[22] From 2012 to 2019, Cal Poly student-athletes raised $11,179 through the Big West Conference's annual February Coin Drive, with previous causes also including the Jessie Rees Foundation and CURE International.

[23] In 2019, Cal Poly student-athletes raised more than $3,300 for Hearst Cancer Resource Center at nearby French Hospital as part of the 12th annual February Coin Drive.

[25] Starting in December 2015, Cal Poly student-athletes have been actively involved with the Salvation Army's Adopt-an-Angel program,[26] purchasing toys, clothing and gift cards while collecting donations to benefit local families in the San Luis Obispo area.

[32] In April 2019, the athletic department was placed on probation for multiple years and was forced to vacate regular season championships and conference tournament records by the NCAA.

[36] In November 2013, a student assistant coach who previously played for the Cal Poly Mustangs football team was shot in a drug deal.

[37][38] The following year in August 2014, further problems beset the football team when 5 current Cal Poly student-athletes were arrested and charged with a total of 23 felonies which made national headlines.

[38] It was reported by The Tribune that cost was a factor cited by Cal Poly when testing just 41 of its 540 student-athletes for banned substances within the last year.

[44] According to current and former players who spoke with The Tribune confidentially, the consensus was that illegal drug usage at the football program was widespread, with estimates ranging between 40% and 60% of the student-athletes.

[50] In 2014, Cal Poly went to court to cover up or remove mentions of Moriarty Enterprises from the scoreboard at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

[51][52] He was convicted of running a ponzi scheme and Cal Poly argued that they were "...suffering harm by having the name 'Moriarty Enterprises' remain on the scoreboard.

[58] Previously in March 2011, a different Cal Poly football player was arrested for a DUI and ultimately chose to transfer out of the program.

[63] In February 2016, Cal Poly hired Todd Rogers, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the sport, as its new head coach.

[64] The Mustangs had arguably their most successful season in the spring of 2019, winning the Big West Conference Championship over Hawai'i, 3–2 in Malibu, California.

[65] Following the title, Cal Poly advanced to the eight-team NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship,[66] losing to Florida State in the opening match before dropping a rematch against Hawai'i on ESPN.

[71] In 2018, the women's program, coached by Priscilla Bayley, captured its third Big West Conference crown in a four-year stretch.

[72] The men's cross country team has appeared in the NCAA Division I Championships as a full squad seven times, with their highest finish being 10th place in the 2004–05 school year.

[77] On June 20, 2022, Ryan Vanhoy, previously coaching at Ole Miss, was appointed to lead Cal Poly's program as track and field and cross country director.

[84] After winning the title, the Mustangs advanced to their first Division I NCAA Regional tournament,[85] finishing 16th[86] in Albuquerque, New Mexico at UNM South Championship Golf Course.

In 2008, coach Paul Holocher led his team to the NCAA Division I tournament; they went on to beat UCLA and ended up losing to UC Irvine in the second round.

Coach Steve Sampson led the team back to the NCAA tournament in 2015, and three Cal Poly players were selected in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, tied for the seventh-most nationally.

[94] Combined, all-time in its history, including individual national champions, Cal Poly has produced 523 total All-Americans specific to track & field.

[107] On October 12, 1985, Cal Poly, coached by Mike Wilton, won the NIVT banner at UCLA before a crowd of about 2,500 fans, 3–1.

[111] The team competes in Mott Athletics Center on campus, opened back in 1960, seating over 3,000 people for home dual meets and tournaments.

More recently, 2020 NWCA All-American 197-pounder Tom Lane made his pro fighting debut in the middleweight classification,[112] opening with a win in October 2021.

[113] Prior to joining the Division I ranks via the Pac-12 (then the Pac-10) in 1987,[114] Cal Poly was dominant in the College Division/Division II, winning the 1966 national championship and seven consecutive NCAA titles from 1968 to 1974.

[117] Cal Poly's football rivalry with UC Davis, a fellow member of the Big Sky Conference, is played for the Golden Horseshoe.

This new format calculates earned points between Cal Poly and UCSB to determine a winner based on their teams' competitive results against each other.

[146] The station has added 101.7 FM carrying Mustangs broadcasts, with greater reach throughout San Luis Obispo County.