1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football
1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
Record	1–5 (1–2 CCAA)
Head coach	LeRoy Hughes (11th season);
Home stadium	Mustang Stadium
	Seasons ← 1959 1961 →

1960 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 9 Fresno State $	5	–	0	–	0	9	–	1	–	0
Long Beach State	3	–	1	–	1	5	–	3	–	1
Los Angeles State	2	–	1	–	1	4	–	3	–	1
Cal Poly	1	–	2	–	0	1	–	5	–	0
UC Santa Barbara	1	–	3	–	0	2	–	5	–	1
San Diego State	0	–	5	–	0	1	–	6	–	1

$ – Conference champion 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 1–2 in conference play, placing fourth in the CCAA. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

A plaque for the 1960 Cal Poly football team is shown at its display near the southwest corner of Mustang Memorial Field in San Luis Obispo, California, in April 2023.

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.

The following year, a benefit game was held to raise a memorial fund for the survivors and bereaved families. It was called the Mercy Bowl and was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

The game between Fresno State and Bowling Green on November 23, 1961, raised more than $200,000.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	at BYU*	Cougar Stadium^{[note 1]} Provo, UT	L 14–34	4,426–6,000	^[1]
October 1	San Diego State	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 34–6	4,500–5,000	^[2]
October 8	Montana State*	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	L 18–22	6,000
October 15	at Fresno State	Ratcliffe Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	L 0–33	7,500–11,320	^[3]
October 22	at Long Beach State	Veterans Stadium Long Beach, CA	L 12–36	3,000–4,950	^[4]
October 29	at No. 4 Bowling Green*	University Stadium Bowling Green, OH	L 6–50	4,900–7,500	^[5]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game