Memorial Rock and Plaque Mustang Memorial Plaza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC 2022 Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OBC

Memorial Plaque and Rock

A memorial plaque honoring members of the 1960 Cal Poly football team who lost their lives in a plane crash at Toledo Airport was dedicated in June 1967 at what was then called Mustang Stadium.

Landscaping of the area in the northeast corner of the facility was done by about 40 students from the landscape and design class of the Ornamental Horticulture Department at Cal Poly under the direction of instructors Anthony Amato and Wes Conner.

The $7,000 memorial was made possible by the Cal Poly Student Memorial Fund.

The 10-by-20-inch bronze plaque includes the names of the 16 Cal Poly football players and the team manager with the inscription, “In memory of the Cal Poly football players who lost their lives in the plane

crash, Toledo, Ohio, October 29, 1960.”

A new scoreboard in honor of the deceased also was erected at the north end of the stadium.

“We feel that this money was forthcoming to the school for helping wives, children and scholarships as a result of the

crash,” former Cal Poly head coach Sheldon Harden said.

“We therefore thought it would be appropriate to have some tribute to those individuals who lost their lives in this crash.”

Also prior to the 1967 season, a new concession stand was built, the wooden stands on the west side of the stadium were refurbished, a new walkway with railings was added and a new coat of paint was applied.

Prior to each home game, Cal Poly football players pay tribute to the 1960 football team at the memorial rock. For each road trip, the team loads up the buses near Mott Athletics Center, drives to Alex G. Spanos Stadium and walks to the rock for reflection prior to departing campus.

Mustang Memorial Plaza

Friends and family of E. Gary Van Horn attended dedication ceremony for Mustang Memorial Plaza.

ustang Memorial Plaza at Alex G. Spanos Stadium was formally dedicated September 29, 2006, with over 400 people in attendance, including survivors, friends and family members of those who lost their lives.

Cal Poly’s 1960 football team was honorably inducted into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame later that evening at Chumash Auditorium.

Richard Equinoa, retired director of career services at Cal Poly, read the names of the 53 members of the team who were inducted. As many as 46 of the inductees were represented at the induction dinner.

Gil Stork, a survivor of the Oct. 29, 1960, plane crash at Toledo, Ohio, that took the lives of 18 team members, served as Master of Ceremonies. Representing the 1960 football team at the podium were survivors Carl Bowser and Ted Tollner.

The unity and depth of brotherhood shared by the 1960 players made the group an ideal selection for Cal Poly’s unprecedented selection of an entire team for Hall of Fame honors, according to Alison Cone, Cal Poly’s director of athletics at the time.

Eighteen of the original 25 survivors of the tragic plane crash were still alive at the time, and most were present for the remembrance ceremonies, as well as a number of family members.

“This dedication is one of the most significant moments in Cal Poly’s

Mhistory, as well as for me personally,” said then-Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker. “The new Mustang Memorial Plaza is Cal Poly’s tribute to the 1960 team. With this plaza, we will preserve forever the memory of the 18 who perished in the tragic crash, so that their hopes and dreams live on.” A flock of doves was released during the dedication ceremony and PolyPhonics performed two songs. President Baker presided over the unveiling of the granite plaques placed on 18 copper pillars representing each of the 18 team members -- 16 players, a Mustang booster and the team manager -- who lost their lives in the crash. The 15,000-square-foot Mustang Memorial Plaza is rich in symbolism. It is anchored by a striking bronze sculpture of a mustang created by Roy Harris -- aptly titled “Unbridled Spirit” -- which stands at the center of a ‘team huddle’ created by a circle of 18 pillars faced in copper, a metal that grows more beautiful with time. Each of the 18 pillars stands at the same height as that of its honoree. Soft beams of light glow from the tops of the pillars, permanent beacons that serve to guide those who wish to honor the memory of the team. Each pillar displays a granite plaque engraved with the 1961 yearbook photo of the honored individual, statistics for that player, and personal information. As one family member wrote in tribute to its lost loved one, “Always loved. Never forgotten.”

Relatives of halfback John Bell gather in front of memorial plaque.

Photos by Chris Leschinsky

2022 Cal Poly Football Schedule

Date Opponent Time Sept. 1 at Fresno State (FS1) . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 U. SAN DIEGO (ESPN+) . . . . . . . . . .2:02 p.m. Sept. 17 at South Dakota (ESPN+) . . . . . . . . .11:02 a.m. Sept. 24 Bye Oct. 1 *^SACRAMENTO STATE (ESPN+) . .5:02 p.m. Oct. 8 *at Northern Arizona (ESPN+) . . . . . .1:02 p.m. Oct. 15 *at Idaho State (ESPN+) . . . . . . . . . .12:02 p.m. Oct. 22 *&EASTERN WASHINGTON (ESPN+) 5:02 p.m. Oct. 29 *+at UC Davis (ESPN+) . . . . . . . . . . .4:02 p.m. Nov. 5 *at Montana (ESPN+) . . . . . . . . . . . . .5:02 p.m. Nov. 12 *MONTANA STATE (ESPN+) . . . . . .5:02 p.m. Nov. 19 *PORTLAND STATE (ESPN+) . . . . . .5:02 p.m.

+Battle for the Golden Horseshoe ^ Homecoming Game. &Parent and Family Weekend *Big Sky game All Times Pacific All games broadcast on ESPN Radio 1280 AM / 101.7 FM