1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football | |
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CCAA champion | |
Mercy Bowl, W 36–6 vs. Bowling Green | |
Conference | California Collegiate Athletic Association |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 5 (UPI small college) |
AP | No. 3 (AP small college) |
Record | 10–0 (5–0 CCAA) |
Head coach |
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Home stadium | Ratcliffe Stadium |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 3/5 Fresno State $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cal Poly | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
San Diego State | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles State | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Beach State | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UC Santa Barbara | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 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 1961 college football season. Led by third-year head coach Cecil Coleman, Fresno State compiled an overall record of 10–0 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the CCAA title for the fourth consecutive year. The Bulldogs played home games at Ratcliffe Stadium on the campus of Fresno City College in Fresno, California.
At the end of the season, Fresno State took part in a charity bowl game, the Mercy Bowl against Bowling Green. The game was played as a fundraiser in memory of 16 Cal Poly Mustangs football players killed in a plane crash following a game against Bowling Green a year earlier.[1]
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 23 | vs. Montana State* |
| W 16–13 | 6,000–6,800 | [2][3] | |
September 30 | UC Santa Barbara | W 22–14 | 9,066 | |||
October 7 | at Pacific (CA)* | W 20–19 | 10,000 | |||
October 14 | at Cal Poly | W 42–13 | 6,000–7,250 | [4] | ||
October 21 | Los Angeles State | No. 10 |
| W 35–6 | 11,151 | |
October 28 | San Diego State | No. 6 |
| W 27–6 | 6,595 | [5] |
November 3 | at Long Beach State | No. 6 | W 37–14 | 5,000 | ||
November 11 | Abilene Christian* | No. 5 |
| W 21–7 | 9,960 | |
November 18 | San Jose State* | No. 3 |
| W 36–27 | 14,141 | |
November 23 | vs. Bowling Green* | No. 3 | W 36–6 | 33,146 | ||
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The following were selected in the 1962 NFL Draft.[7][8]
Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL Team |
Jesse Williams | Center | 10 | 138 | New York Giants |
Bill Knocke | Halfback | 17 | 233 | Baltimore Colts |
Sonny Bishop | Guard | 18 | 249 | Cleveland Browns |
John Anabo | Quarterback | 19 | 263 | Cleveland Browns |
The following were selected in the 1962 AFL Draft.[7]
Player | Position | Round | Overall | AFL Team |
Sonny Bishop | Guard | 11 | 88 | San Diego Chargers |
Jesse Williams | Center | 21 | 168 | San Diego Chargers |