1978 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1978 San Diego State Aztecs football
1978 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	4–7 (2–4 WAC)
Head coach	Claude Gilbert (6th season);
Home stadium	San Diego Stadium
	Seasons ← 1977 1979 →

1978 Western Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
BYU $	5	–	1	–	0	9	–	4	–	0
Utah	4	–	2	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
Wyoming	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	7	–	0
New Mexico	3	–	3	–	0	7	–	5	–	0
Colorado State	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
San Diego State	2	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
UTEP	1	–	5	–	0	1	–	11	–	0

$ – Conference champion

The 1978 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). This was the Aztecs' first season in the WAC.

The team was led by head coach Claude Gilbert, in his sixth year, and played home games at San Diego Stadium^{[note 1]} in San Diego, California. They finished with a record of four wins and seven losses (4–7, 2–4 WAC).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	at No. 19 Iowa State*	Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA	L 13–14	46,450	^[1]
September 23	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	L 24–31	14,100	^[2]
October 7	Fresno State*	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA (rivalry)	W 31–14	42,424	^[3]
October 14	at Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	L 22–31	21,471	^[4]
October 21	Pacific (CA)*	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 31–28	37,219	^[5]
October 28	at Long Beach State*	Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, CA	L 25–27	11,216	^[6]
November 4	Colorado State	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 34–31	38,494	^[7]
November 11	at BYU	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	L 3–21	22,682	^[8]
November 18	at Miami (FL)*	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	L 14–16	17,468	^[9]
November 25	New Mexico	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 27–24	30,011	^[10]
December 2	Utah	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	L 18–20	30,899	^[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[12]^[13]

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1979 NFL draft.^[14]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Don Warren	Tight end	4	103	Washington Redskins
Henry Williams	Defensive back	6	156	Oakland Raiders
Kent Perkov	Defensive end	8	204	Cleveland Browns

The following finished their college career in 1978, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.^[15]

Player	Position	First NFL team
Curtis Bledsoe	Running back	1981 Kansas City Chiefs
David Gray	Defensive back	1979 New Orleans Saints
Phil DuBois	Tight end	1979 Washington Redskins
Saladin Martin	Defensive back	1980 New York Jets

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Phil Dubois
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Pete Inge, Off Kent Perkov, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Don Warren, Off Steve Jorde, Def Walk on Captain M Merino
Most Inspirational Player	Dave Katzenmeyer

^[13]

Notes

^ San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.

References

^ "Jacobs sparks Cyclone victory". The Daily Nonpareil. September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Miners beat Aztecs 31–24, honest". The El Paso Times. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Aztecs sweep past Bulldogs, 31–14". The Fresno Bee. October 8, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Dave Distel (October 15, 1978). "Hardeman Runs Down the Aztecs". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Mike Granberry (October 22, 1978). "Aztecs, Buoyed by Pass Defense, Hold Back Pacific". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "49ers defeat Aztecs in final seconds". The Los Angeles Times. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Dave Distel (November 5, 1978). "Aztecs Stand Off the Rams, 34-31". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Dave Distel (November 12, 1978). "BYU Gets Holiday for Beating Aztecs". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Miami tops Aztecs, 16–14". Fort Lauderdale News. November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Matt Mitchell (November 26, 1978). "The Aztecs Pass Past New Mexico". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Home-field edge fails Aztecs, 20–18". The Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "San Diego State 1978 Schedule". Retrieved December 6, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
^ "1979 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
^ "San Diego St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 8, 2016.

[1] San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.

[2] "Jacobs sparks Cyclone victory". The Daily Nonpareil. September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Miners beat Aztecs 31–24, honest". The El Paso Times. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Aztecs sweep past Bulldogs, 31–14". The Fresno Bee. October 8, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] Dave Distel (October 15, 1978). "Hardeman Runs Down the Aztecs". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] Mike Granberry (October 22, 1978). "Aztecs, Buoyed by Pass Defense, Hold Back Pacific". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "49ers defeat Aztecs in final seconds". The Los Angeles Times. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] Dave Distel (November 5, 1978). "Aztecs Stand Off the Rams, 34-31". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] Dave Distel (November 12, 1978). "BYU Gets Holiday for Beating Aztecs". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Miami tops Aztecs, 16–14". Fort Lauderdale News. November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] Matt Mitchell (November 26, 1978). "The Aztecs Pass Past New Mexico". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] "Home-field edge fails Aztecs, 20–18". The Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "San Diego State 1978 Schedule". Retrieved December 6, 2016.

[Media_Guide-14] "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.

[15] "1979 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.

[16] "San Diego St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 8, 2016.

[note 1]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]