1970 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1970 San Diego State Aztecs football
PCAA co-champion
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Record	9–2 (5–1 PCAA)
Head coach	Don Coryell (10th season)
Offensive coordinator	Rod Dowhower (3rd season)
Home stadium	San Diego Stadium
Seasons ←  1969 1971  →

1970 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
San Diego State +	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Long Beach State +	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	1
Fresno State	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Pacific (CA)	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
San Jose State	2	–	3	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
UC Santa Barbara	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Cal State Los Angeles	0	–	4	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1970 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State College ^{[note 1]} during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. ^{[note 2]} The team was led by head coach Don Coryell, in his tenth year, and played home games at San Diego Stadium ^{[note 3]} in San Diego, California. They finished the season as co-champions of the conference, with a record of nine wins and two losses (9–2, 5–1 PCAA).

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	5:30 p.m.	at Northern Illinois *		Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 35–3	9,116	[1]
September 19	5:30 p.m.	at North Texas State *		Fouts Field Denton, TX	W 23–0	14,300	[2]
September 26		Cal State Los Angeles		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 35–0	34,717	[3]
October 3		BYU *		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 31–11	36,830	[4]
October 10		Southern Miss *		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 41–14	32,963	[5]
October 17	8:05 p.m.	San Jose State		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 32–6	28,216	[6]
October 31		Fresno State	No. 14	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA (rivalry)	W 56–14	46,294	[7]
November 7	7:30 p.m.	at Pacific (CA)	No. 14	Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	W 14–13	13,200–15,000	[8]
November 14		UC Santa Barbara	No. 14	San Diego Stadium San Diego	W 65–7	26,015	[9]
November 20		at Long Beach State	No. 14	Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, CA	L 11–27	39,005	[10]
November 28	8:03 p.m.	Iowa State *		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	L 22–28	31,810–40,172	[11] [12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

^{[13] [14] [15]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1971 NFL draft. ^[16]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Ken Burrow	Wide receiver	2	33	Atlanta Falcons
Henry Allison	Guard – Tackle	2	50	Philadelphia Eagles
Tom Shellabarger	Tackle	5	108	Philadelphia Eagles
Tom Hayes	Defensive back	6	137	Atlanta Falcons
Leon Van Gorkum	Defensive end	8	195	San Diego Chargers
Lindsey James	Running back	16	397	Atlanta Falcons

The following finished their SDSU career in 1970, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[17]

Player	Position	First NFL team
Terry Mendenhall	Linebacker	1971 Oakland Raiders

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Tim Delaney
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Henry Allison, Off Leon Van Gorkum, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Tim Delaney, Off Leon Van Gorkum, Def
Most Inspirational Player	Tim Delaney, Terry Mendenhall

^[14]

Notes

1. San Diego State University was known as San Diego State College from 1935 to 1971.
2. The Big West Conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association from its founding in 1969 through 1987.
3. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.

References

1. Pierce White (September 13, 1970). "San Diego State Routs Northern, 35–3". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 2-2. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Aztecs Win Another". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. September 20, 1970. p. 1-B. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Aztecs Rip LA State For 15th In Row". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. September 27, 1970. p. 6-D. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
4. "San Diego Passes Beat BYU, 31–11". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. October 4, 1970. p. B-2. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Aztecs Crush Southerners". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. October 11, 1970. p. 3-D. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Aztecs Bomb San Jose St. By 32–6". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. October 18, 1970. p. 11. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
7. Bruce Farris (November 1, 1970). "San Diego Express Derails FSC Freight". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. p. 1-B. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Pacific Scares San Diego". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. November 8, 1970. pp. 5–8. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Aztecs Ramble Past Santa Barbara 64–7". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. November 15, 1970. p. 1-B. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
10. Jim McCormack (November 21, 1970). "49ers Slay The Giant, 27–11". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. p. 1-B. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
11. "San Diego State Loses Second in Row, 28–22". The Los Angeles Times. November 29, 1970. p. D-12. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
12. "ISU Cyclones 2024 Fact Book" (PDF). Iowa State Cyclones. p. 142. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
13. "San Diego State 1970 Schedule" . Retrieved December 6, 2016.
14. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
15. "Schedule/Results (1970 San Diego State)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved October 9, 2025.
16. "1971 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
17. "San Diego St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 8, 2016.