1971 San Diego State Aztecs football team

The 1971 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State College[note 1] during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.[note 2]

1971 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
1971 record	6–5 (2–3 PCAA)
Head coach	Don Coryell (11th season)
Home stadium	San Diego Stadium (Capacity: 54,000)

1971 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Long Beach State $	5	–	1	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
San Jose State	4	–	1	–	0			5	–	6	–	1
Fresno State	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
San Diego State	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
UC Santa Barbara	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Pacific (CA)	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Cal State Los Angeles	0	–	3	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The team was led by head coach Don Coryell, in his eleventh year, and played home games at San Diego Stadium[note 3] in San Diego, California. They finished the season with a record of six wins and five losses (6–5, 2–3 PCAA).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 25	at Southern Miss*	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, Mississippi	L 0–10	11,157[1]
October 2	Northern Illinois*	San Diego Stadium San Diego	W 30–10	26,043[2]
October 9	Pacific (CA)	San Diego Stadium San Diego	W 14–7	39,464[3]
October 16	at UC Santa Barbara	Campus Stadium Santa Barbara, California	W 27–23	5,500[4]
October 22	Utah State*	San Diego Stadium San Diego	W 36–20	25,047[5]
October 30	at Fresno State[note 4]	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, California (rivalry)	L 10–17	11,140[6][7]
November 6	at San Jose State[note 5]	Spartan Stadium San Jose, California	L 7–45	16,394[8]
November 13	Long Beach State[note 6]	San Diego Stadium San Diego	L 7–12	28,468[9]
November 20	Arizona*	San Diego Stadium San Diego	W 39–10	21,681[10]
November 27	Iowa State*	San Diego Stadium San Diego	L 31–48	25,490[11]
December 4	North Texas State[note 7]*	San Diego Stadium San Diego	W 44–28	16,278[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

[13][14]

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1972 NFL Draft.[15]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Willie Buchanon	Defensive back	1	7	Green Bay Packers
Tom Reynolds	Wide receiver	2	49	New England Patriots
Martin Imhof	Defensive end – Defensive tackle	4	84	St. Louis Cardinals
Robert West	Wide receiver	4	90	Dallas Cowboys
Bruce Ward	Guard	6	141	San Diego Chargers
Brian Sipe	Quarterback	13	330	Cleveland Browns
Marv Owens	Wide receiver	14	361	Minnesota Vikings

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Tom Reynolds
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Steve Henson, Off Ty Youngs, Def
Team Captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Brian Sipe, Off Willie Buchanon, Def
Most Inspirational Player	Ty Youngs

[14]

Notes

1. San Diego State University was known as San Diego State College from 1935 to 1971.
2. The Big West Conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association from its founding in 1969 through 1987.
3. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.
4. California State University, Fresno was known as Fresno State College from 1949 to 1971.
5. San Jose State University was known as San Jose State College from 1935 to 1971.
6. California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State) was known as California State College, Long Beach from 1964 to 1971.
7. University of North Texas was known as North Texas State University from 1961 to 1987.

References

1. "San Diego St. 'in Slump,' Bows to Southern Mississippi, 10-0". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 26, 1971. p. D-14. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "San Diego St. rips No. Illinois, 30-10". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. October 3, 1971. p. S-2. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Aztecs Rally in Fourth to Defeat Pacific, 14-7". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 10, 1971. p. D-15. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Metcalf Leads 49ers Past Diablos". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 10, 1971. p. D-16. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Sipe-Reynolds air show lifts Aztecs, 36-20". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. October 23, 1971. p. C-2. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Fresno State 2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
7. "San Diego St. Suffers 17-10 Loss to Fresno". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 31, 1971. p. D-16. Retrieved March 14, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "San Jose St. Shocks San Diego St, 45-7". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 7, 1971. p. D-18. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Dan Hafner (November 14, 1971). "Bizarre Play Gives 49ers 12-7 Victory". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. D-5. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Tom Foust (November 21, 1971). "Sipe's 2 TD Passes Leave UA Stunned, 39-10". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. I-8. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Iowa State Whips Aztecs". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 28, 1971. p. D-10. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Sipe, Reynolds Win Titles; Aztecs Romp". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. December 5, 1971. p. D-12. Retrieved January 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "San Diego State 1971 Schedule". Retrieved December 6, 2016.
14. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
15. "1972 NFL Draft". Retrieved December 7, 2016.