1998 San Diego State Aztecs football team

The 1998 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). This was the last season for the Aztecs in the WAC, as they became a charter member of the Mountain West Conference in the 1999 season.

1998 San Diego State Aztecs football
WAC Pacific Division co-champion
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
DivisionPacific Division
Record7–5 (7–1 WAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDave Lay (6th season)
Defensive coordinatorClaude Gilbert (8th as DC, 16th overall season)
Home stadiumQualcomm Stadium
Seasons
← 1997
1999 →
1998 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mountain Division
No. 13 Air Force x$   7 1     12 1  
Wyoming   6 2     8 3  
Colorado State   5 3     8 4  
Rice   5 3     5 6  
TCU   4 4     7 5  
Tulsa   2 6     4 7  
SMU   1 1     0 1  
UNLV   0 8     0 11  
Pacific Division
BYU xy   7 1     9 5  
San Diego State x   7 1     7 5  
Utah   5 3     7 4  
Fresno State   5 3     5 6  
San Jose State   3 5     4 8  
UTEP   3 5     3 8  
New Mexico   1 7     3 9  
Hawaii   0 8     0 12  
Championship: Air Force 20, BYU 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The team was led by head coach Ted Tollner, in his fifth year. They played home games at Qualcomm Stadium[note 1] in San Diego. They completed the season as co-champions of the Pacific Division of the WAC, with a record of seven wins, five losses (7–5, 7–1 WAC). The Aztecs qualified for a bowl game at the end of the 1998 season, and played the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 5No. 20 Wisconsin*Cox 4L 14–2637,471
September 12at No. 22 USC*Fox West 2L 6–3549,927
September 24No. 16 Arizona*
  • Qualcomm Stadium
  • San Diego, CA
ESPNL 16–3523,811
October 3at TulsaW 24–1418,320
October 9Hawaii
  • Qualcomm Stadium
  • San Diego, CA
Cox 4W 35–1320,320
October 17at New MexicoCox 4W 36–33 OT26,187
October 24Utah 
  • Qualcomm Stadium
  • San Diego, CA
Cox 4W 21–20 OT28,807
October 29at BYUESPNL 0–1363,496
November 7Fresno State
  • Qualcomm Stadium
  • San Diego, CA (rivalry)
ABCW 10–022,497
November 14at San Jose StateCox 4W 34–612,833
November 21UTEP
  • Qualcomm Stadium
  • San Diego, CA
Cox 4W 34–2922,365
December 19vs. North Carolina*ESPN2L 13–2021,429[1]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[2][3]

Team players in the NFL

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No SDSU players were selected in the 1999 NFL draft.[4]

The following finished their college career in 1998, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.[5]

Player Position First NFL team
Joe Tuipala Linebacker 2001 Jacksonville Jaguars

Team awards

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Award Player
Most Valuable Player
(John Simcox Memorial Trophy)
Damon Gourdine
Outstanding Players
(Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)
Mike Malano, C
Jonas Lewis, RB
Damon Gourdine, WR
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, DE
Joe Tuipala, LB
Rico Curtis, FS
Team captains
Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy
Brian Russell, Off
Joe Jackson, Def
Joe Tuipala, Def
Mike Duran, Special Teams
Mac Cleary, Special Teams
Most Inspirational Player Joe Jackson
Scottie Nicholson

[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as Qualcomm Stadium from 1988 through 2016. It had been called Jack Murphy Stadium since 1981.

References

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  1. ^ "Aztecs get blown away in Las Vegas". Reno Gazette-Journal. December 20, 1998. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "San Diego State 1998 Schedule". Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  4. ^ "1998 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. ^ "San Diego St. Players/Alumni". Retrieved December 8, 2016.