Cal Poly Mourns Passing of Football Hall of Famer John Brennan
12/29/2025 12:07:00 PM | Football
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — John Brennan, a survivor of the 1960 Cal Poly plane crash and a five-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines at Glendale Community College and Cal Poly, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2025, at a Long Beach hospital of natural causes.
Brennan, under hospice hospital care with heart and kidney issues, died eight days shy of his 85th birthday.
A graduate of Glendale High School, Brennan played two seasons of football at Glendale CC before transferring to Cal Poly in 1960. At the time, community college transfers were allowed three years of eligibility by the NCAA and California Collegiate Athletic Association and Brennan was in the midst of his sophomore campaign at Cal Poly when the team traveled to Bowling Green for a late October non-conference game.
Brennan, who suffered spine fractures and other back injuries in the crash at Toledo Municipal Airport on Oct. 29, 1960, returned to the team to play two more years as a center on offense and a tackle on defense and graduated from Cal Poly in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in physical education with a minor in biological sciences.
With Brennan's passing, just seven survivors of the crash, which claimed the lives of 16 football players, the student manager, a team booster and four others, including both pilots, remain alive. They are players Don Adams, Fred Brown, Bill Dauphin, Brent Jobe, Gil Stork and Ted Tollner along with assistant coach Walt Williamson.
Born Nov. 25, 1940, in Glendale, Calif., Brennan played football at Glendale High School before embarking on his collegiate career. While in high school, Brennan started a business which provided cable TV service for black and white television owners, dragging cable up the many fire breaks along the San Gabriel Mountains behind Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena.
After two seasons at Glendale CC, Brennan transferred to Cal Poly and was one of 10 Mustangs who returned to the football team after recovering from their injuries in the crash.
"Cal Poly football overall was a very positive experience and motivated John to want to commit to being a teacher and lifetime coach," said Andy Brennan, John's older brother.
John Brennan, a graduate assistant coach for the Mustangs in 1964, told his sister Marge that the reason he survived the crash was his seat on the plane, which was improperly fastened to the floor. Upon impact with the ground shortly after takeoff, Brennan, still in his seat, was ejected from the plane. His seat was located in what became the front row of the aft portion of the aircraft when the fuselage broke in half. The front end of the plane ended up behind the back half and the ejection landed Brennan away from the flames in the forward portion of the twin-engine Curtiss Wright Super C-46F Commando, a World War II surplus military transport plane operated by Arctic Pacific.
Brennan was treated at a hospital in Toledo before returning to his parents' home in Glendale and eventually returned to Cal Poly for classes. Dr. Arthur James, the team physician, continued to assist Brennan in his recovery, both with physical and mental issues.
After his junior and senior seasons and completing degree requirements for graduation, Brennan earned head coaching opportunities at Kerman High School in the San Joaquin Valley, El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, Glendale High School and Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach as well as other coaching stints in Orange County.
It was at Wilson when Brennan, also a science teacher, experienced perhaps his finest moment as a coach. In 1991, the Bruins captured their first outright Moore League title in 24 years with their first win over Long Beach Poly in 15 years and earned a berth in the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs.
Brennan, who retired from teaching and coaching on June 11, 2004, in his spare time worked with his model railroad collection. He also rebuilt many cars — old Fords, Model T's, Model A's, a Porsche, and did a frame-up build of a Ford Cobra and many others — and sold them as soon as he finished one in order to start on another. Brennan also was active in sailboats, rebuilding two older wooden sailboats and becoming a member of the Alamitos Yacht Club. He was a sailor in smaller sailboat racing such as the Cal 20, a fractional sloop sailboat.
Brennan visited Cal Poly in 2006 for the dedication of Mustang Memorial Plaza and induction with his 1960 teammates into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame. He also visited the campus in 2024 at the request of the Alumni Center for an interview which will be part of a display honoring the 1960 football team inside the John Madden Football Center.
Survivors include John's brother, Andy Brennan, and his sister, Marge Trevgoda (deceased). Andy Brennan was offensive line coach at Cal Poly under head coach Joe Harper from 1968-81 and at Northern Arizona from 1982-84 and was head coach at San Luis Obispo High School from 1985-86.
Brennan's wife of 52 years, Sue Brennan, passed away in October 2024. They were married on June 10, 1962, at St Bartholomew Catholic Church in Long Beach.
Mass and a funeral service are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at Calvary Cemetery, 4201 Whittier Blvd., in East Los Angeles, Calif.
Brennan, under hospice hospital care with heart and kidney issues, died eight days shy of his 85th birthday.
A graduate of Glendale High School, Brennan played two seasons of football at Glendale CC before transferring to Cal Poly in 1960. At the time, community college transfers were allowed three years of eligibility by the NCAA and California Collegiate Athletic Association and Brennan was in the midst of his sophomore campaign at Cal Poly when the team traveled to Bowling Green for a late October non-conference game.
Brennan, who suffered spine fractures and other back injuries in the crash at Toledo Municipal Airport on Oct. 29, 1960, returned to the team to play two more years as a center on offense and a tackle on defense and graduated from Cal Poly in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in physical education with a minor in biological sciences.
With Brennan's passing, just seven survivors of the crash, which claimed the lives of 16 football players, the student manager, a team booster and four others, including both pilots, remain alive. They are players Don Adams, Fred Brown, Bill Dauphin, Brent Jobe, Gil Stork and Ted Tollner along with assistant coach Walt Williamson.
Born Nov. 25, 1940, in Glendale, Calif., Brennan played football at Glendale High School before embarking on his collegiate career. While in high school, Brennan started a business which provided cable TV service for black and white television owners, dragging cable up the many fire breaks along the San Gabriel Mountains behind Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena.
After two seasons at Glendale CC, Brennan transferred to Cal Poly and was one of 10 Mustangs who returned to the football team after recovering from their injuries in the crash.
"Cal Poly football overall was a very positive experience and motivated John to want to commit to being a teacher and lifetime coach," said Andy Brennan, John's older brother.
John Brennan, a graduate assistant coach for the Mustangs in 1964, told his sister Marge that the reason he survived the crash was his seat on the plane, which was improperly fastened to the floor. Upon impact with the ground shortly after takeoff, Brennan, still in his seat, was ejected from the plane. His seat was located in what became the front row of the aft portion of the aircraft when the fuselage broke in half. The front end of the plane ended up behind the back half and the ejection landed Brennan away from the flames in the forward portion of the twin-engine Curtiss Wright Super C-46F Commando, a World War II surplus military transport plane operated by Arctic Pacific.
Brennan was treated at a hospital in Toledo before returning to his parents' home in Glendale and eventually returned to Cal Poly for classes. Dr. Arthur James, the team physician, continued to assist Brennan in his recovery, both with physical and mental issues.
After his junior and senior seasons and completing degree requirements for graduation, Brennan earned head coaching opportunities at Kerman High School in the San Joaquin Valley, El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, Glendale High School and Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach as well as other coaching stints in Orange County.
It was at Wilson when Brennan, also a science teacher, experienced perhaps his finest moment as a coach. In 1991, the Bruins captured their first outright Moore League title in 24 years with their first win over Long Beach Poly in 15 years and earned a berth in the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs.
Brennan, who retired from teaching and coaching on June 11, 2004, in his spare time worked with his model railroad collection. He also rebuilt many cars — old Fords, Model T's, Model A's, a Porsche, and did a frame-up build of a Ford Cobra and many others — and sold them as soon as he finished one in order to start on another. Brennan also was active in sailboats, rebuilding two older wooden sailboats and becoming a member of the Alamitos Yacht Club. He was a sailor in smaller sailboat racing such as the Cal 20, a fractional sloop sailboat.
Brennan visited Cal Poly in 2006 for the dedication of Mustang Memorial Plaza and induction with his 1960 teammates into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame. He also visited the campus in 2024 at the request of the Alumni Center for an interview which will be part of a display honoring the 1960 football team inside the John Madden Football Center.
Survivors include John's brother, Andy Brennan, and his sister, Marge Trevgoda (deceased). Andy Brennan was offensive line coach at Cal Poly under head coach Joe Harper from 1968-81 and at Northern Arizona from 1982-84 and was head coach at San Luis Obispo High School from 1985-86.
Brennan's wife of 52 years, Sue Brennan, passed away in October 2024. They were married on June 10, 1962, at St Bartholomew Catholic Church in Long Beach.
Mass and a funeral service are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at Calvary Cemetery, 4201 Whittier Blvd., in East Los Angeles, Calif.
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