California Polytechnic State University football team plane crash

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California Polytechnic State University football team plane crash
C-46 Commando.jpg
A C-46 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
DateOctober 29, 1960
SummaryLoss of control on take-off
Site Toledo Express Airport,
Ohio, United States
41°35′19″N83°48′42″W / 41.5885°N 83.8118°W / 41.5885; -83.8118
Aircraft
Aircraft type Curtiss C-46 Commando
OperatorArctic Pacific
Registration N1244N
Occupants48
Passengers45
Crew3
Fatalities22
Injuries26
Survivors26

On October 29, 1960, a Curtiss C-46 passenger aircraft crashed shortly after take-off near Toledo, Ohio, U.S. [1] The aircraft, a veteran of World War II, was carrying the Cal Poly Mustangs team after their college football game against the Bowling Green Falcons. [1] [2] Of the 48 on board, 22 were killed, including both pilots, 16 players, a student manager, and a Cal Poly football booster. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Investigation

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) investigated the accident and concluded that the Curtiss C-46 Commando aircraft had been overloaded by 2,000 lb (910 kg) above its maximum certificated gross takeoff weight of 47,100 lb (21,360 kg) and that there was a partial power loss in the left engine prior to the crash. [5]

Prior to takeoff the weather at the airport steadily deteriorated: at 7 p.m. the visibility was 3/4-mile (1.2 km); down to 1/16-mile (100 m) at 8:37 p.m.; and zero at the time of the accident, 22:02 EST. [1] [2] The CAB accident report states that stemming from the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a notice in the Airman's Guide that prohibited takeoff for commercial aircraft when the visibility is below 1/4 mile (400 m), or the runway visual range is below 2,000 ft (600 m). [2]

In its final report, the CAB Probable Cause statement was "The accident was due to loss of control during a premature lift-off. Contributing factors were the overweight aircraft, weather conditions, and partial loss of power in the left engine." [5]

Aftermath

The pilot who made the decision to take off was flying on a certificate that had been revoked, but he was allowed to fly pending an appeal. [6] Following the crash, the Arctic-Pacific Company lost its certificate to charter airplanes. [4] [6]

Among the survivors was quarterback Ted Tollner, [3] later the head coach at USC and San Diego State. At the time of the crash, Bowling Green State had been the easternmost opposing school ever to play football against Cal Poly. The university canceled the final three games of its 1960 season. [7]

A plaque for the 1960 Cal Poly football team is shown at its display near the southwest corner of Mustang Memorial Field in San Luis Obispo, California, in April 2023. CalPoly1960MemorialAtMustangStadiumApril2023.jpg
A plaque for the 1960 Cal Poly football team is shown at its display near the southwest corner of Mustang Memorial Field in San Luis Obispo, California, in April 2023.

Hall of Fame coach John Madden, a Cal Poly alumnus who played for the Mustangs during the 1957 and 1958 seasons, had a fear of flying, which was commonly attributed to the crash, although he said it instead stemmed from claustrophobia. Madden was coaching at the nearby Allan Hancock Junior College at the time of the crash and knew many passengers aboard the aircraft. [4]

As a result of the crash, Cal Poly did not play any road games outside California until 1969, a 14–0 loss at Montana in Missoula. [8] Cal Poly did not play another game east of the Rocky Mountains until 1978, a 17–0 loss to Winston-Salem State in North Carolina in the NCAA Division II playoffs. [9] They did not play another regular season game east of the Rockies until 1989, a 45–20 loss to Angelo State in Texas. [10]

Two weeks afterward, Life magazine published an article, "Campus Overwhelmed by Team's Tragic Flight". [11]

In April 2001, the tragedy was examined in an ESPN Outside the Lines monthly special focusing on the evolution and frequency of travel in collegiate and pro sports. [12] The segment, entitled "Have Game, Will Travel," included an interview with Tollner conducted by Lisa Salters. [12]

Mercy Bowl

In the following season on Thanksgiving Day 1961, Los Angeles County Supervisor Warren Dorn and Bob Hope sponsored a "Mercy Bowl" in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between Fresno State and Bowling Green State to raise a memorial fund for the survivors and bereaved families. [13] [14] The event raised about $200,000 from a crowd of 33,000 on November 23. [4] Fresno State defeated Bowling Green in the game, 36–6. [15]

In 2008 interviews with ESPN, several former Cal Poly players expressed interest in seeing the Mercy Bowl return for various contemporary charitable causes. [16] Similar sentiments were expressed in a 2012 ESPN story about the game potentially returning in relation to other modern bowl games. [17]

Campus memorials at Cal Poly

The 1960 Cal Poly Football Team memorial at Alex G. Spanos Stadium is shown illuminated at night in July 2016. SpanosStadiumMemorialLitUpJuly20161.jpg
The 1960 Cal Poly Football Team memorial at Alex G. Spanos Stadium is shown illuminated at night in July 2016.

There are memorial plaques for the crash on the Cal Poly campus at Mott Athletics Center and the Mustang horse statue. A permanent memorial plaza opened with the new Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The memorial has 18 copper pillars, one for each of the Cal Poly-affiliated individuals who died in the crash. Each pillar rises to the height of the person honored and is adorned with a plaque about that individual's life. [18]

On September 29, 2006, the 1960 football team was inducted into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame. [19] The following night, former players and members of the crash victims' families stood at mid-field of Spanos Stadium during a halftime memorial. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Mercy Bowl was the name to two one-off charity bowl games played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The first was played between Fresno State University and Bowling Green State University on November 23, 1961, as a special fundraiser in memory of sixteen Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo football players killed in a plane crash following a game against Bowling Green a year earlier. The game raised $200,000 for the surviving widows and children and for a memorial in their honor. A second Mercy Bowl was staged in 1971 between CSUF and Fresno State University to benefit the fourteen surviving children of three CSUF assistant coaches and a pilot who died in an airplane crash a month earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex G. Spanos Stadium</span> California stadium

Mustang Memorial Field, formerly known as Mustang Stadium and then Alex G. Spanos Stadium, is an 11,075-seat multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. It is the home field of the Cal Poly Mustangs football and soccer teams.

Alfred Theodore Tollner is an American former football coach. He was the head coach at the University of Southern California (USC) from 1983 to 1986 and San Diego State University (SDSU) from 1994 to 2001, compiling an overall college football record of 69–68–1. Tollner also was an assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, including stints as offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.

Melvin Kaufman was an American professional football player who spent his entire eight-year career as a linebacker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cal Poly Mustangs.

Fred George "Mad Dog" Whittingham was an American football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys. Whittingham played college football at Brigham Young University (BYU) and California Polytechnic State University. He coached in the NFL and at the college level from 1973 to 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Ellerson</span> American football player and coach (born 1953)

Richard Emmet Ellerson is a former American football coach. He was the head football coach at Southern Utah University in 1996, at California Polytechnic State University from 2001 to 2008, and the United States Military Academy from 2009 to 2013. While at Cal Poly, Ellerson's teams won three conference championships and compiled a 56–34 record, giving him the third highest winning percentage of any football coach in school history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cal Poly Mustangs football</span> University football team

The Cal Poly Mustangs are the football team representing California Polytechnic State University located in San Luis Obispo, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cal Poly Mustangs</span> Sports teams of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

The Cal Poly Mustangs are the athletic teams representing California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The university fields twenty-two teams and compete in NCAA Division I; they are primarily members of the Big West Conference, but the football team plays in the Big Sky Conference, the wrestling team is an associate member of the Pac-12 Conference, and the swimming and diving program competes as an affiliate member in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Gilbert H. Stork is the former president of Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 1961 Bowling Green Falcons football team was an American football team that represented Bowling Green State University as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1961 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Doyt Perry, the Falcons compiled an 8–2 record, won the MAC championship, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 194 to 78.

The 1960 Bowling Green Falcons football team was an American football team that represented Bowling Green State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1960 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Doyt Perry, the Falcons compiled an 8–1 record, lost its only game to MAC champion Ohio (14-7), and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 196 to 61.

The 1961 Cal Poly Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented California Polytechnic State College as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1961 college football season. In their 12th and final year under head coach LeRoy Hughes, the Mustangs compiled a 4–4 record, finished in second place in the CCAA, and outscored opponents by a total of 181 to 138.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football team</span> American college football season

The 1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State College as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1960 college football season.

The 1980 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1980 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 13th-year head coach Joe Harper, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 2–0 in conference play, winning the CCAA title for the fifth consecutive season. The Mustangs advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, where they shut out Jacksonville State in the quarterfinals, beat Santa Clara in the semifinals, and upset No. 1-ranked Eastern Illinois in the title game, the Zia Bowl played in Albuquerque, New Mexico. During the regular season, two of the Mustangs three losses came at the hands of NCAA Division I-A opponents, Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State. Cal Poly also beat Boise State, the eventual NCAA Division I-AA champion. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 2004 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as member of the Great West Conference (GWC) during the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Rich Ellerson, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 9–2 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, winning the GWC title. The team outscored its opponents 336 to 183 for the season. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 2005 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as member of the Great West Conference (GWC) during the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Rich Ellerson, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, sharing the GWC title with UC Davis. The Mustangs advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Montana in the first round before losing to Texas State in the quarterfinals. The team outscored its opponents 354 to 232 for the season. Cal Poly played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 2006 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as member of the Great West Conference (GWC) during the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Rich Ellerson, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 2–2 in conference play, placing third in the GWC. The team outscored its opponents 248 to 162 for the season. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 2019 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Tim Walsh in his 11th and final season as head coach, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, placing in a five-way tie for ninth in the Big Sky. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

LeRoy Barry Hughes was an American football and basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Menlo Junior College in Atherton, California and California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California (1950–1961). He was the head coach at Cal Poly during the California Polytechnic State University football team plane crash in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Cal Poly Mustangs football team</span> American college football season

The 2024 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represents the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Paul Wulff, the Mustangs play home games at Mustang Memorial Field in San Luis Obispo, California.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Airliner with 48 crashes at airport; football team aboard, 20 are killed". Toledo Blade. Ohio. October 30, 1960. p. 1.
  2. 1 2 3 CAB Accident Investigation Report, SA-360 File No. 1-0047 – PDF
  3. 1 2 "22 dead, 26 injured in plane crash". Toledo Blade. Ohio. October 31, 1960. p. 4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Walker, Ben (December 25, 2008). "Mercy Bowl helped a school heal". Seattle Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
  6. 1 2 "Rating of airline pilot in crash revoked but order stayed, FAA says". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. November 2, 1960. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "Remember the Mustangs". mustangnews.net.
  8. ↑ "Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Yearly Results 1965–1969". Archived from the original on February 11, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Yearly Results 1975–1979". Archived from the original on February 11, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Yearly Results 1985–1989". Archived from the original on February 11, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Tragic Flight: the 1960 football team plane crash". Kennedy Library, California Polytechnic State University. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Drehs, Wayne (April 10, 2001). "'We're gonna make it. We're gonna make it'". ESPN . Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Falcon gridders slight favorites". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. November 23, 1961. p. 105.
  14. ↑ "Rose Bowl for Fresno? No, but they're tough". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). November 24, 1961. p. 25.
  15. ↑ BrianDeLosSantos (October 28, 2010). "Remember the Mustangs: the story of the 1960 football team". Mustang News. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Lost in a rush of games, the Mercy Bowl remembered". ESPN. Associated Press. December 23, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  17. ↑ Markazi, Arash (January 5, 2012). "Markazi: L.A.'s last bowl? 1961 Mercy Bowl". ESPN. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Press release: Cal Poly Honors the 1960 Football Team". Archived from the original on January 6, 2010.
  19. ↑ Aird, Tristan (October 1, 2006). "Memorial Plaza Gets Unveiled to the Public". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. D1.
  20. ↑ "Cal Poly Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011.
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