1964 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football
ConferenceCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1 (UPI small college)
APNo. 3 (AP small college)
Record9–0 (5–0 CCAA)
Head coach
Home stadiumRose Bowl
Seasons
← 1963
1965 →
1964 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 AP / No.1 UPI Cal St Los Angeles $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0
No. 5 AP / No.7 UPI San Diego State 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Long Beach State 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Fresno State 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Valley State 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Cal Poly 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from College Division poll

The 1964 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team was an American football team that represented California State College at Los Angeles—now known as California State University, Los Angeles—as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. Led by second-year head coach Homer Beatty, Cal State Los Angeles compiled an overall record of 9–0 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the CCAA title. The Diablos began the season ranked No. 13 in the UPI small college poll. After defeating No. 1 San Diego State on the road, they jumped to No. 5. They went on to compile a perfect 9–0 record (5–0 against CCAA members), winning the CCAA championship and outscoring opponents by a total of 368 to 64, an average score of 41–7. It was the first perfect season in school history.[1]

At the end of the season, the Diablos were selected by the UPI's board of coaches as the small college national champion. The team received 26 first-place votes to seven for No. 2 Wittenberg.[1][2] In the Associated Press small college poll, the Diablos were ranked No. 3, behind Wittenberg and Prairie View.[3]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 26Hawaii*
W 43–04,073[4]
October 3at Pacific (CA)*No. 13
W 32–1310,000[5]
October 17at No. 1 San Diego State*No. 13
W 7–016,165[6]
October 24Fresno StateNo. 5
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
W 32–128,000[7]
October 31at Cal Poly PomonaNo. 4
W 55–62,700–4,000[8][9]
November 7at Cal Poly*No. 2
W 68–72,009–3,800[10][11]
November 14Long Beach StatedaggerNo. 2
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
W 7–08,300–8,350[12][13]
November 21at Valley StateNo. 2
W 62–205,000[14]
November 27Slippery RockNo. 1
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
W 62–615,836[15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from UPI Poll released prior to the game

[16]

Key personnel

Coach Beatty led the Diablos to three consecutive CCAA championships and a 25–2 record from 1963 to 1965. He was selected as one of the inaugural inductees to the Cal State Los Angeles Hall of Fame when it was created in 1985.[17]

The 1964 team was led by quarterback Dunn Marteen, an ex-Marine who was a junior college All-American at Santa Ana Junior College.[18][19] Tackle Walter Johnson, a transfer from New Mexico State, starred on both offense and defense. Johnson was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round (27th overall pick) of the 1965 NFL Draft and played 13 seasons in the NFL.[20]

The Diablos dominated the 1964 All-CCAA football team with nine players receiving first-team honors: Marteen; Johnson (the only player named to both the defensive and offensive units); fullback Art Robinson; halfback Ray Jones; offensive tackle Don Davis; defensive end Walt Thurmond; linebacker Bernie Christian; and defensive backs Jesse Willard and George Youngblood.[21]

Players in the NFL

The following Cal State Los Angeles players were selected in the 1965 NFL Draft.[22][23]

Player Position Round Overall NFL team
Walter Johnson Defensive tackle 2 27 Cleveland Browns
Art Robinson Back 15 200 Chicago Bears
Mitch Johnson Tackle, guard 17 229 Dallas Cowboys

References

  1. ^ a b "Diablos Grab UPI's Small College Title". Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1964. pp. III-1, III-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "UPI Small College's Trophy for Diablos". Los Angeles Citizen-News. December 2, 1964. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Wittenberg No. 1 in Final Small College Football Poll". News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. November 25, 1964. p. 5-B. Retrieved January 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  4. ^ "Hawaii Is Next For Bulldogs". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. September 28, 1964. p. 12-A. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  5. ^ "Diablos Whip UOP". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 4, 1964. p. C-4. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  6. ^ "L.A. Stuns No. 1 Rated San Diego". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 18, 1964. p. D-2. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  7. ^ "LA Diablos Crush FSC Bulldogs, 32-12". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. October 25, 1964. p. 1-S. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  8. ^ "Everybody Plays as Diablos Breeze, 55-6". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 1, 1964. p. C-8. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  9. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  10. ^ "Hapless Poly Whacked by Diablos, 68-7". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 8, 1964. p. D-9. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  11. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "Diablos Win CCAA Crown By Beating L.B. State, 7-0". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 15, 1964. p. D-4. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  13. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  14. ^ "Diablos Smash Valley, 62-20; Marteen Hurt". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 15, 1964. p. D-8. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  15. ^ "L.A. State Massacres Slippery Rock, 62-6". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 28, 1964. p. II-1. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  16. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  17. ^ "Cal State L.A. Hall of Fame". Los Angeles Times. January 31, 1985.
  18. ^ "Diablo Team Leader: Replacement for Marteen Poses Big Problem for Homer Beatty". Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1964. p. III-4 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ John Allen (November 16, 1964). "Diablos Close In On Camellia Bowl". Los Angeles Times. p. III-6 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Walter Johnson". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  21. ^ "Diablos Dominate All-CCAA Squad". The Valley News. December 6, 1964. p. 6B – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "1965 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  23. ^ "Los Angeles St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved January 19, 2017.
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