JFPA: Alumni Brotherhood, Gridiron Legacy

While the group’s official name might have “former” in the title, the JFPA is living proof of one of SDSU’s favorite mottos: once a Jackrabbit, always a Jackrabbit.

The Jackrabbit Former Players Association, a group of alumni who once played for SDSU Football, stemmed from a desire for Jacks of yesteryear to forge a connection to the program that shaped their lives and college careers. From that motivation came the members’ drive to support current student-athletes in football in tandem with the program’s greatest needs.

JFPA has evolved from a collective desire to remain connected to football to a mission to raise funds for the Jackrabbit Football experience, fueling everything from equipment, gear, food, and other necessities as they arise.

In addition to transformational generosity, the group is also responsible for transformational mentorship. The JFPA not only supports the team financially, but invests their time and leadership to help seniors find career opportunities following graduation.

If not for one Jackrabbit, the ever-growing organization wouldn’t exist today. An offensive lineman and 2010 grad, Ryan McKnight founded the JFPA in 2018 as a means to help current players and offer past players the chance for a hearty dose of the family atmosphere that Jackrabbit Nation is known for.

Now a lecturer in the Ness School of Management and Economics at SDSU, one could argue that Ryan remains plenty involved with his alma mater, yet sticking to academics simply wasn’t enough.

When asked why he established a group that chooses to give back to the yellow and blue community, Ryan can sum it up in just four words: to make a difference.

“I remember Coach Stig always saying, ‘By the time you play your last game for the Jacks, 17% of your life will have been devoted to SDSU Football,’” Ryan recalls. “Well, it should be more than that. SDSU is a brotherhood. It is a family. The JFPA is there for people to keep coming back and be part of something bigger than themselves.”

Last year's run to the FCS National Championship in Frisco was the perfect opportunity for members of the JFPA to unite in their mission and to reconnect with a brotherhood that has stood the test of time.

More than 300 members visited the team last year at a practice in Frisco before the championship game, showing up in solidarity and demonstrating the impact of a team whose culture is built on pride, loyalty, and an unshakable love for one another.

Looking back on the impromptu reunion of last year, Ryan is the first to admit that he didn’t anticipate how many former Jacks would make the trip.

If there’s one lesson that Ryan and others like him could impart to the student-athletes who will suit up on January 7, 2024, looking to complete a historic, program-record undefeated season and a second consecutive championship, it’s to soak it all in and enjoy every moment.

“Honestly, this time in Frisco means everything to us,” Ryan explains of the JFPA’s presence at this year's championship. “All of us wanted to play for a national title, but none of us did (minus the members from last year). It is really special to be able to connect with former teammates and past generations to watch our Jacks play for the national title.”

While it’s hard to put into words just how the days of being a student at SDSU remain with alumni, regardless of whether they were on the field or in the stands, Ryan’s story is a prime example of how one Jackrabbit’s journey can determine countless others.

As a three-year walk-on during his time at State, he credits the university’s decision to give him “a jersey and an opportunity” as the best thing to ever happen to him. “It taught me character and hard work while testing my mettle, along with some important lifelong lessons,” says Ryan.

With 460 members currently in its ranks, the JFPA is a testament to many other former footballers who share the same diehard passion for the yellow and blue.

Men who haven’t played in decades jump at the chance to help the current team, regardless of the program’s seasons, steadfast amid disappointing defeats or unforgettable victories.

When it comes to the JFPA, the organization amounts to far more than the dollars raised that provide better equipment, nutrition, or uniforms. It’s about upholding a culture unlike anywhere else and a family whose growth, much like their potential, is limitless.

Ryan relied on a quote from a fellow player, Geoff Wilber, to put it best: “Next to our families and friends, we would give anything to have one last play.”

Looking back on their own years at State, members of the JFPA agree: time goes by, and it goes by quickly – and in this case, the team is living through a chapter of SDSU’s legacy that will be remembered not only for the unfailingly loyal fans, the packed and frenzied stadiums, or the players that stood as giants.

It’ll be remembered as the time when Jackrabbit Football was poised on the cusp of unprecedented greatness, looking back on how far they’d come as a program and how far they could go in the future, together as one.