1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football team
| 1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football | |
|---|---|
 | |
CCAA champion | |
Mercy Bowl, W 36–6 vs. Bowling Green | |
| Conference | California Collegiate Athletic Association |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 5 (UPI small college) |
| AP | No. 3 (AP small college) |
| Record | 10–0 (5–0 CCAA) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Ratcliffe Stadium (Capacity: 13,000) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3/5 Fresno State $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles State | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Long Beach State | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UC Santa Barbara | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented Fresno State College[note 1] during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season.
The team was led by third-year head coach Cecil Coleman and played home games at Ratcliffe Stadium on the campus of Fresno City College in Fresno, California. They finished the season as champions of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) for the fourth consecutive year, with an unbeaten, untied record of ten wins and zero losses (10–0, 5–0 CCAA). This was the seventh conference title in eight years for the Bulldogs.
At the end of the season, Fresno State took part in a charity bowl game, the 1961 Mercy Bowl against Bowling Green. The game was played as a special fundraiser in memory of sixteen Cal Poly San Luis Obispo football players killed in a plane crash following a game against Bowling Green a year earlier.[1]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23 | at Montana State* |
| W 16–13 | 7,000 | |
| September 30 | UC Santa Barbara | W 22–14 | 9,066 | ||
| October 7 | at Pacific (CA)[note 2]* | W 20–19 | 10,000 | ||
| October 14 | at Cal Poly[note 3] | W 42–13 | 6,000 | ||
| October 21 | Los Angeles State[note 4] | No. 10 |
| W 35–6 | 11,151 |
| October 28 | San Diego State[note 5] | No. 6 |
| W 27–6[2] | 6,595 |
| November 3 | at Long Beach State[note 6] | No. 6 | W 37–14 | 5,000 | |
| November 11 | Abilene Christian* | No. 5 |
| W 21–7 | 9,960 |
| November 18 | San Jose State[note 7]* | No. 3 |
| W 36–27 | 14,141 |
| November 23 | vs. Bowling Green* | No. 3 | W 36–6 | 33,146 | |
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Team players in the NFL/AFL
The following were selected in the 1962 NFL Draft.[5][6]
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL Team |
| Jesse Williams | Center | 10 | 138 | New York Giants |
| Bill Knocke | Halfback | 17 | 233 | Baltimore Colts |
| Sonny Bishop | Guard | 18 | 249 | Cleveland Browns |
| John Anabo | Quarterback | 19 | 263 | Cleveland Browns |
The following were selected in the 1962 AFL Draft.[5]
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | AFL Team |
| Sonny Bishop | Guard | 11 | 88 | San Diego Chargers |
| Jesse Williams | Center | 21 | 168 | San Diego Chargers |
Notes
- ^ California State University, Fresno was known as Fresno State College from 1949 to 1971.
- ^ University of the Pacific (UOP) was known as College of the Pacific from 1911 to 1961.
- ^ The official name of Cal Poly has been California Polytechnic State University since 1947. However, it is more commonly known as either Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or just Cal Poly.
- ^ California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) was known as Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts and Sciences from 1947 to 1963.
- ^ San Diego State University was known as San Diego State College from 1935 to 1971.
- ^ California State University, Long Beach was known as Long Beach State College from 1950 to 1963.
- ^ San Jose State University was known as San Jose State College from 1935 to 1971.
References
- ^ "L.A.'s Last Bowl? 1961 Mercy Bowl". Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ Howard Hagen (October 29, 1961). "Fresno's Barrage Rips Aztecs". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. B-1.
- ^ "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Fresno State Yearly Results". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ a b "1962 NFL Draft". Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ "Fresno St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 12, 2016.