1966 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1966 San Diego State Aztecs football
AP small college national champion UPI small college national champion CCAA champion Camellia Bowl champion
Camellia Bowl, W 28–7 vs. Montana State
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1 (UPI small college)
AP	No. 1 (AP small college)
Record	11–0 (5–0 CCAA)
Head coach	Don Coryell (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	John Madden (3rd season)
Home stadium	Aztec Bowl, Balboa Stadium
Seasons ←  1965 1967  →

1966 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1/1 San Diego State $	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	0
Fresno State	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Long Beach State	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Cal Poly	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Cal State Los Angeles	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Valley State	0	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP/UPI small college polls

The 1966 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State College ^{[note 1]} during the 1966 NCAA College Division football season. San Diego State competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by head coach Don Coryell, in his sixth year, and played home games at both Aztec Bowl and Balboa Stadium.

They finished the season as champions of the CCAA, undefeated and untied with eleven wins and zero losses (11–0, 5–0 CCAA). The Aztecs finished the season ranked number 1 in both the AP and UPI small college polls. The offense scored 317 points during the season, while the defense only gave up 105.

At the end of the regular season, San Diego State qualified for the Camellia Bowl, which at the time was the Western Regional Final in the College Division of the NCAA. The Aztecs beat Montana State in the game, 28–7. The Aztecs were voted the College Division national champion at the end of the season.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 17	Instituto Politécnico Nacional Águilas Blancas *		Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	W 45–0	10,843	[1] [2]
September 24	at No. 4 AP / 3 UPI Weber State *	No. 7 AP / 10 UPI	Wildcat Stadium Ogden, UT	W 38–34	10,961–11,961	[3] [4] [5]
October 1	at Cal Poly	No. 5 AP / 3 UPI	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 14–13	4,980	[6] [7]
October 8	at No. 8 UPI Long Beach State	No. 6 AP / 4 UPI	Veterans Stadium Long Beach, CA	W 21–18	13,187	[8]
October 15	at San Jose State *	No. 4 AP / 3 UPI	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 25–0	19,400	[9]
October 29	Fresno State	No. 2 AP / 2 UPI	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA (rivalry)	W 34–13	15,178	[10]
November 5	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI North Dakota State *	No. 2 AP / 2 UPI	Balboa Stadium San Diego, CA	W 36–0	35,342	[11]
November 12	Valley State	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	W 21–0	10,000–10,423	[12] [13]
November 19	Northern Arizona *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	W 16–8	10,047	[14] [15]
November 26	Cal State Los Angeles	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	Balboa Stadium San Diego, CA	W 39–12	13,947	[16] [17]
December 10	No. 3 AP / 2 UPI Montana State *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	Charles C. Hughes Stadium Sacramento, CA (Camellia Bowl)	W 28–7	15,740	[18]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP/UPI Poll released prior to the game

^[19]

Awards and honors

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Don Horn
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Leo Carroll
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Don Horn, Off John Wittler, Def
Most Inspirational Player	John Wittler

^[20]

Team players in the NFL/AFL

The following San Diego State players were selected in the 1967 NFL/AFL draft. ^[21]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Don Horn	Quarterback	1	25	Green Bay Packers
Leo Carroll	Defensive end	2	31	Atlanta Falcons
Don Shy	Running back	2	35	Pittsburgh Steelers
Bob Jones	Wide receiver	2	36	Chicago Bears
Bob Howard	Defensive back	2	48	San Diego Chargers
Nate Johns	Flanker	6	147	San Diego Chargers
John Williams	Defensive back	7	174	Philadelphia Eagles
Craig Scoggins	End	15	381	San Diego Chargers

Notes

1. San Diego State University was known as San Diego State College from 1935–1971. See: San Diego State

References

1. Howard Hagen (September 18, 1966). "Aztecs Overposer Mexico Poly, 45-0". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. H-1.
2. "Diablos Crushed by UOP's Attack, 30-7". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 18, 1966. p. D-8. Retrieved January 20, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Aztecs Rally For 38-34 Win Over Weber". The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. Associated Press. September 25, 1966. p. 6S. Retrieved December 13, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
4. Howard Hagen (September 25, 1966). "Great Aztec rally beats Weber, 38–34". The San Diego Union. p. B-1.
5. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (1966 Weber State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 12, 2024.
6. "Aztecs Block PAT Try, Nip Mustangs, 14-13". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. October 2, 1966. p. J-1.
7. "Diablos Blasted By Weber St., 70-7!". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 2, 1966. p. D-8. Retrieved January 20, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Aztecs Hold Off 49ers". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. October 9, 1966. p. C-1. Retrieved November 15, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
9. "San Jose Stunned by Aztecs". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. October 16, 1966. p. C-2. Retrieved November 15, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Aztecs Roll, 34-14". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 30, 1966. p. D13. Retrieved November 15, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
11. Howard Hagen (December 11, 1966). "'Number 1' Aztecs End Bison Reign In 36-0 Win". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. J-1.
12. Howard Hagen (November 13, 1966). "Aztecs Win Eighth, 21-0". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. H-1.
13. "Cumulative Football Statistics Report (1966 Valley State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 26, 2025.
14. "San Diego outscores N. Arizona". The Sacramento Bee. November 20, 1966. Retrieved June 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
15. Howard Hagen (November 20, 1966). "Aztecs Win Despite Five Fumbles". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. H-1.
16. Howard Hagen (November 27, 1966). "Aztecs Finish Unbeaten". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. H-1.
17. "Unbeaten Aztecs Snap 3-Year Hex". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 27, 1966. p. D-12. Retrieved January 20, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
18. Howard Hagen (December 11, 1966). "Horn's Four TD Passes Rout Montana St., 28-7". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. H-1.
19. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (1966 San Diego State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 13, 2024.
20. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
21. "1967 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.