The new school had their first football game in that same year, with their central athletic figure being none other than Charles E. Peterson. He was appointed in 1916 as a Phys-Ed instructor, but after serving in World War I, he was convinced to return and oversee the schools athletics program.

At first, Peterson taught all the men’s phys-ed classes and coached all of the teams. At this time, the school didn’t have a name for the team. So news outlets called them the “Staters” or “Professors”. And the media urged the school to choose a name and names were even suggested including the Panthers, Balboa, and Thoroughbreds. But the student leaders chose the nickname “Aztecs” over the suggestions. Because it was felt that the name better represented the school’s southwest image.