| Spartan Foundation Salutes Steve Gossett | |||||||
|
|||||||
Love is a shutout tennis term for long-time Spartan Foundation board member and former President Steve Gossett. Actually, Steve probably has more love in his heart than one could imagine. His 40 or so years as a Spartan Foundation member, not counting his time in the Foundation's executive positions, is an expression of his dedication to and love for San Jose State student-athletes and their success. After all, Steve could relate to the San Jose State student-athlete back then. He earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from San Jose State when tuition was $15.00 a semester. There didn't seem to be a rush to graduate, not when one could have the time of one's life with the campus Sigma Chi's. Well, marriage could take precedence over the guys at Sigma Chi. And, he could afford to stay in school since he had a ground floor job with Raisch Paving Company. Sometime when he was either an extended San Jose State junior or senior, Raisch Paving co-worker Joe Thomason convinced Steve to join the Spartan Foundation. The payoff was huge for Gossett and the Spartans. This year, Gossett is a member of the Go For Gold scholarship fund drive team that plans to raise at least $125,000 for San Jose State University student-athlete scholarships. While records are stored away, with Gossett's relaxed demeanor, it's reasonable to estimate that he has raised more than $1-million for the Spartan Foundation through the years to support San Jose State University student-athletes and still is fulfilled reaching out to his friends and colleagues in the community. "I enjoy the social aspect and, of course, giving students the opportunity to attend a great school like San Jose State is a priority," says Gossett. Steve points to the late Jack Elway and Claude Gilbert as two of his favorite San Jose State coaches. He thoroughly enjoyed Elway and Gilbert's love for people. And, it helped that the Elway-led Spartans won at Stanford three times in a row from 1981 through 1983. Two of those wins were part of the Jack Elway-John Elway four-game mini-series at Stanford Stadium. Fast forwarding to the present, Gossett now is the graphics arts business as a partner in the locally-owned Anza Printing Group that has San Jose State Athletics as one of its clients. And, he still has time to see his Spartans whether it's in Spartan Stadium or on the road. One could say Steve is the modern version of the former national brand Ask Mr. Foster travel agency. Two years ago, Mr. Gossett organized a two-week excursion to the Alabama and Wisconsin football games that included stops in New Orleans and Chicago. A year ago, 65 Spartan fans joined him for a train trip to Pasadena for the San Jose State-UCLA football game. This year, it's a coast-to-coast trek to San Jose State-Navy football game in September. Never one to shy away, you can join his group by calling 408-209-7741. If you call, before you hang up,
you're likely to get a pitch to join the Spartan Foundation and support San
Jose State University student-athletes pursue a college education. It can be a
lot of fun and you might add to the loves of your life according to lifetime
Spartan Steve Gossett. The Spartan Foundation is the fundraising arm of San Jose State Athletics, with the primary mission of raising scholarship support for more than 300 student-athletes in 16 sports through the Spartan Scholarship Fund. Membership levels start at just $8 a month and a variety of payments methods can be arranged to make investing in the Spartans work for your individual financial situation. For more information on how you can BE THE ONE to make a difference in the lives of Spartan student-athletes call the Spartan Foundation at 408-924-1720, visit us online by clicking "GIVING" while at www.sjsuspartans.com or send an email to spartanfoundation@sjsu.edu.
|
|
|
© San Jose State University Athletics 2013. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy |
Courtesy: San Jose State Athletics
