1976 San Jose State Spartans football team

1976 San Jose State Spartans football
PCAA champion
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Record	7–4 (4–0 PCAA)
Head coach	Lynn Stiles (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Doug Kay (1st season)
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium
Seasons ←  1975 1977  →

1976 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
San Jose State $	4	–	0	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Fresno State	3	–	1	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Long Beach State	2	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Cal State Fullerton	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	1
Pacific (CA)	0	–	4	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1976 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. ^{[note 1]} The team was led by first year head coach Lynn Stiles. They played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spartans finished the season as champions of the PCAA for the second year in a row, with a record of seven wins and four losses (7–4, 4–0 PCAA).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	Utah State *	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA		W 45–10	19,123	[1]
September 11	Hawaii *	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA (rivalry)		W 48–7	19,500	[2]
September 18	at Cal State Fullerton *	Falcon Stadium Norwalk, CA		W 20–0	5,644	[3]
September 25	at Stanford *	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	ABC	L 23–28	51,000	[4]
October 2	at California *	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA		L 16–43	42,120	[5]
October 9	at New Mexico *	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM		L 30–36	23,545	[6]
October 16	Long Beach State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA		W 34–7	18,500	[7] [8]
October 23	Fresno State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA (rivalry)		W 21–7	16,500	[9]
October 30	Santa Clara *	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA		W 50–15	17,500	[10]
November 6	at San Diego State *	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		L 17–30	40,710	[11]
November 13	at Pacific (CA)	Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA (Victory Bell)		W 50–30	18,093	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

^{[13] [14]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1977 NFL draft. ^[15]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Wilson Faumuina	Defensive tackle – Defensive end – Nose tackle	1	20	Atlanta Falcons
Rick Kane	Running back	3	69	Detroit Lions
Jim LeJay	Wide receiver	10	270	St. Louis Cardinals
Steve DeBerg	Quarterback	10	275	Dallas Cowboys
John Blain	Tackle	11	285	New Orleans Saints

Notes

1. The Big West Conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association from its founding in 1969 through 1987.

References

1. "San Jose routs Utah State". The Sacramento Bee. September 5, 1976. Retrieved September 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Spartans rout Hawaii". The San Francisco Examiner. September 12, 1976. Retrieved September 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. Arnold Wechter (September 12, 1976). "'Exhibition Season' Ends After Spartans Shut Out Fullerton". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. p. 29. Retrieved February 6, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Guy named Guy ignites Stanford". Contra Costa Times. September 26, 1976. Retrieved September 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Cal bombs San Jose". The Sacramento Bee. October 3, 1976. Retrieved September 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Northridge Rally Give Cal State LA First Loss". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 10, 1976. p. III-11. Retrieved March 31, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Spartans steamroll the 49ers". Oakland Tribune. October 17, 1976. Retrieved September 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. Forty-Niners '77; Football Media Guide (pamphlet). Long Beach, California: CSULB Athletic Department. 1977.
9. "Penalty-prone S.J. Spartans outlast Fresno State, 21–7". Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 24, 1976. Retrieved September 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Spartans crush outgunned Broncs". Oakland Tribune. October 31, 1976. Retrieved September 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "San Diego St. upends San Jose St., 30–17". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. November 7, 1976. p. S-2. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Spartans rip UOP for title". Oakland Tribune. November 14, 1976. Retrieved September 13, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "San Jose State 1976 Schedule" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.
14. "San Jose State 2016 Football Media Guide" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.
15. "1977 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.