# 1979–80 San Jose State Spartans men's basketball team

The 1979–80 San Jose State Spartans men's basketball team represented San Jose State University during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans were led by first-year head coach Bill Berry and played their home games at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. SJSU was a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.
The Spartans finished 17–12 overall, and 7–6 in the conference. During the season, San José State was invited and participated in the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara, California. San José State defeated Virginia and Santa Clara to earn 1st place. San José State also lost to North Texas and Oklahoma City but won against St. Francis Brooklyn to earn 7th place in the All-College Basketball Classic in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In the postseason, San José State defeated Pacific, Utah State, and Long Beach State in the 1980 PCAA Conference men's basketball tournament in Anaheim, California. The Spartans were invited and participated in the 1980 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they lost to Missouri in Lincoln, Nebraska in the first round.

## Roster

1979–80 San José State Spartans roster :
| Name | # | Position | Height |
| Wally Rank | 30 | Guard | 6–6 |
| Mickey Jackson | 33 | Forward | 6–7 |
| Arthur Graham | 40 | Center | 6–8 |
| Doug Murrey | 35 | Forward | 6–5 |
| Michael Mendez | 25 | Guard | 6–4 |
| Sid Williams | 42 | Center | 6–7 |
| Dan Sullivan | 44 | Guard | 6–6 |
| Ed Saunders | 14 | Guard | 6–1 |
| David Byrd | 15 | Guard | 6–4 |
| John Russo | 24 | Guard | 6–4 |
| Steve Swarbick | 32 | Center | 6–9 |
| Ron Chisholm | 10 | Guard | 6–4 |
Bill Berry, Michigan State alumnus, was the Spartans' head coach in 1979–80.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 30, 1979* | | Missouri Western | W 58–54 | 1–0 | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| December 3, 1979* | | at Arizona | L 70–72 | 1–1 | McKale Center Tucson, AZ |
| December 5, 1979* | | Montana | L 72–74 | 1–2 | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| December 7, 1979* | | Portland | L 72–73 | 1–3 | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| December 15, 1979* | | at Stanford Rivalry | W 67–66 | 2–3 | Maples Pavilion Stanford, CA |
| December 18, 1979* | | at Saint Mary's | W 61–57 | 3–3 | McKeon Pavilion Moraga, CA |
| December 21, 1979* | | vs. No. 12 Virginia Cable Car Classic | W 83–79 | 4–3 | Leavey Center Santa Clara, CA |
| December 22, 1979* | | at Santa Clara Cable Car Classic | W 77–62 | 5–3 | Leavey Center Santa Clara, CA |
| December 26, 1979* | | vs. North Texas All-College Basketball Classic | L 61–72 | 5–4 | Cox Center Oklahoma City, OK |
| December 28, 1979* | | at Oklahoma City All-College Basketball Classic | L 75–77 | 5–5 | Cox Center Oklahoma City, OK |
| December 29, 1979* | | vs. St. Francis Brooklyn All-College Basketball Classic | W 78–63 | 6–5 | Cox Center Oklahoma City, OK |
| January 3, 1980* | | Sacramento State | W 90–46 | 7–5 | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| PCAA regular season ||||||
| January 10, 1980 | | Pacific | W 65–59 | 8–5 (1–0) | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| January 13, 1980 | | Fresno State Rivalry | L 44–48 | 8–6 (1–1) | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| January 17, 1980 | | Long Beach State | W 64–61 | 9–6 (2–1) | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| January 19, 1980 | | at UC Santa Barbara | L 66–76 | 9–7 (2–2) | The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA |
| January 24, 1980 | | at Utah State | L 92–95 | 9–8 (2–3) | Smith Spectrum Logan, UT |
| January 27, 1980 | | Utah State | W 69–67 | 10–8 (3–3) | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| January 31, 1980 | | UC Irvine | W 82–47 | 11–8 (4–3) | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| February 2, 1980 | | Cal State Fullerton | W 72–69 | 12–8 (5–3) | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| February 7, 1980 | | at Cal State Fullerton | W 66–58 | 13–8 (6–3) | Titan Gym Fullerton, CA |
| February 9, 1980 | | at UC Irvine | W 74–59 | 14–8 (7–3) | Crawford Hall Irvine, CA |
| February 14, 1980 | | UC Santa Barbara | L 51–52 | 14–9 (7–4) | San Jose Civic Auditorium San Jose, CA |
| February 16, 1980 | | at Long Beach State | L 74–82 | 14–10 (7–5) | Long Beach Arena Long Beach, CA |
| February 23, 1980 | | at Pacific | L 73–83 | 14–11 (7–6) | Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium Stockton, CA |
| PCAA tournament ||||||
| February 28, 1980 | (4) | vs. (6) UC Santa Barbara Quarterfinals | W 73–66 | 15–11 | Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, CA |
| March 1, 1980 | (4) | vs. (1) Utah State Semifinals | W 94–68 | 16–11 | Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, CA |
| March 2, 1980 | (4) | vs. (2) Long Beach State Championship | W 57–55 | 17–11 | Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, CA |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 6, 1980 | (MW 12) | vs. (MW 5) No. 16 Missouri First Round | L 51–61 | 17–12 | Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, NE |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. ||||||