1976 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team

The 1976 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team represented Cal State Northridge during the 1976 NCAA Division II football season.

1976 Cal State Northridge Matadors football
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
1976 record	8–3 (0–2 CCAA)
Head coach	Jack Elway (1st season)
Home stadium	North Campus Stadium

1976 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Cal Poly $	2	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	1
Cal Poly Pomona	1	–	1	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
Cal State Northridge	0	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
$ – Conference champion

Cal State Northridge competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The CCAA lost two of its five members before the 1976 season. UC Riverside discontinued football after the 1975 season. Cal State Los Angeles dropped down to a lower level of competition after the 1975 season. The CCAA continued with just the three teams until the conference stopped supporting football after the 1981 season.

The 1976 Matadors were led by first-year head coach Jack Elway.[note 1] They played home games at North Campus Stadium in Northridge, California. Cal State Northridge finished the season with a record of eight wins and three losses (8–3, 0–2 CCAA). The eight wins was the most by a Matador team since the school started football in 1962. The Matadors outscored their opponents 217–137 for the season.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 10	at San Francisco State*	Cox Stadium San Francisco	W 14–9	1,200[1]
September 18	at California Lutheran*	Mt. Clef Field Thousand Oaks, California	W 26–14
September 25	UC Davis*	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	W 17–3	3,000[2]
October 2	at Cal Poly[note 2]	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	L 7–19	7,350[3]
October 9	Cal State Los Angeles*	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	W 24–13	3,500[4]
October 16	at San Diego*	Torero Stadium San Diego, California	W 49–6	2,100[5]
October 23	at Santa Clara*	Buck Shaw Stadium Santa Clara, California	L 7–33	7,220[6]
October 30	Cal State Hayward[note 3]*	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	W 23–10
November 6	Cal Poly Pomona	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	L 7–20	3,500[7]
November 13	at US International[note 4]*	Balboa Stadium ? San Diego, California	W 27–0	500[8]
November 20	Cal State Fullerton*	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	W 16–10	4,000[9]
*Non-conference game

[10]

Team players in the NFL

No Cal State Northridge players were selected in the 1977 NFL Draft.[11][12][13]

Notes

1. After coaching at Cal State Northridge from 1976–1978, Jack Elway would serve as head coach for the San Jose State Spartans (1979–1983) and Stanford Cardinal (1984–1988). Jack was the father of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.
2. The official name of Cal Poly has been California Polytechnic State University since 1947. However, it is more commonly known as either Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or just Cal Poly.
3. California State University, East Bay was known as California State University, Hayward from 1972 to 2004.
4. Alliant International University was formed in 2001 via the merger of United States International University (USIU) and California School of Professional Psychology.

References

1. "Northridge Wins Opener, 14-9". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 11, 1976. p. III-4. Retrieved March 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "94-Yard Pass Play Helps Northridge to 3rd in Row". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 26, 1976. p. III-16. Retrieved March 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Unbeaten 49ers Score Win Over Pacific". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 3, 1976. p. III-16. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Northridge Rally Give Cal State LA First Loss". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 10, 1976. p. III-11. Retrieved March 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Northridge Rolls, 49-6". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 17, 1976. p. III-12. Retrieved March 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Long Beach State Beats Lamar". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 24, 1976. p. III-14. Retrieved March 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Long Beach State Shut Out by Fresno". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 7, 1976. p. III-16. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Bailey Scores 3 TDs in 49er Win". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 14, 1976. p. III-14. Retrieved February 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Aztecs Beat Long Beach, 10-3". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 21, 1976. p. III-12. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "1976 - Cal St.-Northridge". Retrieved January 21, 2017.
11. "1977 NFL Draft". Retrieved January 19, 2017.
12. "Cal State-Northridge Players/Alumni". Retrieved February 21, 2017.
13. "Draft History: Cal State-Northridge". Retrieved March 18, 2017.