Long Beach State athletics, or simply Beach athletics (previously known as the 49ers), are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Long Beach. Teams compete in 19 sports at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. Long Beach State is a founding member of the Big West Conference, and also competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the Golden Coast Conference for sports not sponsored by the Big West.
Sports sponsored Men's sports Women's sports Baseball Basketball Basketball Beach volleyball Cross country Cross country Golf Golf Track and field Soccer Volleyball Softball Water polo Tennis Track and field Volleyball Water polo
Baseball
Unlike all other Long Beach State sports teams, the baseball team unofficially goes under the moniker "The Dirtbags." After the hiring of Dave Snow as head coach in 1989, the LBSU baseball team has become one of the most successful teams in the school's athletic history. From 1989 to 2008, the Dirtbags appeared in 17 of the 20 NCAA tournaments and were consistently ranked in the national top 35. Along the way, the team won 9 Big West conference championships, hosted 5 NCAA regionals (plus 1 super regional), and appeared in 4 College World Series (1989, 1991, 1993 and 1998).Championship Teams . 49er Historical Archive. Retrieved August 10, 2007 The Dirtbags nickname refers to a gritty, team first style of play taught by Coach Snow and subsequent coaches.
The school has also produced a number of prominent professional players over the years, including former American League MVP Jason Giambi, former American League Rookie of the Year Bobby Crosby, and all-star and 2008 American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria. Many more ex-Dirtbags have participated in the prestigious MLB All-Star Futures game, including Jered Weaver, Troy Tulowitzki, Danny Espinosa, and Jarren Duran. As of 2024, 57 Long Beach State baseball alumni have played in the big leagues. Dirtbags in the Pros. Retrieved September 29, 2024
The baseball team plays off campus at 3,238-seat Blair Field in Recreation Park (center of city; 1.7 miles off campus). Opened in 1956 and remodeled in 1992, Blair Field has been the full-time Long Beach State home field since 1993.
Basketball
Long Beach State men's and women's basketball teams compete in the Big West Conference. The teams play their home games at the Walter Pyramid.
Men's basketball
On April 6, 2007, it was announced that Dan Monson (formerly of Gonzaga University and the University of Minnesota) would become Long Beach State's next head men's basketball coach, succeeding Larry Reynolds.
Women's basketball The women's basketball team had its greatest success during the 1980s when coached by Joan Bonvicini for 12 years. During that time the team went 325–71. The Beach won 10 Big West Conference titles, made 10 straight NCAA appearances, had 12 consecutive winning seasons, and never won fewer than 24 games in a season. Bonvicini guided the Beach to Final Four appearances in 1987 and 1988.
Track & Field
Long Beach State's Track & Field program has produced 19 Olympians, including five former World Record holders and six American Record holders. Four alumni have won Olympic medals, primarily in jumping and throwing events.
In the high jump Dwight Stones, Joni Huntley and John Rambo all won Olympic bronze medals in 1964, 1972, 1976, and 1984, with Stones placing third back-to-back in 1972 and 1976 and a 4th place finish in 1984. Among the most accomplished of the university's athletes in any sport, Dwight Stones broke the World Record indoors and outdoors 10 times, the American Record 13 times, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice-once in a LBSU uniform. Stones is among the most decorated American Track and Field athletes in history, with an astounding 19 USA national titles to his record. He later went on to a long career as a Track & Field commentator in network television. Joni Huntley competed in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 1984 and setting four American Records. John Rambo, a standout athlete in both basketball and Track & Field, won a bronze medal in 1964 and established an indoor American Record. He also played professional basketball. Pole vaulter Steve Smith competed in the 1972 Olympics, and broke the World Record twice indoors.
In the throws Kate Schmidt won the Olympic bronze medal in 1972 and 1976 in the javelin, setting a World Record. Hammer Thrower Bill Green set three American Records, three American Collegiate Records (three of six on the LBSU field), and placed 5th in the Olympic Games in 1984. George Frenn was a two-sport champion, making the 1972 Olympic team in the hammer throw, breaking the World Record multiple times in the indoor weight throw, and holding the World Record for 13 years in the early days of the sport of powerlifting. His multi-sport success resulted in a cover photo and feature in Sports Illustrated in 1970.
Distance runner Francie Larrieu Smith had one of the longest international careers in Track and Field, making five Olympic teams between 1972 and 1992 with a best showing of 5th place in 1988 in the 10,000 meters. She set 13 World Records indoors, which included the mile.
The Track and Field program has won eight Big West Men's Track and Field Championships and three Women's Championships in the last 35 years, and has had 77 All-American athletes, won 32 conference Athlete of the Year awards, and achieved 24 Track and Field Athlete of the Year accolades.
Cross country The Long Beach State Beach men's cross country team appeared in the NCAA tournament six times, with their highest finish being 10th place in the 1971–72 school year.
1969 No. 17 430 Defeated Tennessee, Cal Poly Pomona, Princeton, Kansas, Missouri, Georgetown, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, St. John's, Murray State, Harvard, and FloridaLost to UTEP, Villanova, Oregon, Washington State, Illinois, Western Michigan, Minnesota, Penn, Bowling Green, Penn State, Connecticut, Houston, Miami (OH), Manhattan, Nebraska, and Providence 1970 No. 23 548 Defeated Lehigh, Illinois, Cornell, Alabama, Cincinnati, Harvard, Texas, Kentucky, North Carolina, SMU, West Chester, Virginia Tech, Furman, East Carolina, Virginia, and The CitadelLost to Villanova, Oregon, UTEP, Indiana, Western Michigan, Missouri, Michigan State, Bowling Green, San Diego State, William & Mary, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Colorado, BYU, Duke, Manhattan, Houston, Kansas State, East Tennessee State, and Penn 1971 No. 10 323 Defeated Miami (OH), Duke, Michigan State, Wichita State, Cornell, Indiana, William & Mary, Ball State, American, Murray State, Tennessee, Kentucky, Air Force, Princeton, North Carolina, Colorado, Providence, Texas, Florida, and LouisianaLost to Oregon, Washington State, Penn, Villanova, East Tennessee State, Kansas State, Bowling Green, Penn State, and Northern Arizona 1972 No. 23 614 Defeated Alabama, Rice, Arkansas, and HoustonLost to Tennessee, East Tennessee State, Oregon, Washington State, Miami (OH), Bowling Green, Oklahoma State, BYU, Manhattan, Indiana, William & Mary, Penn State, Eastern Michigan, Kansas, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Maryland, Princeton, Montana, Arizona, Navy, and Kentucky 1974 No. 26 660 Defeated Arkansas and SyracuseLost to Oregon, Western Kentucky, UTEP, Washington State, Providence, Eastern Michigan, Georgetown, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Penn State, Duke, Michigan, BYU, Iowa State, Navy, Kentucky, Wichita State, Maryland, Missouri, Minnesota, East Tennessee State, Montana, Kent State, Florida, and Kansas State 1975 No. 30 737 Defeated Dartmouth and FloridaLost to UTEP, Washington State, Providence, Penn State, East Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, BYU, Colorado State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Oregon, Kansas State, Arkansas, New Mexico, Princeton, Tennessee, Indiana, Northeastern, Georgetown, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, William & Mary, Pittsburgh, Navy, Navy, Wichita State, Penn, Kent State, and Rice
The Long Beach State Beach women's cross country team has never made the NCAA tournament.
Women's soccer The Long Beach State women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 3–7 through seven appearances.
2008 First round San Diego L 0–1 2010 First round Santa Clara L 0–1 2011 First roundSecond RoundThird roundQuarterfinals PepperdineMiami (FL)San DiegoDuke W 1–0W 1–0W 1–0L 0–2 2012 First round Santa Clara L 1–2 2015 First round Santa Clara L 0–1 2016 First round Santa Clara L 0–3 2018 First round USC L 0–6
Women's tennis Long Beach State women's tennis team ('Beach Tennis') competes in the Big West Conference. As of the end of the 2018–19 season, the team has won thirteen Big West tennis titles since 2002 and qualified for thirteen NCAA tournament championships since 2002; advancing to the Round of 32 three times.
Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello has won a league record eight Big West Conference Coach of the Year awards (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014) and was named the ITA West Region Coach of the Year and a finalist for the national award in 2004.
The women's tennis team plays at the Terry L. Rhodes Tennis Center, which opened on campus Fall 2008. The tennis center is named after 49er alumnus Terry Rhodes following his $1.25 million gift to the women's tennis program. Rhodes' gift is the largest single sport donation in university history. The new facility also includes The Gloria and Bob Hendricks Family Scoreboard, a high electronic display of all matches donated by the family of the former 49er women's tennis head coach.
Volleyball
Men's volleyball
The men's volleyball competed in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and now in the Big West Conference. They won the MPSF regular season title in 2008 and 2017 and the Big West regular season titles in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023*, 2024 and 2025. While winning the Big West Conference Tournament Championship in 2018, 2024 and 2026. They won the 1991, 2018, 2019, and 2025 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship and have placed second seven times. * Co-Champion
As of 2026, the Long Beach State men's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of through sixteen appearances.
1970 PoolsPoolsPoolsSemifinalsNational Championship Ball StateUC Santa BarbaraUCLABall StateUCLA W 2–0W 2–0L 1–2W 3–1L 0–3 1973 PoolsPoolsPoolsSemifinalsNational Championship Ball StateArmySan Diego StateArmySan Diego State W 2–0W 2–0W 2–1W 3–0L 1–3 1990 SemifinalsNational Championship Rutgers–NewarkUSC W 3–0L 1–3 1991 SemifinalsNational Championship Penn StateUSC W 3–0W 3–1 1999 SemifinalsNational Championship Purdue Fort WayneBYU W 3–2L 0–3 2004 SemifinalsNational Championship Penn StateBYU W 3–0L 2–3 2008 Semifinals Pepperdine L 0–3 2016 QuarterfinalsSemifinals ErskineBYU W 3–0L 1–3 2017 Semifinals BYU L 0–3 2018 SemifinalsNational Championship Ohio StateUCLA W 3–1W 3–2 2019 SemifinalsNational Championship PepperdineHawai'i W 3–1W 3–1 2022 SemifinalsNational Championship UCLAHawai'i W 3–2L 0–3 2023 QuarterfinalsSemifinals Grand CanyonUCLA W 3–1L 0–3 2024 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Belmont AbbeyGrand CanyonUCLA W 3–0 W 3–2 L 1–3 2025 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Fort Valley State Pepperdine UCLA W 3–0 W 3–1 W 3–0 2026 Regional FinalsSemifinals Loyola Chicago Hawai'i W 3–0 L 1–3
Women's volleyball Long Beach State is home to one of the top women's volleyball teams in the nation. LBSU alumnus Brian Gimmillaro has coached the team since 1985 and his tenure is the second-longest of any Long Beach State coach with one team. Long Beach State has appeared in the NCAA tournament 25 consecutive times under Gimmillaro from 1987 to 2011, only missing the tournament under his tenure in 1986 and 2012.