1980 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

1980 Fresno State Bulldogs football
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Record	5–6 (1–4 PCAA)
Head coach	Jim Sweeney (3rd season)
Home stadium	Bulldog Stadium

1980 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Long Beach State $	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Utah State	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
San Jose State	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Fresno State	1	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Cal State Fullerton	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Pacific (CA)	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1980 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented California State University, Fresno as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Jim Sweeney, who returned for his third season as head coach after a two-year hiatus, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 1–4 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the PCAA.

The 1980 season saw the opening of a new on-campus football stadium, Bulldog Stadium. This increased the seating capacity for Fresno State football from 13,000 to 30,000.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Cal State Fullerton	Titan Field Fullerton, CA	L 25–39	7,282	[2]
September 13	at UNLV*	Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	L 6–35	19,085	[3]
September 20	Southwestern Louisiana*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 16–14	12,283	[4]
September 27	at Utah*	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	L 12–27	25,358	[5]
October 4	Cal Poly*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 31–25	15,221	[6]
October 11	at San Jose State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA (rivalry)	L 14–26	14,120	[7]
October 18	Pacific (CA)	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	W 27–3	12,782	[8]
October 25	Utah State	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	L 0–14	10,482	[9]
November 1	Long Beach State	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA	L 9–34	8,228	[10]
November 8	at Southern Illinois*	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 31–14	9,800	[11]
November 15	Montana State*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	W 21–14	25,684	[12]
*Non-conference game

^[13][14][15]

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1981 NFL draft.^[16][17]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Anthony Washington	Defensive back	2	44	Pittsburgh Steelers

References

1. "Bulldog Stadium". Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
2. "For openers, it was smashing". The Los Angeles Times. September 7, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "UNLV triumphs". The Daily Spectrum. September 14, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "FSU's offense comes alive; USL falls, 16–14". The Fresno Bee. September 21, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Utes run by 'Dogs, 27–12". The Fresno Bee. September 28, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "'Dogs corral Mustangs, 31–25, with record throng watching". The Fresno Bee. October 5, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Heady Spartans whip Fresno St. in 26–14 romp". The San Francisco Examiner. October 12, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Long Beach St., Fresno State win". The Hanford Sentinel. October 20, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Aggies keep winning ways alive". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 26, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Even in the sunshine, Bulldogs see no daylight". The Fresno Bee. November 2, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Fresno State sacks hapless Salukis". The Belleville News-Democrat. November 9, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Fresno shades Bobcats". Great Falls Tribune. November 16, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "1980 Fresno State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
14. "1980 Football Schedule". Fresno State Athletics. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
15. "Fresno State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Fresno State Athletics. p. 122. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
16. "1981 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
17. "Fresno St. Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.