1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football
ConferenceCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association
Record1–5 (1–4 CCAA)
Head coach
Home stadiumMustang Stadium
1960 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Fresno State $ 5 0 09 1 0
Long Beach State 3 1 15 3 1
Los Angeles State 3 1 14 3 1
UC Santa Barbara 2 3 02 5 1
Cal Poly 1 4 01 5 0
San Diego State 0 5 01 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
  • Cal Poly forfeited cancelled conference games to Los Angeles State and UC Santa Barbara, but this forfeit did not affect overall records of the teams.
Rankings from UPI small college poll

The 1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State College as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1960 college football season. Led by 11th-year head coach LeRoy Hughes, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 1–5 with a mark of 1–4 in conference play, placing fifth in the CCAA. Tragedy struck following the game at Bowling Green State University on October 29, when the aircraft transporting the team crashed, killing 22 people, including 16 Cal Poly Mustang football players and the team manager. Cal Poly cancelled the rest of their scheduled games, against Los Angeles State, UC Santa Barbara, and Adams State. Los Angeles State and UC Santa Barbara were awarded forfeits from the Mustangs in the CCAA standings, but these results were not reflected in the overall records for the teams. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

The following year, on November 23, 1961, a benefit game was held to raise a memorial fund for the survivors and bereaved families. Called the Mercy Bowl, it was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. The Mercy Bowl pitted Fresno State and Bowling Green, and raised more than $200,000.