A bagpiper in a kilt led hundreds of Azusa Pacific University students and the school president into the Cougars' stadium before kickoff against Whittier College earlier this season, a sun-splashed celebration of what once were two of the biggest brands in California small-college football.
Azusa Pacific had dropped the sport in 2020 after 55 years and Whittier in 2022 after 115 years, mainly for financial reasons.