Cal State Fullerton Debuts New Titan Statue as Buena Park Awaits Its Own Coyote

## From Titans to Coyotes: New CSUF Statue Inspires School and Community Pride in Orange County

**FULLERTON, Calif. — August 2026** — A new symbol of strength, pride and belonging has arrived at **California State University, Fullerton**, as the university unveiled its long-awaited bronze Titan statue—more than three decades after the idea of creating an iconic campus monument first began.

A side-by-side image celebrates two symbols of school and community pride: the **Coyote**, representing Buena Park High School and the future Coyote Park landmark, and the **Titan**(photo from @csufofficial), representing California State University, Fullerton. Titled **“Coyotes & Titans,”** the image highlights the connection between generations of students, alumni, and the lasting identities created by their school mascots.

The sculpture, created by artist **Matthew Gray Palmer** in collaboration with campus partners, now stands prominently on the Cal State Fullerton campus between McCarthy Hall and Gordon Hall. An official dedication ceremony is expected to follow.

Designed to embody the ambitions, diversity and pride of generations of Titans, the statue was developed through a collaborative process involving the **Cal State Fullerton Alumni Association, Associated Students Inc. and Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation Board of Governors**, with input gathered from across the campus community.

The project was made possible through private support rather than state funding, transforming a decades-old idea into a permanent gathering place and symbol for generations of students and alumni.

For **Buena Park Councilmember and Cal State Fullerton alumnus Carlos Franco**, seeing the Titan finally take its place on campus brought back memories of how strongly a school mascot can become tied to a person’s identity and sense of belonging.

_“When you’re a student, a mascot can seem like something you cheer for at a game or see printed on a sweatshirt. Years later, you realize it represents something much bigger,”_ Franco said. _“The Titan represents thousands of individual stories—students who worked late, families who sacrificed, friendships that were formed and graduates who went out into the world carrying a little bit of Cal State Fullerton with them. As an alumnus, seeing this statue finally standing on campus feels like seeing all of those stories given a permanent home.”_

The arrival also has a special connection to Franco’s hometown of Buena Park, where another community mascot is preparing to find a permanent home.

As development of **Coyote Park** continues near Stanton Avenue and Pinchot Court, plans call for a coyote statue that will pay tribute to the identity of nearby **Buena Park High School**, home of the Coyotes.

For generations of Buena Park students, the coyote has represented school spirit, perseverance and pride. The future statue will extend that identity beyond the high school campus and into a neighborhood park designed for the surrounding community.

Current Buena Park High School student **Kameron Underwood** said the prospect of seeing a Coyote represented permanently in the community carries special meaning for students.

_“Being a Coyote is something we’re proud of, and having a statue in a community park makes it feel like that pride belongs to the whole city,”_ Underwood said. _“Students will be able to walk by it and say, ‘That’s us. That’s our school.’ Years from now, even after we graduate, we’ll be able to come back and know that a piece of our time at Buena Park High School is still represented here.”_

Coyote Park itself grew from community advocacy for additional open space in the neighborhood. The approximately one-third-acre park is being designed with resident input and is intended to provide a welcoming neighborhood space with landscaping, seating, recreation and opportunities for residents to gather.

Franco sees a meaningful parallel between the two projects.

One statue represents a university whose graduates carry the Titan identity throughout their lives. The other will represent generations of students who have grown up calling themselves Coyotes.

_“Places become meaningful because of the stories we attach to them,”_ Franco said. _“Twenty years from now, a Cal State Fullerton graduate may bring their child to the Titan and tell them about their college years. I imagine the same thing happening at Coyote Park—a former Buena Park High School student bringing their family to the statue and saying, ‘I was a Coyote.’ That’s how community identity gets passed from one generation to the next.”_

For Cal State Fullerton, the new Titan is the culmination of more than 30 years of imagining a physical landmark capable of capturing the university’s spirit.

For Buena Park’s Coyotes, another story is just beginning.

Different schools. Different mascots. Different generations.

But the same enduring idea: **a symbol becomes powerful when a community sees itself reflected in it.**

## About California State University, Fullerton

California State University, Fullerton is one of the largest universities in the California State University system, serving a diverse student population through academic programs, research, community engagement and opportunities that prepare graduates to contribute throughout Orange County, California and beyond.

## About Coyote Park

Coyote Park is a planned neighborhood park near Stanton Avenue and Pinchot Court in Buena Park. Developed through community input and collaboration between the City of Buena Park and its design team, the project is envisioned as a neighborhood gathering place providing additional open space, landscaping and recreational opportunities for residents.

## About Culture-Fluent

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