1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

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1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football
Fresno State wordmark.png
CCAA champion
ConferenceCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5 (UPI small college)
APNo. 3 (AP small college)
1961 record10–0 (5–0 CCAA)
Head coach
Home stadiumRatcliffe Stadium
(Capacity: 13,000)
Seasons
← 1960
1962 →
1961 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
  • v
  • t
 Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 AP / No. 5 UPI 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 College Division poll

The 1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented Fresno State College[note 1] during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season.

The team was led by third-year head coach Cecil Coleman and played home games at Ratcliffe Stadium on the campus of Fresno City College in Fresno, California. They finished the season as champions of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) for the fourth consecutive year, with an unbeaten, untied record of ten wins and zero losses (10–0, 5–0 CCAA). This was the seventh conference title in eight years for the Bulldogs.

At the end of the season, Fresno State took part in a charity bowl game, the 1961 Mercy Bowl against Bowling Green. The game was played 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.[1]

Schedule[]

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23vs. Montana State*
W 16–136,800[2]
September 30UC Santa Barbara
W 22–149,066
October 7at Pacific (CA)*
W 20–1910,000
October 14at Cal Poly
W 42–136,000
October 21Los Angeles StateNo. 10
  • Ratcliffe Stadium
  • Fresno, CA
W 35–611,151
October 28San Diego StateNo. 6
  • Ratcliffe Stadium
  • Fresno, CA (rivalry)
W 27–66,595[3]
November 3at Long Beach StateNo. 6
W 37–145,000
November 11Abilene Christian*No. 5
  • Ratcliffe Stadium
  • Fresno, CA
W 21–79,960
November 18San Jose State*No. 3
  • Ratcliffe Stadium
  • Fresno, CA (rivalry)
W 36–2714,141
November 23vs. Bowling Green*No. 3
W 36–633,146

[4]

Team players in the NFL/AFL[]

The following were selected in the 1962 NFL Draft.[5][6]

Player Position Round Overall NFL Team
Jesse Williams Center 10 138 New York Giants
Bill Knocke Halfback 17 233 Baltimore Colts
Sonny Bishop Guard 18 249 Cleveland Browns
John Anabo Quarterback 19 263 Cleveland Browns

The following were selected in the 1962 AFL Draft.[5]

Player Position Round Overall AFL Team
Sonny Bishop Guard 11 88 San Diego Chargers
Jesse Williams Center 21 168 San Diego Chargers

Notes[]

  1. ^ California State University, Fresno was known as Fresno State College from 1949 to 1971.

References[]

  1. ^ "L.A.'s Last Bowl? 1961 Mercy Bowl". Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  2. ^ "Bulldogs Squeeze Out 16-13 Win Over MSC". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. September 24, 1961. p. 15. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  3. ^ Howard Hagen (October 29, 1961). "Fresno's Barrage Rips Aztecs". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. B-1.
  4. ^ "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "1962 NFL Draft". Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "Fresno St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 12, 2016.
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