1953 Chico State Wildcats football team
American college football season
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The 1953 Chico State Wildcats football team represented Chico State College—now known as California State University, Chico—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1953 college football season. Led by Ernie Busch in his second and final season as head coach, Chico State compiled an overall record of 6–3–1 with a mark of 4–0–1 in conference play, winning the FWC title. The team outscored its opponents 150 to 133 for the season. The Wildcats played home games at Chico High School Stadium in Chico, California.
- Ernie Busch (2nd season)
| 1953 Chico State Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
FWC champion | |
| Conference | Far Western Conference |
| Record | 6–3–1 (4–0–1 FWC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Chico High School Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chico State $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Humboldt State | 2 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Aggies | 1 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Francisco State | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Oregon | 0 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team included 14 returning lettermen and 16 junior college transfers.[1] Before the season began, improved expectations for the team's performance caused ticket sales to "soar to a new high."[2]
On November 13, Chico State played the Cal Aggies to a scoreless tie in six inches of rain and 40 mile per hour winds, as a fierce storm also caused the press box to collapse during the game.[3]
At the end of the season, four Chico State players were selected for the All-Far Western Conference football team: guard Gene Van der Leun, end George Maderos, and backs Hal Higgins and Carroll Campbell.[4] Busch finished his tenure as Chico State with an overall record of 7–9–1, for a .441 winning percentage.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 19 | Presidio of San Francisco[note 1]* | W 14–7 | [5][6] | ||
| September 26 | Cal Aggies |
| W 14–7 | [7][8] | |
| October 3 | Naval Station Treasure Island* |
| W 21–0 | [9] | |
| October 10 | at Nevada* | L 7–27 | [11][12] | ||
| October 17 | at Southern Oregon |
| W 26–7 | [13] | |
| October 24 | San Francisco State |
| W 13–0 | [14][15] | |
| October 31 | Humboldt State |
| W 14–13 | 4,100 | [16] |
| November 7 | at Linfield* |
| L 13–20 | [17][18] | |
| November 13 | at Cal Aggies | T 0–0 | [3] | ||
| November 21 | at University of Mexico* | L 28–52 | [19] | ||
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Notes
- The Presidio of San Francisco was an Army fort from 1848 to 1996. For many years they fielded a team that played against colleges and other military teams.
- This stadium is the predecessor to the current Mackay Stadium, which was opened for the 1966 season.[10]