawai ' i Rainbow Warriors and the Willamette University Bearcats , but the team was stranded on the islands for a number of weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack . The team members were then employed to improve island defenses against a possible Japanese amphibious assault and as guards for military bases on the island . The " San Jose Mercury News " reported in March 2004 that budget cuts led some faculty members at San Jose State to advocate removing the SJSU football program from Division IA athletics . In 2004 , San Jose State defeated the Rice Owls 70 - 63 in a game that set the NCAA Division I record for total points scored and total touchdowns for a non - overtime game . SJSU has produced over 70 All - America team members , including five first - team selections . The Tomey era . 2006 . Coach Dick Tomey took over the program in 2005 . After showing moderate improvement that year , the Spartans had a breakout season in 2006 . In fact , it was the team ' s best season since joining the WAC ten years prior . Tomey guided the Spartans to a 9 - 4 record , a win over rival Fresno State , and a win in the 2006 New Mexico Bowl , thus ending the team ' s 16 - year bowl drought . The 2006 Spartan squad produced two 2007 NFL draft picks in wide receivers James Jones and John Broussard . 2007 . The 2007 San Jose State Spartans football team was not as successful as the previous year ' s team , with the Spartans going 5 - 7 and finishing 5th in the WAC . The post - season showed a positive result , however , with several players being named to all - star games including Dwight Lowery , Marcus Teland , Matt Castelo , and Adam Tafralis . The Spartans produced another draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft , in defensive back Dwight Lowery . Lowery was named a 1st - team All - America winner in 2007 . 2008 . The 2008 San Jose State Spartans football team gave the school its best start since joining the WAC . The Spartans jumped to 3 - 0 and led the WAC for 3 weeks until losing to Boise State . The Spartans finished the season in 6th place in the WAC with a conference record of 4 - 4 , and a 6 - 6 overall record . Three players were picked in the 2009 NFL Draft , those being defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert , defensive back Christopher Owens , and defensive back Coye Francies 2009 . After playing an unusually tough non - conference schedule , the 2009 San Jose State Spartans finished 2 - 10 with wins over Cal Poly and New Mexico State . Head Coach Dick Tomey announced in November he would retire at the close of the season , thus ending his legendary coaching career . Tomey ' s record at SJSU was 25 - 35 . On December 17 , 2009 , Mike MacIntyre was formally introduced as Tomey ' s replacement . MacIntyre was previously the defensive coordinator at Duke University . Rivalries . San Jose State shares rivalries with Stanford , Fresno State , San Diego State and Hawaii . Fresno State . The Fresno State - San José State Rivalry is arguably SJSU ' s biggest football rivalry . As of 2011 , Fresno State leads the series 39 – 34 – 3 . Stanford . The near - annual game played between San Jose State and Stanford is titled the Bill Walsh Legacy Game , named after SJSU alumnus Bill Walsh , a two - time Stanford head coach . The teams first played each other in San Jose in 1900 . As of 2011 , 61 out of the 65 games between SJSU and Stanford were played at Stanford . As of 2012 , Stanford leads the series 51 – 14 – 1 . SJSU ' s most notable success against Stanford occurred when the Spartans won three consecutive games over the Cardinal from 1981 to 1983 , and again from 1998 to 2000 . The 1979 – 1982 series pitted Stanford quarterback John Elway against his father , Jack Elway , who served as the SJSU head football coach from 1979 to 1983 . San Diego State . The SDSU - SJSU rivalry started in 1935 . This in - state rivalry has had some competitive games in the past and with the Spartans joining the Mountain West Conference the two teams will compete on an annual basis . The Spartans lead the series 19 - 15 - 2 . Hawaii . As of 2011 , the series is even at 17 – 17 – 1 . A 1941 game against Hawaii led the SJSU team to be stranded on the islands and used as military guards . NFL . As of 2010 , 110 SJSU Spartans have gone on to play in the NFL , and seven former Spartans are actively playing in the NFL . The 110 players include six NFL Pro Bowl selections , six first - round draft picks , two MVP award winners , and one NFL Rookie of the Year . SJSU , Dayton and Arkansas are the only schools to produce two alumni who coached Super Bowl - winning teams . Conference championships . From 1969 to 1995 , SJSU earned more Big West Conference football championship titles than any other team in the history of the Big West conference . 1995 was SJSU ' s final season in the Big West , as the Spartans moved to the WAC in 1996 . No Team : 1894 , 1896 – 1897 , 1901 – 1920 , 1943 – 1945 Bowl games . The SJSU football team has made nine bowl appearances . Its most recent bowl appearance occurred in 2012 when the Spartans defeated Bowling Green in the Military Bowl .