1977 San Diego State Aztecs football team

The 1977 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season as an independent.

1977 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19
AP	No. 16
Record	10–1
Head coach	Claude Gilbert (5th season)
Home stadium	San Diego Stadium
Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Colgate		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
North Texas State *		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 San Diego State		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Pittsburgh		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
East Carolina		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Army		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–				7	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				5	–	4	–	2
Georgia Tech		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Hawaii		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				5	–	7	–	0
Utah State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Villanova		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Air Force		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–				2	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.[1] Rankings from AP Poll

The team was led by head coach Claude Gilbert, in his fifth year, and played home games at San Diego Stadium^{[note 1]} in San Diego, California. They finished the season ranked #16 in the AP Poll and #18 in the UPI Poll, with a record of ten wins and one loss (10–1).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	Cal State Fullerton		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 34–17	41,066	[2]
September 17	at Arizona		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	W 21–14	42,135	[3]
October 1	Utah State		San Diego Stadium San Diego	W 19–0	43,161	[4]
October 8	at Fresno State		Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	L 14–34	14,114–15,179	[5][6]
October 15	UTEP		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 49–7	34,760	[7]
October 22	UNLV		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 31–7	39,109	[8]
October 29	Tulsa		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 41–7	28,306	[9][10]
November 5	at Pacific (CA)		Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	W 29–7	9,857	[11]
November 12	Long Beach State		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 33–22	37,213	[12][13]
November 19	No. 13 Florida State		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 41–16	50,453	[14]
December 3	at San Jose State	No. 16	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	W 37–34	10,000	[15]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[16][17]

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1978 NFL draft.^[18]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Deacon Turner	Running back	2	45	Cincinnati Bengals
Ron Smith	Wide receiver	2	53	Los Angeles Rams
Whip Walton	Linebacker	3	75	Minnesota Vikings
Mike Douglass	Linebacker	5	116	Green Bay Packers
Terry Jackson	Defensive back	5	120	New York Giants
Dennis Pearson	Wide receiver	5	125	Atlanta Falcons

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Deacon Turner
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Scott Bradley, Off Ed Imo, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Joe Davis, Off Whip Walton, Def
Most Inspirational Player	Tim Delaney, Ed Imo

^[17]

Notes

1. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.

References

1. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
2. Dave Distel (September 11, 1977). "San Diego State Tops Titans, 34-17". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-10. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "San Diego State shows it belongs". The Daily Breeze. September 18, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Utah State 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
5. "San Diego St. Bows, 34-14". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 9, 1977. p. III-16. Retrieved March 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "2024 Fresno State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Fresno State Athletics. p. 121. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
7. "Aztec offemse bombs Miners 49–7". The El Paso Times. October 16, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Nevada Las Vegas 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 7, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
9. "Tulsa 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
10. "Cal Lutheran Makes It Six in a Row". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 30, 1977. p. III-13. Retrieved February 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Bill Finley (November 6, 1977). "Aztecs Explode Past U. of Pacific, 29-7". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. H-1. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
12. 49er Football 1978 Media Guide (pamphlet). Long Beach, California: CSULB Athletic Department. 1978.
13. "Cal Lutheran Brawls and Wins". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 13, 1977. p. III-14. Retrieved March 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "San Diego State destroys FSU, 41-16". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. November 20, 1977. p. D-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "San Diego finishes 10-1". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. December 4, 1977. p. S-5. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "San Diego State 1977 Schedule". Retrieved December 6, 2016.
17. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
18. "1978 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.