1996 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1996 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Division	Pacific Division
Record	8–3 (6–2 WAC)
Head coach	Ted Tollner (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Tom Craft (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Claude Gilbert (6th as DC, 14th overall season)
Home stadium	Jack Murphy Stadium
Seasons ←  1995 1997  →

1996 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mountain Division
No. 5 BYU x$		8	–	0					14	–	1
Utah		6	–	2					8	–	4
Rice		6	–	2					7	–	4
SMU		4	–	4					5	–	6
New Mexico		3	–	5					6	–	5
TCU		3	–	5					4	–	7
Tulsa		2	–	6					4	–	7
UTEP		0	–	8					2	–	9
Pacific Division
No. 22 Wyoming x		7	–	1					10	–	2
San Diego State		6	–	2					8	–	3
Colorado State		6	–	2					7	–	5
Air Force		5	–	3					6	–	5
Fresno State		3	–	5					4	–	7
San Jose State		3	–	5					3	–	9
Hawaii		1	–	7					2	–	10
UNLV		1	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: BYU 28, Wyoming 25 OT
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

The team was led by head coach Ted Tollner, in his third year. They played home games at Jack Murphy Stadium ^{[note 1]} in San Diego, California. They completed the season with a record of eight wins, three losses (8–3, 6–2 WAC).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 7	Idaho *	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA		W 40–21	29,449
September 14	at California *	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA		L 37–42	37,000
September 21	Oklahoma *	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA		W 51–31	34,812
October 11	Hawaii	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA		W 56–8	27,098
October 19	at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM		W 48–42	27,444
October 26	at Colorado State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	PSN	L 18–27	25,013
November 2	at San Jose State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	ABC	W 49–20	11,483
November 7	No. 16 Wyoming	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	ESPN	W 28–24	28,679
November 16	at UNLV	Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV	Fox West	L 42–44	11,594
November 23	Fresno State	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA (rivalry)		W 31–21	32,107
November 28	Air Force	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	ESPN2	W 28–23	18,353
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[1] [2]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1997 NFL Draft. ^[3]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Will Blackwell	Wide receiver	2	53	Pittsburgh Steelers
Nate Jacquet	Wide receiver	5	150	Indianapolis Colts
George Jones	Running back	5	154	Pittsburgh Steelers
Ricky Parker	Defensive back	6	201	Chicago Bears

The following finished their college career in 1996, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[4]

Player	Position	First NFL team
Obafemi Ayanbadejo	Running back	1998 Minnesota Vikings

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Billy Blanton
Outstanding Players (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Kyle Turley, OT Adriam Ioja, DE George Jones, RB Will Blackwell, WR Craigus Thompson, LB Jason Moore, DB
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Billy Blanton, Off Adrian Ioja, Def Craigus Thompson, Def Freddie Edwards, Special Teams
Most Inspirational Player	Craigus Thompson

^[2]

Notes

1. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 through 1997.

References

1. "San Diego State 1996 Schedule" . Retrieved December 8, 2016.
2. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
3. "1997 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
4. "San Diego St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 8, 2016.