Jon Carlson
Soccer (1978-1981)

Jon Carlson didn’t begin playing soccer until he was a freshman in high school, but it didn’t take him long to establish himself as a natural on the field. By his sophomore year, Jon was a member of the varsity team, and despite also lettering in baseball, concluded that his athletic future was in soccer.

Jon arrived at Chico State in the fall of 1978 and made it as a walk-on for Don Batie’s Wildcats. Quite an accomplishment, since the team had gone 14-2-1 the year before in route to yet another Far West Conference championship. In his first year in a Wildcat uniform, Jon and his teammates reached the NCAA West Region playoffs concluding an outstanding 16-7-1 season. The team struggled slightly in 1979, but through no fault of Jon’s as he was named First Team All-Conference and Coach’s Award winner. Jon was named team captain for the 1980 season, and the Wildcats bounced back in a big way, reaching the final four and placing third in the nation. Jon was once again rewarded with first team all-FWC honors and Coach’s Award accolades. In his senior season, Jon pulled off the hat trick, being named first team all-FWC, first team all-West Region, and Chico State’s Outstanding Senior Athlete for 1981-82.

After leaving Chico State, Jon returned to his hometown of Sacramento and was hired by Federal Express. He enjoyed a successful career with FedEx until 1994 when he became a full-time, stay-at-home dad. Jon returned to Chico State to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in May of 2001. Jon, and his wife Rhonda have three children; Daniel, Kevin and Mikaela. They are active supporters of both Chico State soccer as well as youth soccer in their hometown of Paradise.