1979 San Diego State Aztecs football team

The 1979 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

1979 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	8–3 (4–2 WAC)
Head coach	Claude Gilbert (7th season)
Home stadium	San Diego Stadium
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 13 BYU $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
Utah	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
San Diego State	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Hawaii	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
New Mexico	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Colorado State	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	1
Wyoming	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	8	–	0
UTEP	0	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team was led by head coach Claude Gilbert, in his seventh year, and played home games at San Diego Stadium^{[note 1]} in San Diego, California. They finished with a record of eight wins and three losses (8–3, 4–2 WAC).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	at No. 12 Missouri*	Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO		L 15–45	62,168	[1]
September 22	at Fresno State*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)		W 32–23	15,235	[2]
September 29	Wisconsin*	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		W 24–17	38,633	[3]
October 6	at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM		W 35–7	21,205	[4]
October 13	Miami (FL)*	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		W 31–20	40,126	[5]
October 20	at Colorado State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO		L 3–37	21,950	[6]
October 27	at Utah	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT		W 17–13	22,196	[7]
November 3	Wyoming	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		W 31–21	36,386	[8]
November 10	Arizona*	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		W 42–10	38,581	[9]
November 17	UTEP	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		W 42–20	37,110	[10]
November 24	No. 10 BYU	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	ABC[note 2]	L 14–63	46,121	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[12][13]

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1980 NFL draft.^[14]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Terrell Ward	Defensive back	7	188	Philadelphia Eagles
Kevin Fidel	Center	10	263	Cleveland Browns

The following finished their college career in 1979, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.^[15]

Player	Position	First NFL team
Lucious Smith	Defensive back	1980 Los Angeles Rams

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Tony Allen
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Pete Inge, Off Randy Mastin, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Pete Inge, Off
Most Inspirational Player	Terrell Ward

^[13]

Notes

1. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.
2. This was the first ever nationally televised game for San Diego State

References

1. "1979: A Fleeting Taste of the Big-Time (Part One)". Retrieved December 8, 2016.
2. "Fresno State 2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
3. "2012 Wisconsin Football Fact Book" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
4. "Aztecs crush Lobos". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. October 7, 1979. p. C-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Miami 2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
6. Steve Dolan (October 21, 1979). "Aztecs Turn Game Over to Colorado State, 37-3". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Utah 1980 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
8. "San Diego St. Beats Wyoming". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 4, 1979. p. III-16. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Arizona 2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
10. "Texas El Paso 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 14, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
11. "In TV Debut, the Aztecs Go Down the Tube, 63-14". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. November 25, 1979. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "San Diego State 1979 Schedule". Retrieved December 6, 2016.
13. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
14. "1980 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
15. "San Diego St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 8, 2016.