1978 San Jose State Spartans football team

1978 San Jose State Spartans football
PCAA co-champion
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Record	7–5 (4–1 PCAA)
Head coach	Lynn Stiles (3rd season)
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium
Seasons ←  1977 1979  →

1978 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Utah State +	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
San Jose State +	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Pacific (CA)	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	8	–	0
Cal State Fullerton	2	–	2	–	0			5	–	7	–	0
Long Beach State	1	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Fresno State	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Utah State's game against Wyoming counted in the conference standings.

The 1978 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. ^{[note 1]} The team was led by third 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 third time in four years, with a record of seven wins and five losses (7–5, 4–1 PCAA).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	Idaho *	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 31–14	10,011	[1]
September 16	at Stanford *	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	L 9–38	42,500	[2]
September 23	at No. 19 Colorado *	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 7–22	44,868	[3]
September 30	Santa Clara *	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 17–7	16,626	[4]
October 7	at Hawaii *	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI (rivalry)	L 11–25	36,049	[5]
October 14	at Boise State *	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	L 15–30	18,112	[6]
October 21	Fresno State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA (rivalry)	W 26–16	11,410	[7]
October 28	at Utah State	Romney Stadium Logan, UT	L 21–31	18,226	[8]
November 4	Cal State Fullerton	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 30–21	9,183	[9]
November 11	at Pacific (CA)	Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	W 33–31	14,000	[10]
November 18	Montana *	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 35–7		[11]
December 2	Long Beach State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 24–6	10,115	[12] [13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[14] [15]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1979 NFL draft. ^[16]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Frank Manumaleuga	Linebacker	4	85	Kansas City Chiefs

The following finished their San Jose State career in 1978, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[17]

Player	Position	First NFL team
M. L. Carter	Defensive back	1979 Kansas City Chiefs

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 State whips Idaho, 31–14". Santa Cruz Sentinel. September 10, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Stanford rips Spartans 38–9". The Sacramento Bee. September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Mayberry sparks Colorado". Lincoln Journal Star. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "San Jose St. subdues Santa Clara". The San Francisco Examiner. October 1, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Spartan grid coach Stiles: "We let a lot of people down"". The Peninsula Times Tribune. October 9, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "San Jose State falls at Bronco Stadium 30–15". The Idaho Statesman. October 15, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "SJS staggers to unimpressive win". Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Hipple sparks Utah State win". The Montana Standard. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. Pete Donovan (November 5, 1978). "San Jose stops Fullerton, 30–21". The Los Angeles Times. p. III-1. Retrieved February 7, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
10. "UOP loses on last play 33–31". The Modesto Bee. November 12, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "SJS rolls as Cole establishes new school record". Santa Cruz Sentinel. November 19, 1978. Retrieved September 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. 49er Football; 1979 Media Guide (pamphlet). Long Beach, California: CSULB Athletic Department. 1979.
13. "San Jose tops Long Beach, ties for crown". The Idaho Statesman. December 3, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1978 San Jose State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
15. "San Jose State 2016 Football Media Guide" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.
16. "1979 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
17. "San Jose St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.