1968 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1968 San Diego State Aztecs football
UPI small college national champion
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1 (UPI small college)
AP	No. 2 (AP small college)
Record	9–0–1
Head coach	Don Coryell (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	Rod Dowhower (1st season)
Home stadium	San Diego Stadium
Seasons ←  1967 1969  →

1968 NCAA College Division independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 San Diego State			–					9	–	0	–	1
No. 3 Chattanooga			–					9	–	1	–	0
Indiana State			–					9	–	1	–	0
Indiana (PA)			–					9	–	1	–	0
Nevada Southern			–					8	–	1	–	0
Ashland			–					8	–	2	–	0
No. 7 Eastern Michigan			–					8	–	2	–	0
Lincoln (MO)			–					8	–	2	–	0
St. Norbert			–					6	–	2	–	1
Tennessee State			–					6	–	2	–	1
UC Riverside			–					6	–	2	–	1
Hawaii			–					7	–	3	–	0
No. 14 Tampa			–					7	–	3	–	0
No. 17 Akron			–					7	–	3	–	1
Northeastern			–					6	–	3	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					6	–	3	–	0
Cortland			–					5	–	3	–	0
Boston University			–					5	–	3	–	1
Northern Arizona			–					6	–	4	–	0
Pacific (CA)			–					6	–	4	–	0
Samford			–					6	–	4	–	0
Northern Michigan			–					5	–	4	–	0
Parsons			–					5	–	4	–	0
Wheaton (IL)			–					5	–	4	–	0
Drake			–					5	–	5	–	0
UC Santa Barbara			–					4	–	4	–	1
Santa Clara			–					4	–	5	–	0
Portland State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Wayne State (MI)			–					3	–	6	–	0
Wabash			–					3	–	6	–	0
Colorado College			–					2	–	6	–	0
Kentucky State			–					2	–	7	–	0
Milwaukee			–					2	–	7	–	0
Lake Forest			–					2	–	8	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					2	–	8	–	0
Mississippi Valley State			–					1	–	7	–	0
UC San Diego			–					0	–	7	–	0
Rose Poly			–					0	–	8	–	0
Cal Poly Pomona			–					0	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP small college poll

The 1968 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State College ^{[note 1]} during the 1968 NCAA College Division football season.

This was San Diego State's last year in the College Division of the NCAA. They had been a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) for the previous 29 years, but competed as an Independent during the 1968 season. The team was led by head coach Don Coryell, in his eighth year, and played their home games at San Diego Stadium ^{[note 2]} in San Diego, California.

The team finished the season undefeated for the second time under Coach Coryell, with nine wins, zero losses, and one tie (9–0–1). At the end of the season, the Aztecs were voted the College Division national champion for the third consecutive year in the UPI small college football rankings and No. 2 in the AP small college football rankings.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	UT Arlington *		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 23–18	35,227	[1]
September 20	Northern Illinois *		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 40–21	30,560	[2]
September 28	at Montana State *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	Gatton Field Bozeman, MT	W 34–22	9,000	[3]
October 12	Texas Southern *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 42–23	38,305	[4]
October 19	Cal State Los Angeles *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 37–14	44,169	[5]
October 26	San Jose State *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 48–6	34,641	[6]
November 2	Fresno State *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA (rivalry)	W 42–12	24,387	[7]
November 9	Southern Miss *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 68–7	43,766	[8]
November 23	Tennessee State *	No. 1 AP / 1 UPI	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	T 13–13	37,713	[9]
November 30	Utah State *	No. 2 AP / 1 UPI	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 30–19	37,425	[10]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP/UPI Poll released prior to the game

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Roster

1968 San Diego State Aztecs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 12 Dennis Shaw	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 77 Fred Dryer S 27 Nate Wright	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Don Coryell Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Team players in the NFL/AFL

The following San Diego State players were selected in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. ^[12]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Fred Dryer	Defensive end	1	13	New York Giants
Lloyd Edwards	Tight end	3	75	Oakland Raiders
Tom Nettles	Flanker	7	179	Kansas City Chiefs
Doug Fisher	Linebacker	12	290	Pittsburgh Steelers

The following finished their college career in 1968, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[13]

Player	Position	First NFL Team
Clancy Oliver	Defensive back	1969 Pittsburgh Steelers
Nate Wright	Defensive back	1969 Atlanta Falcons

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Tom Nettles
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Larry Findley, Off Fred Dryer, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Dennis Shaw, Off Mike Meagher, Def
Most Inspirational Player	Mike Meagher

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Notes

1. San Diego State University was known as San Diego State College from 1935 to 1971.
2. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.

References

1. "Aztecs Rally, Nip Arlington". Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. September 15, 1968. p. C-1. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
2. Arvid Koontz (September 21, 1968). "San Diego State Wins 40–21, Northern's Offense Improved". The DeKalb Daily Chronicle. DeKalb, Illinois. p. 6. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Aztec Defense Keys Triumph". Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. September 29, 1968. p. S-2. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Parks Leads CSLB To Upset Victory". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 13, 1968. p. D 15. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Aztecs Crush Diablos, 37-14, Before 44,169". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 20, 1968. p. D-2. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. "San Jose Falls Victim To San Diego". Fresno Bee. October 27, 1968. p. 4-S. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
7. Bruce Farris (November 3, 1968). "Aztecs Start Slow, Then Trample FSC". Fresno Bee. p. 1-S. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Aztecs Crush Mississippi Grids 68-7". Fresno Bee. November 10, 1968. p. 4-S. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Tennessee State Ties Aztecs With Defense". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 24, 1968. p. D 18. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Aztecs Power Past Utah State 30-19". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. December 1, 1968. p. S2. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
11. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
12. "1969 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
13. "San Diego St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 8, 2016.