1953 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

The 1953 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented Fresno State College—now known as California State University, Fresno—as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1953 college football season. The Bulldogs rejoined CCAA after having played as an independent in the 1951 and 1952 seasons. Led by second-year head coach Clark Van Galder, Fresno State compiled an overall record of 4–4–2 with a mark of 2–2–1 in conference play, placing third in the CCAA. The Bulldogs played home games at Ratcliffe Stadium on the campus of Fresno City College in Fresno, California.

1953 Fresno State Bulldogs football
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
Record	4–4–2 (2–2–1 CCAA)
Head coach	Clark Van Galder (2nd season)
Home stadium	Ratcliffe Stadium
Seasons ← 1952 1954 →

1953 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Cal Poly $	5	–	0	–	0			9	–	0	–	0
San Diego State	3	–	1	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
Fresno State	2	–	2	–	1			4	–	4	–	2
Pepperdine	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Santa Barbara	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	1
Los Angeles State	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	Cal Poly	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	L 6–27	5,298
October 3	San Jose State*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	L 21–27	5,574
October 9	Los Angeles State	L.A. State Stadium Los Angeles, CA	L 12–14	2,000
October 17	Nevada*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 47–7	9,600
October 24	Santa Barbara	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 20–0	7,188
October 31	San Diego State	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	T 27–27	6,212	[1]
November 7	at Utah State*	Romney Stadium[note 1] Logan, UT	L 6–46		[2]
November 11	San Francisco State*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 41–27	6,250
November 14	Pepperdine	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 54–2	5,224
November 21	at Pacific (CA)*	Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	T 21–21	8,906
*Non-conference game

^[3]

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1954 NFL draft.^[4][5]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Ledio Fanucchi	Tackle	22	254	Chicago Cardinals

Notes

1. This stadium is the predecessor to the current Maverik Stadium (Romney Stadium) that has served as the home of the Aggies since 1968