1990 San Jose State Spartans football team

The 1990 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Big West Conference. The team was led by head coach Terry Shea, in his first year as head coach at San Jose State. They played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spartans finished the 1990 season as Champions of the Big West conference, with a record of nine wins, two losses and one tie (7–0 Big West). They were a mere 4 points away in their 2 losses to opponents from having an undefeated season. They have been dubbed “The Greatest Team in SJSU Football History” by the media in 2023.[1]

1990 San Jose State Spartans football
Big West champion
California Bowl champion
ConferenceBig West Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
Record9–2–1 (7–0 Big West)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorRick Rasnick (4th season)
Home stadiumSpartan Stadium
Seasons
← 1989
1991 →
1990 Big West Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
San Jose State $ 7 0 0 9 2 1
Fresno State 5 1 1 8 2 1
Utah State 5 1 1 5 5 1
Long Beach State 4 3 0 6 5 0
UNLV 3 4 0 4 7 0
Pacific (CA) 2 5 0 4 7 0
New Mexico State 1 6 0 1 10 0
Cal State Fullerton 0 7 0 1 11 0
  • $ – Conference champion

As a result of the Big West championship, the Spartans qualified for a postseason bowl game against the Mid-American Conference (MAC) co-champion Central Michigan Chippewas. The 1990 California Bowl was played in Fresno, California on December 8, with San Jose State winning, 48–24.[2]

Schedule

edit
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 1Louisville*T 10–1016,281[3]
September 8at No. 20 Washington*L 17–2066,337[4]
September 15at Pacific (CA)W 28–148,645[5]
September 22at UNLVW 47–1318,934[6]
September 29at Stanford*W 29–2345,500[7]
October 6at California*L 34–35
October 13Long Beach State 
  • Spartan Stadium
  • San Jose, CA
W 46–2914,938[8]
October 20Utah State
  • Spartan Stadium
  • San Jose, CA
W 34–2711,834[9][10]
November 3Cal State Fullerton
  • Spartan Stadium
  • San Jose, CA
W 44–611,256[11]
November 10at New Mexico StateW 56–2013,865[12]
November 17Fresno State
  • Spartan Stadium
  • San Jose, CA (rivalry)
W 42–731,218[13][14]
December 8vs. Central Michigan*W 48–2425,431
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[15][16]

Rankings

edit
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP
Coaches23252520

Game summaries

edit

Louisville

edit

At Washington

edit

Vs. Central Michigan (California Bowl)

edit

Team players in the NFL

edit

The following were selected in the 1991 NFL draft.[17]

Player Position Round Overall NFL team
Sheldon Canley Running back 7 193 San Francisco 49ers

Notes

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Absolute Loyalty Rings True to Members of the 1990 Now Add It Did Then". Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  2. ^ "San Jose State Bowl History". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "Louisville Football Part VII The Record Book" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2007.
  4. ^ "Washington 2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2007.
  5. ^ "Far West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 16, 1990. p. C23. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  6. ^ "2016 UNLV Rebel Football Light the Fuse". Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
  7. ^ "Pacific 10". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 30, 1990. p. C20. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  8. ^ "San Jose St. 46, CSLB 29". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 4, 1990. p. C-21. Retrieved February 10, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  9. ^ "Utah State Football Guide 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
  10. ^ "Big West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 21, 1990. p. C19. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  11. ^ "San Jose St. 44, CS Fullerton 6". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 4, 1990. p. C22. Retrieved February 12, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  12. ^ "Big West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 11, 1990. p. C18. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  13. ^ "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  14. ^ "Big West". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 18, 1990. p. C21. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  15. ^ "San Jose State 1990 Schedule". Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  16. ^ "San Jose State 2016 Football Media Guide". Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  17. ^ "1991 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.