1996 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

1996 Fresno State Bulldogs football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Division	Pacific Division
Record	4–7 (3–5 WAC)
Head coach	Jim Sweeney (19th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jeff Tedford (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Robin Ross (1st season)
Home stadium	Bulldog Stadium

1996 Western Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mountain Division
No. 5 BYU x$		8	–	0					14	–	1
Utah		6	–	2					8	–	4
Rice		6	–	2					7	–	4
SMU		4	–	4					5	–	6
New Mexico		3	–	5					6	–	5
TCU		3	–	5					4	–	7
Tulsa		2	–	6					4	–	7
UTEP		0	–	8					2	–	9
Pacific Division
No. 22 Wyoming x		7	–	1					10	–	2
San Diego State		6	–	2					8	–	3
Colorado State		6	–	2					7	–	5
Air Force		5	–	3					6	–	5
Fresno State		3	–	5					4	–	7
San Jose State		3	–	5					3	–	9
Hawaii		1	–	7					2	–	10
UNLV		1	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: BYU 28, Wyoming 25 OT
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented California State University, Fresno as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Jim Sweeney in his 19th and final season as head coach, Fresno State compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the WAC's Pacific Division. The Bulldogs played their home games at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
August 31	Oregon*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	L 27–30 OT	39,312
September 7	at No. 18 Auburn*	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	L 0–62	79,026
September 21	at Utah*	Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	L 17–45	32,539
September 28	Hawaii	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	W 20–0	36,428
October 12	San Jose State*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	W 28–18	38,276
October 19	at No. 23 Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	L 21–42	14,446
October 26	at UNLV	Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV	W 34–23	11,319
November 2	Boise State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	W 41–7	36,099
November 9	Colorado State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	L 20–42	35,009
November 16	Air Force	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	L 38–44 OT	39,112
November 23	at San Diego State	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA (rivalry)	L 21–31	32,107
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1996 Fresno State Bulldogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class G 73 Donte Addision So TE 87 Chris Alex Fr QB 16 Jim Arellanes Sr OT 78 Chris Conrad Jr QB 10 Richie Donati Sr WR 22 Corey Fields Jr FB 43 Grant Parnagian Jr TB 4 Michael Pittman Jr RB 34 Jaime Kimbrough So	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 47 Joe Barnes Jr LB 20 Chris Bayne Sr CB 7 Mustafah Muhammad Sr DE 54 Ryan Negrete Jr DT 93 Bryan Robinson Sr SS 5 Omar Stoutmire Sr CB 2 Rio Wells Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Jim Sweeney Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1997 NFL draft.

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Chris Bayne	Defensive back	7	222	Atlanta Falcons
Omar Stoutmire	Defensive back	7	224	Dallas Cowboys

The following finished their college career in 1996, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.

Player	Position	First NFL team
Bryan Robinson	Defensive tackle, defensive end	1997 St. Louis Rams
Mustafah Muhammad	Defensive back	1999 Indianapolis Colts