Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The CR players celebrate a touchdown during December’s Grizzly Bowl rout over Hartnell at the Redwood Bowl.

By Ray Hamill — When you win a first bowl game for your school in 30 years, you deserve a little bit of recognition.

And that’s exactly what the 2023 College of the Redwoods football players will receive this week.

On Thursday, the Corsairs will honor the team with a ring ceremony.

The event is open to the community and will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the CR board room.

“We hadn’t won a bowl game in 30 years, so it’s kind of big deal for College of the Redwoods athletics and our program,” head coach Jason White said. “The legacy these players created is huge in the history of our program.”

The Corsairs not only ended a three-decade wait for a bowl victory, but they did so in emphatic fashion, rolling over Hartnell 63-0 in early December in the 2023 Grizzly Bowl at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Redwood Bowl. 

And as White pointed out in the wake of the breakthrough victory, this team will someday be inducted into the CR athletics hall of fame.

Many of the players who played a part in that bowl victory left their mark on school history in more ways than just that after the program was re-instated for the 2022 season.

“They brought the program back and they had two winning seasons after CR hadn’t had a winning season since 2001,” the head coach added. “They did a lot for this program and really established a legacy here.”

Many of the players will be on hand for Thursday’s ceremony, along with parents and coaches, and White says the event is open to any fans or boosters who would like to show up as well.