1980 San Diego State Aztecs football team

The 1980 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

1980 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	4–8 (4–4 WAC)
Head coach	Claude Gilbert (8th season)
Home stadium	San Diego Stadium
Seasons ← 1979 1981 →

1980 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 12 BYU $	6	–	1	–	0			12	–	1	–	0
Colorado State	5	–	1	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Hawaii	3	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Wyoming	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
San Diego State	4	–	4	–	0			4	–	8	–	0
New Mexico	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Utah	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Air Force	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	9	–	1
UTEP	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	at BYU	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	ABC	L 11–35	36,178	[1]
September 20	at Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 13–10	24,594	[2]
September 27	No. 12 Missouri*	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		L 7–31	28,140	[3]
October 4	at Wisconsin*	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI		L 12–35	76,430	[4]
October 11	UNLV*	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		L 17–28	28,212	[5]
October 18	Colorado State	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		L 7–26	28,050	[6]
October 25	at Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		L 9–34	15,325	[7]
November 1	Oklahoma State*	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		L 6–15	24,716	[8]
November 8	at Hawaii	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI		L 6–31	36,485	[9]
November 15	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX		W 28–7	1,407	[10]
November 22	New Mexico	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		W 24–22	21,900	[11]
November 29	Utah	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		W 21–20	18,030	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13][14]

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1981 NFL draft.^[15]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Reuben Henderson	Defensive back	6	150	Chicago Bears
Jim Wilks	Defensive end – Nose tackle	12	305	New Orleans Saints

The following finished their college career in 1980, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.^[16]

Player	Position	First NFL team
Craig Ellis	Running back	1986 Miami Dolphins
Ron Spears	Defensive end	1982 New England Patriots

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Kevin Mitchell
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Ulima Afoa, Off Jim Wilks, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Ulima Afoa, Off Rick Carusa, Def
Most Inspirational Player	Kevin Mitchell

^[14]

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. Mike Granberry (September 14, 1980). "Instead of Revenge, Aztecs Get Trounced". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Mike Granberry (September 21, 1980). "Kofler's Arm, Corral's Foot Lead Aztec Win". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Mike Granberry (September 28, 1980). "Missouri Beats San Diego State; UCLA and USC Roll". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "2012 Wisconsin Football Fact Book" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
5. "Nevada Las Vegas 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 7, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
6. Steve Dolan (October 19, 1980). "Aztecs Go Back to Black but Not to Winning, 26-7". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Steve Dolan (October 26, 1980). "Aztecs Fall, 34-9". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Mike Granberry (November 2, 1980). "Aztecs Beaten Again, 15-6". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Hawaii 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
10. "Texas El Paso 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 14, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
11. Mike Granberry (November 23, 1980). "San Diego State Wins On Emotion". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Utah 2016 Football Media Guide". Retrieved December 7, 2016.
13. "San Diego State 1980 Schedule". Retrieved December 7, 2016.
14. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
15. "1981 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
16. "San Diego St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 8, 2016.