If there was such a thing as a Shelton tree, it would definitely grow in the agricultural lush lands of the San Joaquin Valley. Because from the flat land nestled between the Sierra Nevada and Coastal Mountain Range originates a family proven to produce ripe and seasoned athletes like Cal Poly men’s basketball senior forward Titus Shelton.

It’s well known that some of the biggest deals of the year fall on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But for former Cal Poly head football coach Rich Ellerson, his deal came the Friday after Christmas.

So on the day after most families huddled around the Christmas tree to open presents, the United States Military Academy at West Point selected Ellerson to command the Black Knights football program, a move many of his associates and players at Cal Poly were not surprised by.