# 1961 Los Angeles State Diablos football team

The 1961 Los Angeles State Diablos football team was an American football team that represented Los Angeles State College (now known as California State University, Los Angeles) as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1961 college football season. In their 11th year head coach Leonard Adams, the Diablos compiled a 4–4–1 record (2–2–1 in conference games), tied for third place in the CCAA, and were outscored by a total of 189 to 186.
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Tom Kennedy (1,037 passing yards), halfback Joe Womack (668 rushing yards, 48 points scored), and end Dick Carey (424 receiving yards).
The Diablos played three home games at L.A. State Stadium in Los Angeles and two at East Los Angeles College Stadium in Monterey Park, California.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 16 | Cal Poly Pomona* | East Los Angeles College StadiumMonterey Park, CA | L 11–21 | 5,200 |
| September 23 | San Diego State | L.A. State StadiumLos Angeles, CA | T 13–13 | 4,752 |
| September 30 | University of Mexico* | East Los Angeles College StadiumMonterey Park, CA | W 40–0 | |
| October 7 | at UC Santa Barbara | La Playa StadiumSanta Barbara, CA | W 31–8 | |
| October 14 | San Francisco State* | L.A. State StadiumLos Angeles, CA | W 28–21 | 3,750 |
| October 21 | at No. 10 Fresno State | Ratcliffe StadiumFresno, CA | L 6–35 | 11,151 |
| October 28 | at Pacific (CA)* | Pacific Memorial StadiumStockton, CA | L 27–45 | |
| November 4 | Cal Poly | L.A. State StadiumLos Angeles, CA | L 13–40 | 2,000–4,983 |
| November 11 | at Long Beach State | Veterans StadiumLong Beach, CA | W 17–6 | 5,341–5,431 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||

## Statistics

The Diablos tallied 2,632 yards of total offense (292.4 per game), consisting of 1,305 passing yards (145.0 per game) and 1,327 rushing yards (147.5 per game). On defense, they gave up 2,585 yards (287.3 per game), including 1,150 passing yards (127.8 per game) and 1,435 rushing yards (159.4 per game).
Quarterback Tom Kennedy completed 70 of 155 passes for 1,037 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. Despite losing 139 yards rushing, he also led the team in total offense with 897 yards of total offense. Kennedy was also the team's punter, averaging 34.9 yards on 46 punts.
Halfback Joe Womack led the team in rushing with 668 yards on 120 carries. Womack also led the team in scoring with 48 points on eight touchdowns.
End Dick Carey was the leading receiver with 29 receptions for 424 yards. He ranked second in scoring with 46 points on three touchdowns, 17 extra point kicks, three field goals, and a catch for a two-point conversion.
Other notable performers included fullback Bob Lyons (282 rushing yards on 71 carries) and end Darvin Howell (19 receptions, 388 yards).

## Awards and honors

End Dick Carey, guard Doug Brown, and halfback Joe Womack were selected as first-team players on the 1961 All-CCAA football team.

## Players in the NFL

The following Los Angeles State player was selected in the 1962 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL team |
| Fred Gillett | Center, linebacker, guard | 19 | 261 | Baltimore Colts |