1961 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1961 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
Record	7–2–1 (2–2–1 CCAA)
Head coach	Don Coryell (1st season)
Home stadium	Aztec Bowl
Seasons ←  1960 1962  →

1961 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3/5 Fresno State $	5	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
Cal Poly	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
San Diego State	2	–	2	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
Los Angeles State	2	–	2	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
Long Beach State	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
UC Santa Barbara	0	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP/UPI small college polls

The 1961 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State College ^{[note 1]} during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season.

San Diego State competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by head coach Don Coryell, in his first year, and played home games at Aztec Bowl. They finished the season with seven wins, two losses, and one tie (7–2–1, 2–2–1 CCAA). This was a big turnaround from the previous year when they had won only a single game.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	at Los Angeles State	L.A. State Stadium Los Angeles, CA	T 13–13	4,752	[1] [2]
September 30	Cal Poly	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	W 9–6	9,000	[3]
October 7	Long Beach State	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	L 15–17	9,000	[4]
October 14	at Redlands *	Redlands Stadium [note 2] Redlands, CA	W 32–20	4,200	[5]
October 21	UC Santa Barbara	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	W 21–6	8,500	[6]
October 28	at No. 6 Fresno State	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	L 6–27	9,000	[7]
November 4	at Pepperdine *	Sentinel Field Inglewood, CA	W 21–6	9,000	[8]
November 11	Cal Western *	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	W 54–34	7,500	[9]
November 18	San Diego *	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	W 42–12	10,000	[10]
November 27	San Diego Marines [note 3] *	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	W 18–13	8,000	[11] [12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Kern Carson
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	David Lay
Most Inspirational Player	Warren Simmons

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Notes

1. San Diego State University was known as San Diego State College from 1935 to 1971.
2. This stadium is the predecessor to the current Ted Runner Stadium on the University of Redlands campus, which was opened for the 1968 season
3. The Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) in San Diego fielded a team that played against colleges and other military teams from 1922 to 1964.

References

1. Howard Hagen (September 24, 1961). "Aztecs, Diablos In 13-13 Tie". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. G-1.
2. "L.A. Staters Tied by S.D." Independent Star-News. Pasadena, California. September 24, 1961. p. A-6. Retrieved January 21, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
3. Howard Hagen (October 1, 1961). "Aztecs' 85-Yard Punt Return Nips Poly, 9-6 In Last Minute". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. G-1.
4. Howard Hagen (October 8, 1961). "Long Beach St. Field Goal Hands Aztecs 17-15 Defeat". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. G-1.
5. Johnny McDonald (October 15, 1961). "Aztecs Rally Trips Redlands, 32-20". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. G-1.
6. Howard Hagen (October 22, 1961). "Aztecs Win, 21-6, As Sevier Shines". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. B-1.
7. Howard Hagen (October 29, 1961). "Fresno's Barrage Rips Aztecs". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. B-1.
8. Howard Hagen (November 5, 1961). "Fast Aztec Start Rips Waves". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. G-1.
9. Howard Hagen (November 12, 1961). "Aztecs Win, 54-34, Over Cal Western". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. G-1.
10. Howard Hagen (November 19, 1961). "Aztecs Maul USD, 42-12". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. G-1.
11. Howard Hagen (November 19, 1961). "Aztecs Whip MCRD". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. B-5.
12. "Military Glory: Service Teams, in Their Heyday, Won Championships, Thrilled the Fans" . Retrieved January 5, 2017.
13. "1961 Football Schedule". San Diego State University Athletics. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
14. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.