1971 Long Beach State 49ers football team

1971 Long Beach State 49ers football
PCAA champion
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Record	8–4 (5–1 PCAA)
Head coach	Jim Stangeland (3rd season)
Home stadium	Veterans Stadium
Seasons ←  1970 1972  →

1971 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings

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

The 1971 Long Beach State 49ers football team represented California State College, Long Beach ^{[note 1]} during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season.

Cal State Long Beach competed in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. ^{[note 2]} The team was led by third year head coach Jim Stangeland, and played the majority of their home games at Veterans Stadium adjacent to the campus of Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California. One home game was played at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. They finished the season as Champions of the PCAA, with a record of eight wins and four losses (8–4, 5–1 PCAA).

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	5:30 p.m.	at Ole Miss *	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 13–29	33,500	[1]
September 18	5:30 p.m.	at Northern Illinois *	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	L 38–48	11,687	[2]
September 25	7:30 p.m.	Pacific (CA)	Veterans Memorial Stadium Long Beach, CA	W 15–14	6,853	[3]
October 2	7:30 p.m.	Valley State *	Veterans Memorial Stadium Long Beach, CA	W 34–7
October 8	7:30 p.m.	San Jose State	Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, CA	L 28–30	10,490–10,500	[4] [5]
October 16	7:30 p.m.	Cal State Los Angeles	Veterans Memorial Stadium Long Beach, CA	W 36–7	4,128	[6]
October 23	7:30 p.m.	at UC Santa Barbara	Campus Stadium Santa Barbara, CA	W 31–10	8,500	[7]
October 30	7:30 p.m.	at Cal Poly *	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 20–7	6,633	[8]
November 6	7:30 p.m.	Fresno State	Veterans Memorial Stadium Long Beach, CA	W 30–13
November 13	7:30 p.m.	at San Diego State	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 12–7	28,468	[9]
November 20	11:00 p.m.	at Hawaii *	Honolulu Stadium Honolulu, HI	W 46–21	14,510	[10]
November 27	6:00 p.m.	at UTEP *	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	L 32–38	6,530	[11]
*Non-conference game All times are in Pacific time

^{[12] [13] [14]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1972 NFL draft. ^[15]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
John Kahler	Defensive end	6	153	Kansas City Chiefs
Jim Fassel	Quarterback	7	167	Chicago Bears
John Turner	Tight end	11	270	San Diego Chargers
Jim Kirby	Wide receiver	16	407	Los Angeles Rams

The following finished their college career in 1970, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[16]

Player	Position	First NFL team
Reggie Berry	Defensive back	1972 San Diego Chargers

Notes

1. California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State) was known as California State College, Long Beach from 1964 to 1971.
2. The Big West Conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association from its founding in 1969 through 1987.

References

1. "Reserve QB hurls Rebels by Long Beach". The Los Angeles Times. September 12, 1971. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
2. "49ers Bow, 48-38; Diablos Also Lose". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 19, 1971. p. D-11. Retrieved February 3, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
3. "San Diego St. in Slump, Bows to Southern Mississippi, 10-0". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 26, 1971. p. D-14. Retrieved March 14, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
4. Doyle, Kevin (October 9, 1971). "SJS gridders finally win". Palo Alto Times . Palo Alto, California. p. 15. Retrieved August 24, 2023– via Newspapers.com .
5. "Summary Of Football Game Statistics – Visiting Team (San Jose State vs. Long Beach State)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 26, 2025.
6. Jim McCormack (October 17, 1971). "49ers Splash Past Outclassed Diablos". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. p. S-1. Retrieved February 3, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Long Beach St. Beats Santa Barbara, 31-10". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 24, 1971. p. D-14. Retrieved February 20, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
8. "San Diego St. Suffers 17-10 Loss to Fresno". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 31, 1971. p. D-16. Retrieved March 14, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
9. Dan Hafner (November 14, 1971). "Bizarre Play Gives 49ers 12-7 Victory". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. D-5. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Hawaii Rainbow Warrior Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). p. 131. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
11. "UTEP scores 38–32 win over 49ers". Oakland Tribune. November 28, 1971. Retrieved September 18, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "1971 Long Beach State Forty Niners Schedule" . Retrieved December 6, 2016.
13. "1971-72 Long Beach St. Beach; Schedule/Results". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 26, 2025.
14. Football Media Guide (pamphlet). Long Beach, California: LBSC Athletic Department. 1971.
15. "1972 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
16. "Long Beach St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 8, 2016.