The Cal State Northridge Matadors football team represented California State University, Northridge in the sport of

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

from the 1962 through 2001 seasons. Between 1962 through 1992, Cal State Northridge competed at the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division II level prior to moving to

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

in 1993. The Matadors played their home games at multiple stadiums throughout their history with the most recent being North Campus Stadium in

Northridge, California Northridge is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the Los Angeles, California, City of Los Angeles. The community is home to California State University, Northridge, and the Northridge Fashion Center. Originally named List_of_mino ...

. Until 1972, the school's name was "San Fernando Valley State College." The team disbanded after 2001 due to budget concerns, with the cost of the program ($1.3 million per year) outweighing a department that was thousands of dollars in the red. The scholarships were honored by the school.

Yearly records

Conference championships

The Matadors won three conference championships in their time playing college football. † denotes shared championship.

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division II playoffs

The Matadors made one appearance in the Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 0-1.

Notable players

* Sherdrick Bonner * Joe Rice * Eric Treibatch *

Lon Boyett Lonnie E. Boyett (born December 24, 1953) is a former American football tight end who played one season with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California State University, Northridge and ...

* Daved Benefield *

Marcus Brady Marcus Brady (born September 24, 1979) is an American football coach who is the senior offensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis ...

* D. J. Hackett * Doug Jones * Chris Parker * Alo Sila * Bryan Wagner * Keith Watkins * Bruce Lemmerman * Melvin Wilson * Andrew Amerson *

Derek Sage Derek Robert Sage (born October 11, 1978) is an American football coach. He the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at University of Nevada, Reno, a position he has held since 2022. Early life Sage was born on October 11, 1978, in Ventur ...

* Pat Cerruti * Kip Dukes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cal State Northridge Matadors football 1962 establishments in California 2001 disestablishments in California American football teams established in 1962 American football teams disestablished in 2001