The 1961 Cal Poly Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented California Polytechnic State College (now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1961 college football season.
In their 12th and final year under head coach LeRoy Hughes, the Mustangs compiled a 4–4 record (3–2 in conference games), finished in second place in the CCAA, and outscored opponents by a total of 181 to 138.
Tollner and Brown received first-team honors on the 1961 All-CCAA football team.
[1] The team's leading rushers were halfback Paul Lewis (302 yards, 47 carries) and fullback Wayne Maples (222 yards, 42 carries).
End Fred Brown and quarterback Ted Tollner were selected by conference coaches as first-team players on the 1961 All-CCAA football team.