Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs football
| Cal Poly Mustangs football | |||
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| First season | 1915 | ||
| Athletic director | Don Oberhelman | ||
| Head coach |
Tim Walsh 8th season, 50–42 (.543) |
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| Stadium | Alex G. Spanos Stadium (Capacity: 11,075) |
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| Field surface | Natural Grass | ||
| Location | San Luis Obispo, California | ||
| Conference | Big Sky Conference | ||
| All-time record | 467–365–20 (.560) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–1 (.000) | ||
| Claimed nat'l titles | Division II: 1 (1980) | ||
| Conference titles | 5 | ||
| Rivalries | UC Davis Aggies | ||
| Colors | Forest Green, Vegas Gold, and Copper |
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| Fight song | Ride High You Mustangs | ||
| Mascot | Musty the Mustang | ||
| Marching band | Cal Poly Mustang Band | ||
The Cal Poly Mustangs are the football team representing California Polytechnic State University located in San Luis Obispo, California. The team plays its home games in Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The current head coach is Tim Walsh, who began his tenure in 2009.
Football was first played on the Cal Poly campus in 1916. At that time, Cal Poly was a vocational school as it did not become a four-year college until 1941.
The California Polytechnic School played mostly high school teams and college freshmen teams for its first 16 seasons. In 1933, Mustangs enjoyed their first undefeated season under coach Howie O'Daniels. During the 1933 campaign, The Mustangs did not allow a single point during that season. Cal Poly officially became a four-year school in 1941 and posted a 5–3–1 record under Coach O'Daniels. Football was put to a halt during World War II ('43 and '44) and resumed in 1945.
Under coach Roy Hughes, Cal Poly experienced its second undefeated season in 1953. In the decade of the 1950s, the Mustangs posted a record of 67–29–1. During this decade, future NFL Hall of Fame inductee, John Madden play for the Green and Gold and was known as a bruising tackle. Upon graduation, Madden was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. Joining Madden on the Cal Poly squad was quarterback and defensive back, Bobby Beathard, who would later gain NFL fame as the architect and general manager responsible for building the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers respectively into Super Bowl winning and contending teams.
Tragedy struck in 1960 following a game at Bowling Green State University on Saturday, October 29, 1960 when a plane leaving Toledo Airport crashed killing 22 people. This included 16 Mustang football players and the team manager. The next seven seasons produced a 22–45 record. Then Joe Harper was hired in 1968 and produced a 7–3 and 6–4 season to end the decade.
In 1972 under head coach, Joe Harper, Cal Poly produced an 8–0–1 record and received a trip to the Camellia Bowl to play in the western regional championship game of the NCAA's College Division. They would end up losing to the University of North Dakota. In 1978, The Mustangs would make it to the NCAA Division II playoffs but lost to Winston-Salem State. Each of the ten Mustang football teams in the 1970s posted a winning season.
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