More than a quarter-century since former football coach Pat Hill first dubbed Fresno State the “Pride of the Valley,” the university is re-introducing a new marketing campaign identifying the pride points that fuel Bulldog spirit in the Central Valley.
The campaign includes the university’s new institutional ad, a 30-second TV commercial that is expected to debut for a national audience during Fresno State’s football season opener at Kansas at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, on FOX. An extended version of the institutional ad launched Aug. 1 through various digital channels to kick off the refreshed brand campaign.
“Pride is a powerful force. Pride inspires us. Pride fuels us. Pride propels us. Pride is community, it’s care, commitment and courage … ” says Fresno State alumnus Manuel Olgin, Jr. the founding member of the university’s Chicano Alumni Club who recorded the voiceover for the spot. Olgin and fellow graduate student Tony Garduque launched Fresno State’s Chicano/Latino Commencement Celebration in 1977 as part of their master’s theses. In 2026, the celebration that brings thousands to campus each year to recognize graduates, will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Olgin is one of many Fresno State alumni and students featured in the institutional ad. The cinematic video spot opens with footage of three Fresno State students hiking through picturesque Yosemite National Park. Fresno is the largest city in the United States within a 90-minute drive of three national parks – Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon.
The spot goes on to highlight the ways Fresno State and the surrounding Central Valley communities intertwine, with footage of student research, local agriculture, music, theater, business and youth sports camps hosted by the university.
Fans will recognize Fresno State student-athletes such as sophomore running back Bryson Donelson and reigning Mountain West baseball co-player of the year Murf Gray, the Bulldogs third baseman who was drafted in the third round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 14.
The spot also highlights the renowned corn agnolotti dish (featuring Fresno State sweet corn) at the Annex Kitchen restaurant owned by university supporter Jimmy Pardini, and the new Red Wave Light Lager, a craft beer born out of a partnership with Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. and alumnus Michael Cruz.
“In this Valley, we’ve never been afraid of an honest day’s work,” Olgin says in the voiceover. “In this Valley, it’s always we over me. So when we speak of pride, that’s how we define it. It’s family, loyalty and tradition. It’s resilience, compassion and love. It’s anybody, anytime, anywhere. It’s who we are. It’s ingrained in our DNA, and it’s why we will forever be the Pride of the Valley.”
Fresno State begins its 115th academic year on Aug. 20, with a projected enrollment of more than 24,000 students and more than 256,000 living alumni.
In 2024, Fresno State rose to No. 22 in the Washington Monthly’s list of the top 40 universities, alongside the eight Ivy League schools, Stanford, MIT and Duke. The ranking is based on social mobility, public service and research and marks Fresno State’s ninth consecutive year in the top 40. Fresno State is the only California State University school on the list and the only one in the current Mountain West and future Pac-12 Conference, which the Bulldogs will join in July 2026.
The university is a driver for social mobility in Central California – about 65% of students are the first in their families to attend college, while many others continue a proud family legacy as second- or third-generation Bulldogs.