1940 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

The 1940 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as an independent during the 1940 college football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Howie O'Daniels, Cal Poly compiled a record of 6–3. The team outscored its opponents 148 to 83 for the season.

1940 Cal Poly Mustangs football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–3
Head coach	Howie O'Daniels (8th season)
Home stadium	Mustang Stadium
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

1940 Western college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 11 Santa Clara			–					6	–	1	–	1
Cal Poly			–					6	–	3	–	0
Saint Mary's			–					5	–	3	–	0
Gonzaga			–					5	–	4	–	1
Nevada			–					4	–	4	–	1
Humboldt State			–					3	–	4	–	0
Idaho Southern Branch			–					3	–	5	–	0
San Francisco State			–					3	–	5	–	0
Loyola (CA)			–					3	–	7	–	0
Portland			–					2	–	3	–	1
Hawaii			–					2	–	5	–	0
San Francisco			–					1	–	6	–	1
La Verne			–					0	–	6	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Cal Poly was ranked at No. 391 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.^[1]

The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

Cal Poly was a two-year school until 1941 and competed as an independent from 1929 to 1945.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20		Caltech	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	L 7–12
September 27		Santa Maria Junior College	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 34–0
October 5		at Humboldt State	Albee Stadium Eureka, CA	L 12–13
October 11		at Santa Barbara State	La Playa Stadium Santa Barbara, CA	L 14–18		[2]
October 19		at La Verne	La Verne, CA	W 13–7		[3]
October 25		at San Francisco State	Roberts Field San Francisco, CA	W 20–13		[4]
November 1		Chico State	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 20–7		[5]
November 9	8:00 p.m.	at Sacramento Junior College	Sacramento Stadium Sacramento, CA	W 8–6	2,000	[6][7][8]
November 16		Cal Aggies	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 20–7		[9]

^[10]

References

1. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 19, 1940). "Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Santa Barbara Trips Cal Poly". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. October 12, 1940. p. 15. Retrieved March 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "LaVerne Loses To Cal Poly 12-7". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. October 20, 1940. p. 19. Retrieved March 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Brad Lynn Helps Cal Poly Win". Santa Cruz Evening News. Santa Cruz, California. October 26, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved July 22, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Pat Smith Leads Poly To 20--7 Win Over Chico". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. San Luis Obispo, California. November 2, 1940. p. 8 – via GenealogyBank.com.
6. "Legion Backed Grid Contest Is Set For Tonight". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. November 9, 1940. p. 8. Retrieved June 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
7. Kane, Tom (November 11, 1940). "Safety Late In Game Defeats Jaysee Eleven". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. 17. Retrieved June 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
8. "Cal Poly Beats Sacramento". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. November 11, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved March 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Cal Poly Wins". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. November 17, 1940. p. 7. Retrieved March 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "History (1915–2023)" (PDF). Cal Poly Athletics. p. 24. Retrieved July 2, 2024.