1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football
ConferenceCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association
Record1–5 (1–2 CCAA)
Head coach
Home stadiumMustang Stadium
Seasons
← 1959
1961 →
1960 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
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.
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.