MovieChat Forums > All the Right Moves (1983) Discussion > Cal Poly Football: FYI

Cal Poly Football: FYI

posted 19 years ago by eldeze
16 replies | jump to latest

The university that Tom Cruise's character ends up playing for is California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, on the California central coast north of Santa Barbara. Its a highly regarded predominant engineering and architecture school with a highly ranked Division 1AA football team. Its the Alma Mater of Fox sports caster John Madden. After John Madden's stint as an NFL lineman, he coached a near-by junior college team when a plane full of his former Cal Poly teammates and coaches became involved in one of the worst sports team disasters in history. After Cal Poly lost to Bowling Green in October 1960, the team's plane crashed shortly after take off in the foggy Ohio night. This had such a profound effect on John Madden that he refuses to fly to this day. Recently, the Detroit Lions hired Ted Tollner, Cal Poly's starting quarterback in 1960 and one of the few survivors of the disaster. He'll be the Lion's offensive coordinator for the 2005 season. Tyler Mariucci, the son of Lions head coach, Steve Mariucci, currently plays defensive back for Cal Poly. Also, Alex Spanos, the owner of the San Diego Chargers will fund the complete renovation of Cal Poly's football stadium in honor of the 1960 crash victims.

[–] lcambra-1 19 years ago

Thanks for posting the info. As a Cal Poly graduate it trips me out everytime they say Cal Poly. Does anyone know why Cal Poly was chosen for the film?

[–] pineapple3332003 19 years ago

Do they say it was Cal Poly San Louis in the movie? Because when they filmed it in 1983, Cal Poly Pomona had the superior football program, I think. I know we had Roman Gabriel coaching the program, who was a 4-time Pro-bowller for the Rams, and the cashflow was immense at the time. Unfortunately there was some sort of scandal right after that, and the Pomona program was scrapped and hasn't returned since, but in 1983, it would've been a happier ending for Tom Cruise's character to end up at Pomona, I think. The Pomona team was taken apart in the early 80's, but after the movie was made, I think. Maybe someone knows more about that..

[–] steve-brink 18 years ago

Cal Poly Pomona had dropped football by 1983. It was on the decline even with Roman Gabriel being the last coach.

[–] brian-cartwright2 9 years ago

If I remember correctly Stef wanted to be an engineer, but the only way he could go to that school was to get the football scholarship.

[–] BiffC 19 years ago

Interesting, thanks for the info. I've always known John Madden is afraid of flying but didn't know the reason until now. Now I know why he has his MaddenCruiser.
Considering that Cal Poly has such a prestigious football and engineering program, it makes you wonder why, in the film, the university would hire a high school football coach from a dying steel town who just blew the biggest game of the season by not taking a knee to run out the clock.

[–] sdmsilver 19 years ago

He was just going to be the defensive back coach. I guess you don't know to much about football considering if you take a knee on the one it would be a safety.

[–] melissagiglio 19 years ago

In the movie, the guy from Alaquippa was the front runner for the position at Cal Poly. He got a better offer and then they gave the job position to Nickerson.

[–] narg1208 18 years ago

Yea, but if he had taken a knee and taken the safety, their team would have kicked the ball back to the other team (their name slips my mind) and there would really be no way they would run it back (classic assumption) and the Tom Cruise team (can you tell I haven't watched this in a while?) would win, regardless of the safety because they were up by... 6 I do believe.

Mitch, you picked a *beep* up night to start working here.

[–] steve-brink 18 years ago

The name was Walnut Heights.

On the safety thing, the QB could have taken the ball in the end zone, and after time expired, could have taken the knee and still won the game. Another thing, a simnple QB sneak would have keep the the ball out of the EZ, no more chance for a fumble thyan the original snap would have been, also kept the ball inbounds and the clock running. IF WH had no more time outs, and the game clock was uder 25 seconds when the ready for play was blown, game over and Ampipe would not even have to leave huddle. Even if WH had time outs left, they would probably not been able to get the clock stopped enough to regain possession.

The ending reminds me of the NY Giants Joe Pischarchek (sp) (back in the 1970s)fumbling and the other team ran back the fumble for a winning touchdown when all they had to do was take a knee.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] ZombieNougatMadness 18 years ago

Wow, you know your stuff original poster! I'm from San Luis Obispo, and it always struck me funny to hear such a small community end up in A Hollywood picture. But since Sideways came out, I'm getting kinda used to it. But good info, very interesting, I didn't know all that, though I know John Madden had some connection here, I wasn't sure to what extent, except that he met his wife at a bar in Pismo Beach called Harry's that I used to go to. By the way, is there any definitive proof they meant Cal Poly, SLO? It could have been Pomona, which seems more likely since it's in LA.

[–] steve-brink 18 years ago

By the time this movie was made, Cal Poly Pomona had already dropped football so it was unleike they meant a school that did not field football team.

You know former NFL, USC and San Diego State coach Ted Tollner was also a survivor of the crash?

Oh yeah, my dad is a graduate of Cal Poly SLO.

[–] ZombieNougatMadness 18 years ago

Very interesting.

[–] jefgg 11 years ago

John Madden flew on airplanes when he was a coach in the NFL. When he retired from coaching to become a broadcaster then he started to travel exclusively by bus or train. I don't like to fly either. But I don't have the patience for long bus or train trips.

[–] Huskie_Jon 10 years ago

"Wierd Al" Yankovic went to Cal Poly to study architecture.

He did not play football.

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