1978 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

The 1978 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University[note 1] during the 1978 NCAA Division II football season.

1978 Cal Poly Mustangs football
CCAA champion
NCAA Division II Quarterfinal, L 0–17 vs. Winston-Salem State
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
1978 record	7–3 (2–0 CCAA)
Head coach	Joe Harper (11th season)
Home stadium	Mustang Stadium (Capacity: 8,500)

1978 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Cal Poly $^	2	–	0	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Cal Poly Pomona	1	–	1	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Cal State Northridge	0	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Cal Poly competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Mustangs were led by 11th-year head coach Joe Harper and played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California. They finished the regular season as champion of the CCAA, their third in what would be five consecutive conference championships. The team finished with a regular season record of seven wins and two losses (7–2, 2–0 CCAA). At the end of the season, Cal Poly qualified for the Division II championship tournament. They played the Winston-Salem State Rams in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on November 25, 1978. The Mustangs were shut out 0–17 in the game, bringing their record for the season to 7–3.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 16	Sacramento State[note 2]*		Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	W 52–6
September 23	Cal State Fullerton*		Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	W 41–27	5,430[1]
September 30	at Fresno State[note 3]*	No. 9	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, California	W 24–12	12,287[2][3]
October 7	Portland State*	No. 3	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	W 56–20
October 14	at Northern Colorado*	No. 2	Jackson Field Greeley, Colorado	L 10–15
October 21	Cal State Northridge	No. 4	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	W 38–17
November 4	at Cal Poly Pomona	No. 4	Kellogg Field Pomona, California	W 35–8	3,500[4]
November 11	at No. 6 UC Davis*	No. 3	Toomey Field Davis, California (Rivalry)	L 22–29
November 18	Boise State*	No. 8	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	W 7–3	7,430[5]
*Non-conference game Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

[6][7]

Team players in the NFL

No Cal Poly Mustang players were selected in the 1979 NFL Draft.[8][9]

Notes

1. The official name of Cal Poly is California Polytechnic State University. However, it has been more commonly known as either Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or just Cal Poly since 1947.
2. The official name of Sacramento State has been California State University, Sacramento since 1972. However, it is still commonly known as Sacramento State.
3. The official name of Fresno State has been California State University, Fresno since 1972. However, it is still commonly known as Fresno State.

References

1. "Fullerton Defeated by Cal Poly (SLO)". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 24, 1978. p. III-20. Retrieved February 7, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
3. "Kingsmen Win Despite Errors". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 1, 1978. p. III-18. Retrieved March 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Maglione Leads Cal State Northridge". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 5, 1978. p. III-20. Retrieved February 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "2015 Boise State Football Media Guide". Boise State University Athletics. 2015. p. 157. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
6. "Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Yearly Results". Retrieved January 12, 2017.
7. "Cal Poly Football; 2016 Media Guide". Retrieved January 12, 2017.
8. "1979 NFL Draft". Retrieved January 12, 2017.
9. "Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Players/Alumni". Retrieved January 12, 2017.