1953 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

The 1953 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented Fresno State College[note 1] during the 1953 college football season. The Bulldogs rejoined the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), after having played as an Independent in the 1951 and 1952 seasons.

1953 Fresno State Bulldogs football
Conference	California Collegiate Athletic Association
1953 record	4–4–2 (2–2–1 CCAA)
Head coach	Clark Van Galder (2nd season)
Home stadium	Ratcliffe Stadium (Capacity: 13,000)

1953 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Cal Poly $	5	–	0	–	0			9	–	0	–	0
San Diego State	3	–	1	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
Fresno State	2	–	2	–	1			4	–	4	–	2
Pepperdine	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Santa Barbara	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	1
Los Angeles State	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion

Fresno State returned to the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) after playing as an Independent for two years. The team was led by second-year head coach Clark Van Galder and played home games at Ratcliffe Stadium on the campus of Fresno City College in Fresno, California. They finished the season with a record of four wins, four losses and two ties (4–4–2, 2–2–1 CCAA).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 26	Cal Poly[note 2]	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	L 6–27	5,298
October 3	San Jose State[note 3]*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	L 21–27	5,574
October 9	Los Angeles State[note 4]	L.A. State Stadium Los Angeles, CA	L 12–14	2,000
October 17	Nevada*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 47–7	9,600
October 24	Santa Barbara[note 5]	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 20–0	7,188
October 31	San Diego State[note 6]	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	T 27–27[1]	6,212
November 7	at Utah State[note 7]*	Romney Stadium[note 8] Logan, UT	L 6–46
November 11	San Francisco State[note 9]*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 41–27	6,250
November 14	Pepperdine[note 10]	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 54–2	5,224
November 21	at Pacific (CA)[note 11]*	Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	T 21–21
*Non-conference game

[2][3]

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1954 NFL Draft.[4][5]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Ledio Fanucchi	Tackle	22	254	Chicago Cardinals

Notes

1. California State University, Fresno was known as Fresno State College from 1949 to 1971.
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. San Jose State University was known as San Jose State College from 1935 to 1971.
4. California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) was known as Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts and Sciences from 1947 to 1963.
5. University of California, Santa Barbara was known as Santa Barbara College of the University of California from 1944 to 1958.
6. San Diego State University was known as San Diego State College from 1935 to 1971.
7. Utah State University was known as Utah State Agricultural College from 1929 to 1957.
8. This stadium is the predecessor to the current Maverik Stadium (Romney Stadium) that has served as the home of the Aggies since 1968
9. San Francisco State University was known as San Francisco State College from 1935 to 1971.
10. Pepperdine University was known as George Pepperdine College from 1937 to 1970.
11. University of the Pacific (UOP) was known as College of the Pacific from 1911 to 1961.

References

1. Howard Hagen (November 1, 1953). "Aztecs Tie Fresno State In Seesaw Battle, 27-27". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. B-2.
2. "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
3. "Fresno State Yearly Results". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
4. "1954 NFL Draft". Retrieved December 7, 2016.
5. "Fresno St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 12, 2016.