Mercy Bowl

[furpal87]

We had a great article in our paper today about the Mercy Bowl in 1961, which featured Bowling Green and Fresno St. It was held to benefit families of Cal-Poly players killed in a 1960 plane crash on their way back from a game against BGSU.

1) Any of you Cal-Poly people want to add anything more about it?
2) What a great cause for a bowl game it made a lot of money for the families, and should be an example to all bowl games as a reason people might actually show up at bowl games!

[UNHWildCats]

We had a great article in our paper today about the Mercy Bowl in 1961, which featured Bowling Green and Fresno St. It was held to benefit families of Cal-Poly players killed in a 1960 plane crash on their way back from a game against BGSU.

1) Any of you Cal-Poly people want to add anything more about it?
2) What a great cause for a bowl game it made a lot of money for the families, and should be an example to all bowl games as a reason people might actually show up at bowl games!
whats the name of the paper? Is the article available on their website?

[furpal87]

The paper is the News & Observer, Raleigh, NC
website is www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1345916.html

[93henfan]

I'm sure Poly51 could fill in all the details if he finds this post.

Hard to believe that the FAA would allow a pilot with a revoked license to continue flying pending an appeal back then. Great article.

[Mr. C]

Growing up in Fresno and later graduating from Fresno State, we were well versed about the Mercy Bowl (I was less than three years old when the game was played). It was talked about a lot and I am glad my alma mater was a part of it. That was one of Fresno State's best teams and I remember people talked a lot about Beau Carter, our QB.

I knew a survivor who went on to become a very successful high school football coach named Roger Kelly. He had injuries from the crash that bothered him constantly. I also had a friend and mentor in the sports writing business named Terry Betterton, who was a student manager or trainer with the team. He fortunately didn't make that trip.

The story of the 1960 Mustangs deserves to be told every bit as much as the Marshall story was.

There is a very nice memorial to the victims of the crash at Spanos Stadium now.

[poly51]

My late wife and I were at the Mercy Bowl game at the LA Coliseum. It was before we were married. She was 16 and I was 19 at the time.

The game drew 33,000 to the LA Coliseum. Fresno State beat Bowling Green 31-6.

The plane crashed taking off from the Toledo, OH airport on on October 29, 1960 after Cal Poly had played a game against Bowling Green University. 16 Cal Poly players and the team Manager were killed in the crash. 25 players survived. Amoung the survivors were Ted Tollner, the former coach at Southern Cal and San Diego State. He is currently with the San Francisco 49ers. Also surviving the crash was Gil Stork, a classmate of mine at San Luis Obispo High School. John Madden was not on the plane as many people beleive. He had graduated in 1958. It is said that his well known fear of flying was caused by the loss of so many friends in the crash.

At the north end of Spanos/Mustang Stadium there is a stone memorial to the 1960 team. To this day before every home game and before leaving on a road trip the team files by and each member touches the stone.