Sky River Casino partners with Sac State sports. What does it mean for Pac-12, new stadium?
Wilton Rancheria is continuing its dive into the Sacramento sports scene.
The Native American tribe — which recently bought a controlling interest of the Sacramento Republic FC soccer team and announced plans for a new, privately-financed $217 million stadium in the downtown Railyards — is partnering with the Sacramento State athletic department through its Sky River Casino in a new multi-year agreement.
The deal was announced Friday at the Elk Grove casino by Wilton Rancheria Chairman Jesus Tarango, Sacramento State President Luke Wood and associate athletic director Andy Fiske. The partnership was announced in conjunction with the Causeway Classic football game between Sacramento State and rival UC Davis on Saturday, hosted at Hornet Stadium.
The Sacramento State Hornets during the annual matchup vs. the Aggies will wear new helmets with tribal designs to acknowledge the history and culture of Wilton Rancheria, which is indigenous to the Sacramento Valley. There will also be on-field and stadium signage, along with a presentation recognizing Native American Heritage Day.
“Our people die for the land that they come from,” Tarango said. “And so for us to be able to try to give a sense of pride to the students there and the student athletes, to say that ‘I chose this school for a reason.’ But it now has a little bit more meaning because now you’re incorporating the first inhabitants.”
What does partnership mean for Sac State’s new stadium and Pac-12?
Sacramento State’s athletic program is in a transition period and has ambitious goals.
The school in September announced plans for a new, 25,000-seat football stadium as part of its plan to pitch itself to the Pac-12 Conference, which is looking for new members after the vast majority of its schools left over the past year, including USC, UCLA, Washington, Oregon, Cal, Stanford, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State. Sacramento State is currently in the Big Sky Conference.
The price of the Hornets’ proposed stadium has not been announced, nor has there been clarity on where the funding would come from, while school officials have been publicly optimistic about the stadium getting done.
“We need to, one, remain competitive and win at this level,” Fiske said. “And then hopefully go to the next level. So this is always trying to build something special. First priority is getting the stadium built. We’ll see what happens from there.”
Meanwhile, the terms of the agreement between Sacramento State, Wilton Rancheria and Sky River Casino have not been disclosed. But Wood acknowledged the partnership could help the school raise its athletic profile and help build a new stadium.
“Absolutely,” Wood said. “If you think about it, most FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams have partnerships like this. So if you’re thinking about being at a different level, you have to act like it.”
Sacramento State’s football team currently plays in the FCS, the lower subdivision of NCAA Division I football.
Wood was asked if the money from the agreement has been allocated toward funding the stadium.
“So they have absolutely contributed to Sacramento State athletics in a number of different ways, some of which have been private, some of which have been public in terms of the stadium,” Wood said. “Right now, the tribe has a stadium plan for the Railyards. We have a stadium plan for the campus, and who knows what the future holds.”
The agreement marks the second significant investment into sports for Wilton Rancheria this month.
The tribe took over as controlling stakeholders of Republic FC while the team remains open to elevating from the second-tier United Soccer League to Major League Soccer. Having a new, expandable stadium in the downtown Railyards could help clear that path after Sacramento was given an expansion bid in 2019 before the deal collapsed when investor Ron Burkle backed out in 2021 amid the pandemic.
Tarango acknowledged the similarities of Republic FC’s situation and where Sacramento State finds itself — trying to jump to a more prestigious league while working to build a new stadium that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
“So for us, we’re very comfortable with where things are,” said Tarango, who attended Sacramento State. “Now, if there’s a possibility for them to get into the Pac-12, there’s a possibility for the Sac Republic to get into the MLS, we will definitely welcome that. But we’re very happy with where we’re at and providing a great team, a great partnership to the things that are already here.
“I would say, the sky’s the limit on that. And I think anybody that’s out there, they know that’s probably something we’re thinking about, but it’s not the focal point.”
Wood calls Sacramento State athletics the school’s ‘front door’
The partnership also aligns with Sacramento State’s Native American College, which is slated to begin classes in the fall 2025 semester.
It’s the first time a California State University is launching a stand-alone college of its kind — and Wood said Sacramento State this year reached its goal of having the largest population of Native students of any California public institution. It comes after the school launched its Black Honors College which began classes this fall.
The partnership with Wilton Rancheria and Sky River Casino falls in line with Wood’s ambitious ethos since becoming the school’s president in July 2023. Among his goals: taking a leading role in creating Sacramento State’s “Combat U,” a club program for boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai and jiujitsu. Wood believes Sacramento State will soon have one of the best boxing and mixed martial arts programs in the country.
And Wood believes the athletic program can bring attention to everything else the school will offer.
“My mindset is it’s the front door to the university,” Wood said. “So if we truly want to be a large, public, national campus that has a regional commitment, that’s diverse, that’s growing, that’s excelling, then we’ve got to act differently. And that means that we got to lean into athletics.”
Wood reiterated he didn’t want there to be a perception the school is leaning away from its academics. He said the school is working to hire new faculty members and continue to improve the Native American and Black Honors colleges.
“But you also have to make sure that you’re being attentive to the front door,” Wood said. “This is where we get our donors. It’s through athletics. It’s where we get our alumni engaged. It’s through athletics. It’s where students who are looking to say, ‘where am I going to go to college?’ They make that decision oftentimes watching a Sacramento State game, whether it’s football, basketball, volleyball, track and field. It’s our front door and so we’re just making sure our front door is open.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 3:57 PM.
