1990 San Jose State Spartans football team

1990 San Jose State Spartans football
Big West champion California Bowl champion
California Bowl, W 48–24 vs. Central Michigan
Conference	Big West Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 20
Record	9–2–1 (7–0 Big West)
Head coach	Terry Shea (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Rick Rasnick (4th season)
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium
Seasons ←  1989 1991  →

1990 Big West Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 20 San Jose State $	7	–	0	–	0			9	–	2	–	1
Fresno State	5	–	1	–	1			8	–	2	–	1
Utah State	5	–	1	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Long Beach State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
UNLV	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Pacific (CA)	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
New Mexico State	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Cal State Fullerton	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from Coaches Poll

The 1990 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Big West Conference. The team was led by head coach Terry Shea, in his first year as head coach at San Jose State. They played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spartans finished the 1990 season as Champions of the Big West conference, with a record of nine wins, two losses and one tie (7–0 Big West). They were a mere 4 points away in their 2 losses to opponents from having an undefeated season. They have been dubbed “The Greatest Team in SJSU Football History” by the media in 2023. ^[1]

As a result of the Big West championship, the Spartans qualified for a postseason bowl game against the Mid-American Conference (MAC) co-champion Central Michigan Chippewas. The 1990 California Bowl was played in Fresno, California on December 8, with San Jose State winning, 48–24. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1	Louisville *	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	T 10–10	16,281	[3]
September 8	at No. 20 Washington *	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	L 17–20	66,337	[4]
September 15	at Pacific (CA)	Stagg Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	W 28–14	8,645	[5]
September 22	at UNLV	Sam Boyd Silver Bowl Whitney, Nevada	W 47–13	18,934	[6]
September 29	at Stanford *	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	W 29–23	45,500	[7]
October 6	at California *	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	L 34–35
October 13	Long Beach State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 46–29	14,938	[8]
October 20	Utah State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 34–27	11,834	[9] [10]
November 3	Cal State Fullerton	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 44–6	11,256	[11]
November 10	at New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	W 56–20	13,865	[12]
November 17	Fresno State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA (rivalry)	W 42–7	31,218	[13] [14]
December 8	vs. Central Michigan *	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (California Bowl)	W 48–24	25,431
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[15] [16]}

Rankings

Further information: 1990 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	23	25	25	20

Game summaries

Louisville

See also: 1990 Louisville Cardinals football team

At Washington

See also: 1990 Washington Huskies football team

Vs. Central Michigan (California Bowl)

Main article: 1990 California Bowl

See also: 1990 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1991 NFL draft. ^[17]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Sheldon Canley	Running back	7	193	San Francisco 49ers

References

1. "Absolute Loyalty Rings True to Members of the 1990 Now Add It Did Then" . Retrieved November 12, 2023.
2. "San Jose State Bowl History". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
3. "Louisville Football Part VII The Record Book" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2007.
4. "Washington 2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2007.
5. "Far West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 16, 1990. p. C23. Retrieved April 21, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. "2016 UNLV Rebel Football Light the Fuse". Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
7. "Pacific 10". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 30, 1990. p. C20. Retrieved April 21, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
8. "San Jose St. 46, CSLB 29". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 4, 1990. p. C-21. Retrieved February 10, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Utah State Football Guide 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
10. "Big West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 21, 1990. p. C19. Retrieved April 21, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
11. "San Jose St. 44, CS Fullerton 6". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 4, 1990. p. C22. Retrieved February 12, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Big West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 11, 1990. p. C18. Retrieved April 21, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
14. "Big West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 18, 1990. p. C21. Retrieved April 21, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
15. "San Jose State 1990 Schedule" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.
16. "San Jose State 2016 Football Media Guide" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.
17. "1991 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.