# Cal State Northridge Matadors football

The Cal State Northridge Matadors football team represented California State University, Northridge in the sport of American football from the 1962 through 2001 seasons. Between 1962 and 1992, Cal State Northridge competed at the NCAA Division II level prior to moving to Division I-AA in 1993. The Matadors played their home games at multiple stadiums throughout their history, with the most recent being North Campus Stadium in Northridge, California.
Until 1972, the school's name was "San Fernando Valley State College." The team disbanded after 2001 due to budget concerns, with the cost of the program ($1.3 million per year) outweighing a department that was thousands of dollars in the red. The scholarships were honored by the school.

## Yearly records

| Year | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs |
| California Collegiate Athletic Association (1962–1981) ||||||
| 1962 | Sam Winningham | 3–6 | 0–0 | NA | |
| 1963 | Sam Winningham | 2–6 | 0–0 | NA | |
| 1964 | Sam Winningham | 4–6 | 1–3 | T–4th | |
| 1965 | Sam Winningham | 1–9 | 0–4 | 6th | |
| 1966 | Sam Winningham | 2–7–1 | 0–5 | 6th | |
| 1967 | Sam Winningham | 6–4 | 3–2 | T–2nd | L Pasadena Bowl |
| 1968 | Sam Winningham | 5–4 | 1–3 | T–4th | |
| 1969 | Leon McLaughlin | 4–5 | 1–1 | 2nd | |
| 1970 | Leon McLaughlin | 4–6 | 1–2 | 3rd | |
| 1971 | Rod Humenuik | 4–7 | 1–2 | 3rd | |
| 1972 | Rod Humenuik | 6–5 | 1–3 | 4th | |
| 1973 | Gary Torgeson | 2–9 | 1–3 | T–3rd | |
| 1974 | Gary Torgeson | 2–9 | 1–3 | 4th | |
| 1975 | Gary Torgeson | 4–6–1 | 1–3 | 4th | |
| 1976 | Jack Elway | 8–3 | 0–2 | 3rd | |
| 1977 | Jack Elway | 7–3–1 | 1–1 | 2nd | |
| 1978 | Jack Elway | 5–5 | 0–2 | 3rd | |
| 1979 | Tom Keele | 3–7 | 1–1 | 2nd | |
| 1980 | Tom Keele | 5–6 | 1–1 | 2nd | |
| 1981 | Tom Keele | 6–4–1 | 2–0 | 1st | |
| CCAA: | CCAA: | 83–117–4 | | | |
| Western Football Conference (1982–1992) ||||||
| 1982 | Tom Keele | 4–7 | 2–2 | 3rd | |
| 1983 | Tom Keele | 6–4 | 2–1 | T–1st | |
| 1984 | Tom Keele | 2–8 | 0–3 | 4th | |
| 1985 | Tom Keele | 4–7 | 1–4 | T–5th | |
| 1986 | Bob Burt | 8–3 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |
| 1987 | Bob Burt | 7–4 | 4–2 | 2nd | |
| 1988 | Bob Burt | 6–5 | 2–4 | T–5th | |
| 1989 | Bob Burt | 6–5 | 3–2 | T–2nd | |
| 1990 | Bob Burt | 7–4 | 4–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division II First Round |
| 1991 | Bob Burt | 3–7 | 1–4 | 5th | |
| 1992 | Bob Burt | 5–5 | 2–2 | 3rd | |
| WFC: | WFC: | 58–59 | 25–27 | | |
| American West Conference (1993–1995) ||||||
| 1993 | Bob Burt | 4–6 | 1–3 | T–4th | |
| 1994 | Bob Burt | 3–7 | 0–3 | 4th | |
| 1995 | Dave Baldwin | 2–8 | 1–2 | 3rd | |
| AWC: | AWC: | 9–21 | 2–8 | | |
| Big Sky Conference (1996–2000) ||||||
| 1996 | Dave Baldwin | 7–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd | |
| 1997 | Jim Fenwick | 6–6 | 4–4 | T–4th | |
| 1998 | Ron Ponciano | 7–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd | |
| 1999 | Jeff Kearin | 5–6 | 4–4 | 5th | |
| 2000 | Jeff Kearin | 4–7 | 2–6 | T–7th | |
| Big Sky: | Big Sky: | 29–27 | 20–20 | | |
| Division I-AA Independent (2001) ||||||
| 2001 | Jeff Kearin | 3–7 | | | |
| Total: | Total: | 182–231–4 | | | |
| National championship  Conference title  Conference division title or championship game berth ||||||

## Conference championships

The Matadors won three conference championships in their time playing college football.
| Season | Coach | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| 1981 | Tom Keele | California Collegiate Athletic Association | 6–4–1 | 2–0 |
| 1983† | Tom Keele | Western Football Conference | 6–4 | 2–1 |
| 1990† | Bob Burt | Western Football Conference | 7–4 | 4–1 |
† denotes shared championship.

## Playoff appearances
### NCAA Division II playoffs

The Matadors made one appearance in the Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 0-1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1990 | First Round | Cal Poly | L, 7–14 |

## Notable players

* Sherdrick Bonner
* Joe Rice
* Eric Treibatch
* Lon Boyett
* Daved Benefield
* Marcus Brady
* D.J. Hackett
* Armando Diaz
* Doug Jones (American football)
* Chris Parker
* Alo Sila
* Bryan Wagner
* Keith Watkins
* Bruce Lemmerman
* Melvin Wilson
* Andrew Amerson
* Derek Sage
* Pat Cerruti
* Kip Dukes
* Mario Hull