1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
The 1960 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University during the 1960 NCAA College Division football season. Cal Poly competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by 11th-year head coach LeRoy Hughes and played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California. They finished the season with a record of one wins and five losses (1–5, 1–2 CCAA). Tragedy struck following the game at Bowling Green State University on Saturday, October 29, 1960 when a plane leaving Toledo Airport crashed killing 22 people . This included 16 Cal Poly Mustang football players and the team manager. Cal Poly cancelled the rest of their scheduled games in the 1960 season (vs. Los Angeles State, UC Santa Barbara, and Adams State). The following year, a benefit game was held to raise a memorial fund for the survivors and bereaved families. It was called the Mercy Bowl and was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. The game between Fresno State University and Bowling Green State University on November 23, 1961 raised more than $200,000.