Viking athletics: from then to now

From Corpus Christi Junior College to DMC

So many students who walk the halls of Del Mar College lack school pride. Few students I have spoken with know that our college has a mascot (yes, we do – we’re the Vikings) and fewer knew that we once had competitive NCAA sports that won bowl games and produced elite athletes. All that remains now are remnants from those bowl games and an Intramurals Department. Del Mar College, originally named Corpus Christi Junior College, was established in 1935 under control of the board of Trustees of the Corpus Christi Independent School District, although Junior College District and CCISD taxes were collected separately. Superintendent of the School District E. H. Hereford also served as president of the junior college. The school’s name was changed in 1948 to Del Mar College, and in 1951 the college became an independent political subdivision, legally the Corpus Christi Junior College District, governed by a locally-elected board of regents. Before the college became DMC, the college had an athletic department that put the Vikings on the NCAA map. From 1946 to 1960, DMC Vikings football and basketball teams fought hard to prove Del Mar was not just a fluke of a college but a force to be reckoned with. Full story