The team played a local YMCA club in 1893 and 1894 and garnered its first tie in 1896, a 6–6 decision against nearby rival College of the Pacific.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the Spartan football program was considered a powerhouse, posting 12 consecutive winning seasons and earning eight conference championship titles over an 18-year span.

The San Jose State Spartans football team served unexpectedly with the Honolulu Police Department during World War II.

From 1971 to 1992, San Jose State posted 15 winning seasons, won eight conference titles, appeared in four bowl games and sent nearly 50 players to the NFL.

[13] Coach Dick Tomey took over the program in 2005 amid Academic Progress Rate (APR) shortcomings that would result in severe penalties imposed by the NCAA.

The 2006 Spartan squad produced two 2007 NFL draft picks in wide receivers James Jones and John Broussard.

The post-season showed a positive result, however, with several players being named to all-star games including Dwight Lowery, Marcus Teland, Matt Castelo and Adam Tafralis.

On November 27, 2016, Caragher was relieved of his duties as head coach after compiling a 19–30 (.388) win-loss record and only one bowl appearance over four seasons.

[22] The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the 2020 season, with restrictions imposed by Santa Clara County prompting the team to conduct preseason practice at Humboldt State University.

[24][25] The Spartans qualified for the Mountain West Conference championship game for the first time, where they defeated Boise State 34–20.

[28] All three teams finished 6–2 in conference play, but the Spartans were left out of the MWC championship game after a computer tiebreaker placed UNLV and Boise State higher in the rankings.

In January 2024, Brennan left San Jose State to join the Arizona Wildcats as head coach.

In his first year, he led the Spartans to a bowl eligible 7–5 season, and earned San Jose State its first consensus All-American in Nick Nash.

The most recent additions came in the 1980s when the capacity of the stadium was expanded from approximately 18,000 to just over 31,000 by adding end zone bleachers, an upper deck and boxes on the west side.

In 1998, the field was widened and other renovations were carried out for the MLS San Jose Earthquakes soccer team in accordance with official FIFA regulations.

In August 2016, Citizens Equity First Credit Union purchased sole naming rights to Spartan Stadium for $8.7 million.

Phase II, which is tentatively slated to include installation of premium spectator seating on the stadium's east side, remains in the planning stages as of 2023.

Other distinctive and unique features of the stadium include the original 1933 Romanesque balustrade spanning the entire east and west sidelines, and the CEFCU Stadium "Ring of Honor" displayed along the west side upper deck.The Battle for the Valley San Jose State's biggest rival is California State University, Fresno, due in large part to the two schools' geographic proximity and long history of competing in the same conferences.

Stanford and San Jose State announced an agreement to renew the rivalry with a six-game home-and-home series beginning in 2024.

[42][43] San Jose State won the first of the renewed 6 game match-ups 34-31 at CEFCU Stadium on the Friday after thanksgiving November 29th, 2024.

In 1941, the San Jose State Spartans football team served unexpectedly with the Honolulu Police Department during World War II.

Bob Brule scored the game’s only touchdown and fell into an irrigation ditch behind the end zone, followed by three Cal State Normal School players.

Due to the "private vs. public" institutional competitiveness and the close geographical proximity of the two schools, a natural "cross-town" rivalry was born.

San Jose State earned its first national ranking in 1939, reaching the 18th spot in the Associated Press college football poll.

Dick Vermeil played for San Jose State as a backup quarterback before graduating in 1959 with a master's degree.

Willie Heston attended San Jose State, where he played halfback from 1898 to 1900 before transferring to the University of Michigan.

[108] Terry Donahue was a freshman walk-on defensive tackle for one year at San Jose State before transferring to UCLA.

Pop Warner led his teams to a combined four national championships while serving as the head coach at Pitt and Stanford.

John Ralston led Stanford to multiple Rose Bowl victories before taking over as the head coach at SJSU from 1993 to 1996.

[113][114] Along with Miami (OH), Dayton, Arkansas, Eastern Illinois, and Pacific, SJSU is one of only six programs in the nation to produce more than one alumnus who would go on to coach Super Bowl-winning teams.