1976 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

The 1976 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Joe Harper, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 7–1–1 with a mark of 2–0 in conference play, winning the CCAA title for the first of five consecutive seasons. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

1976 Cal Poly Mustangs football
CCAA champion
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
Record	7–1–1 (2–0 CCAA)
Head coach	Joe Harper (9th season)
Home stadium	Mustang Stadium
Seasons ← 1975 1977 →

1976 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Cal Poly $	2	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	1
Cal Poly Pomona	1	–	1	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
Cal State Northridge	0	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The CCAA lost two of its five members before the 1976 season. The UC Riverside Highlanders football program discontinued football after the 1975 season and the Cal State Los Angeles Diablos became an NCAA Division II independent. The CCAA continued with just the three teams until the conference stopped sponsoring football after the 1981 season.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 18	at Idaho State*	ASISU Minidome Pocatello, ID	W 29–17	8,500	[1][2]
October 2	Cal State Northridge	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 19–7	7,350	[3]
October 9	Boise State*	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	T 14–14	7,050	[4][5]
October 16	at Fresno State*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 17–15	12,650	[6]
October 30	at UNLV*	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	L 10–28	11,136–11,138	[7]
November 6	United States International*	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 42–6	4,950	[8]
November 13	at Cal Poly Pomona	Kellogg Field Pomona, CA	W 26–22	4,150
November 20	UC Davis*	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA (rivalry)	W 26–14	5,850	[9]
November 25	Sacramento State*	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 34–10	2,050
*Non-conference game

^[10][11]

Team players in the NFL

No Cal Poly Mustang players were selected in the 1977 NFL draft.^[12][13]

The following finished their college career in 1976, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.

Player	Position	First NFL team
Dana Nafziger	Tight end, linebacker	1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

References

1. "Cal Poly hands Bengals second loss, 29–17". The Idaho Statesman. September 19, 1976. Retrieved December 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Long Beach State Wins Again, 32-10". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 19, 1976. p. III-16. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Unbeaten 49ers Score Win Over Pacific". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 3, 1976. p. III-16. Retrieved March 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Boise State, Cal Poly battle to 14–14 tie". The Idaho Statesman. October 10, 1976. Retrieved December 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Long Beach State Wins Again, 32-10". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 10, 1976. p. III-11. Retrieved March 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
7. "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
8. "Long Beach State Shut Out by Fresno". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 7, 1976. p. III-16. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Aztecs Beat Long Beach, 10-3". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 21, 1976. p. III-12. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
11. "Cal Poly Football; 2016 Media Guide". Retrieved January 12, 2017.
12. "1977 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
13. "Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Players/Alumni". Retrieved January 12, 2017.