1972 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

American college football season

1972 Cal Poly Mustangs football
CCAA co-champion
Camellia Bowl, L 21–38 vs. North Dakota
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3 (UPI small college)
AP	No. 3 (small college)
Record	8–1–1 (3–0 CCAA)
Head coach	Joe Harper (5th season)
Home stadium	Mustang Stadium
Seasons← 1971 1973 →

1972 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 3/3 Cal Poly +	3	–	0	–	0	8	–	1	–	1
UC Riverside +	3	–	0	–	0	9	–	1	–	0
Cal State Fullerton	2	–	2	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Cal State Northridge	1	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Cal Poly Pomona	0	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP/UPI small college polls

The 1972 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Joe Harper, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 8–1–1 with a mark of 3–0 in conference play, sharing the CCAA title with UC Riverside and winning a conference championship for the fourth consecutive season. Cal Poly was invited to the NCAA College Division western region playoff game, the Camellia Bowl, held in Sacramento, California. The Mustangs played North Dakota on December 10, losing 38–21. Cal Poly was ranked No. 3 in the final small college rankings. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 16	Cal State Hayward*		Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 42–0	2,753
September 23	Montana State*		Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 34–7	6,200
September 30	Humboldt State*	No. 19	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 34–0	6,200
October 7	No. 6 Boise State*	No. 12	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 26–21	7,200
October 14	at No. 10 Fresno State*	No. 4	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	T 24–24	13,334–14,300
October 21	Cal State Northridge	No. 6	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 11–10	6,500–6,800
October 28	at Nevada*	No. 3	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	W 14–12	3,500–4,200
November 11	at Cal State Fullerton	No. 3	Santa Ana Stadium Santa Ana, CA	W 27–3	2,600–2,900
November 18	at Cal Poly Pomona	No. 3	Kellogg Field Pomona, CA	W 21–16	3,200–3,500
December 10	No. 4 North Dakota*	No. 3	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA (Camellia Bowl)	L 21–38
*Non-conference game Rankings from UPI Poll released prior to the game

References

"Cal State (LB) Edges N. Texas State, 24-21". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 17, 1972. p. D-18. Retrieved March 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
"Cal Poly rocks Cats". The Billings Gazette. September 24, 1972. Retrieved December 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Kent State Blanked by San Diego, 14-0". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 1, 1972. p. D-16. Retrieved February 13, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
"Boise State Football 2016 Record Book" (PDF). Boise State University Athletics. 2016. p. 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
"Aztecs Defeat Spartans, 23-20". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 8, 1972. p. D-4. Retrieved February 8, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
"Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
"Cal Poly SLO tips Valley State, 11-10". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. October 22, 1972. p. D-15. Retrieved February 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
"Unbeaten Mustangs Win 11-10 Thriller". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 22, 1972. p. C-17. Retrieved March 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
"Final 1972 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Cal State Northridge)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
"Final 1972 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Nevada)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
Earl Gustkey (November 12, 1972). "Cal Poly (SLO) Tops CSF, 27-3". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. D-15. Retrieved February 8, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
"Final 1972 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Cal State Fullerton)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
"Fullerton's Game Cut Short by Fight, 21-0". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 19, 1972. p. C-17. Retrieved February 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
"Final 1972 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Cal Poly Pomona)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
"Final 1972 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Cal Poly)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
"Cal Poly Football; 2016 Media Guide". Retrieved January 12, 2017.

v t e Cal Poly Mustangs football
Venues	Alex G. Spanos Stadium (1935–present)
Bowls & rivalries	UC Davis: Battle for the Golden Horseshoe
Culture & lore	Musty the Mustang "Ride High You Mustangs" Mustang Band Cal Poly football team C-46 crash
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

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