1959 college football season

American college football season August 2023 December 2025 1959 Cannon 1961 Topps.jpg Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon LSUhttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=223 Archived copy 2009-01-11 https://web.archive.org/web/20111002010450/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=223 2011-10-02 dead September 19 – December 5, 1959 8 December 19, 1959 January 2, 1960 Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) LSU halfback Billy Cannon The 1959 college football season was the 91st season of intercollegiate football in the United States. It concluded with two teams having claim to the major college national championship: Syracuse compiled a perfect 11–0 record, including a victory over No. 4 Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and led the country in total offense (451.5 yards per game), scoring offense (39.0 points per game), total defense (96.2 yards per game), and rushing defense (19.3 yards per game). The Orangemen were ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press (AP) writers poll and United Press International (UPI) coaches poll and have been selected as the national champion by, among others, the Billingsley Report, Football Writers Association of America, College Football Researchers Association, Football News, Helms Athletic Foundation, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, and National Football Foundation.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e6URAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6150%2C2974196 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Orange win grid crown December 8, 1959 18https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IyYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9wAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5875%2C5758987 Toledo Blade Ohio Associated Press Syracuse runs off with title December 8, 1959 34https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2jtYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1324%2C5589064 Bend Bulletin Oregon UPI Syracuse tops final grid poll by wide margin December 8, 1959 2https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WAkrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wpkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5597%2C3651952 Reading Eagle Pennsylvania UPI Syracuse is voted national champion by coaches board December 8, 1959 23 Guard Roger Davis was a unanimous All-American. Ole Miss compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 LSU in the Sugar Bowl, led the country in scoring defense (2.1 points per game), and was ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UP polls. The Rebels have been rated as the 1959 national champion by Berryman QPRS, Billingsley Report, Dunkel System, and Sagarin Ratings. Fullback Charlie Flowers was a unanimous All-American selection. Three small college teams also claimed national championships: Bowling Green compiled a 9–0 record and was named the UPI small college national champion. Jack Harbaugh, who later gained fame as a coach (and the father of John and Jim Harbaugh), set a school record with three interceptions in the November 14 game against No. 1 Delaware.Harbaugh Sparks Defense: BeeGee Stomps Delaware The Mansfield News-Journal November 15, 1959 19 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38505822/harbaugh_sparks_defense_beegee_stomps/ Newspapers.com Florida A&M, led by Hall of Fame coach Jake Gaither, compiled a 10–0 record, defeated Prairie View A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic, and was selected as the black college national champion. Texas A&I compiled a 12–1 record and defeated 1959 Lenoir Rhyne Bears Lenoir Rhyne in the Holiday Bowl to win the NAIA football national championship. It was the first of seven national championships for Texas A&I. LSU halfback Billy Cannon won the Heisman Trophy, and Penn State quarterback Richie Lucas received the Maxwell Award. Individual statistical leaders in major college football included New Mexico State running back Pervis Atkins with 971 rushing yards and 107 points scored and Stanford quarterback Dick Norman with 1,963 passing yards and 2,018 yards of total offense. A rule change in 1959 widened the goal posts from 18 6 to 23 4. This width remained in effect for 32 seasons, until the 1991 season, when it was returned to 18½ feet. Conference and program changes Conference changes One conference began play in 1959: Athletic Association of Western Universities – predecessor to the modern Pac-12 Conference; founded by five members (California, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Washington) of the Pacific Coast Conference, which had disbanded in June. The remaining four (Idaho, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State) became independents;https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H5hfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3868%2C216100 Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho Associated Press Roster of independent football powers grows September 2, 1959 10 Washington State joined in 1962, followed by Oregon and Oregon State in 1964. Membership changes School 1958 Conference 1959 Conference California Golden Bears PCC AAWU Idaho Vandals PCC Independent Oregon Ducks PCC Independent Oregon State Beavers PCC Independent USC Trojans PCC AAWU Stanford Indians PCC AAWU UCLA Bruins PCC AAWU Washington Huskies PCC AAWU Washington State Cougars PCC Independent Season chronology September In the preseason poll released on September 14, the defending champion LSU Tigers were ranked first, followed by Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army. With more than 100 sportswriters weighing in, eighteen different schools received first place votes. Syracuse was ranked No. 20 overall.http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/ Archived copy 2009-01-11 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20111002010550/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/ 2011-10-02 As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games. On September 19, No. 1 LSU beat Rice at home, 26–3. Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army had not yet opened their seasons; SMU and Army fell to 6th and 7th. No. 8 Mississippi, which won 16–0 at Houston, rose to 4th in the next poll. No. 18 Clemson moved up to 5th after its 20–18 win at No. 12 North Carolina. Three of the Top Five schools were from the SEC: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Mississippi, and No. 5 Clemson September 26 No. 1 LSU beat No. 9 TCU at home, 10–0. No. 2 Oklahoma lost its opener, falling 45–13 at No. 10 Northwestern, and dropped out of the Top 20 entirely, while Northwestern took its place. No. 3 Auburn lost at Tennessee 3–0 and fell to 17th place in the next poll. No. 4 Mississippi recorded another 16–0 win, this time at Kentucky, and rose to third. No. 5 Clemson won at 47–0 at Virginia, but fell to 6th. No. 7 Army returned to the Top 5 after its 44–8 win over Boston College. No. 13 Iowa, which had won at California 42–12, rose to fifth. The next poll was No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Mississippi, No. 4 Army, and No. 5 Iowa. October October 3 No. 1 LSU and Baylor met at a game in Shreveport, with LSU winning 22–0. No. 2 Northwestern won at No. 5 Iowa, 14–10. No. 3 Mississippi registered a third shutout, beating Memphis State 43–0, but fell to fifth. No. 4 Army lost at Illinois, 20–14, and fell out of the Top 20 completely. No. 7 Georgia Tech which went to 3–0 after a 16–6 win over No. 6 Clemson, rose to 3rd in the poll. No. 10 Texas rose to fourth after its third shutout in a row, a 33–0 walloping of California. The poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Mississippi. October 10 No. 1 LSU beat the visiting Miami Hurricanes 27–3. No. 2 Northwestern beat Minnesota 6–0. No. 3 Georgia Tech won at No. 8 Tennessee, 14–7. In Dallas, No. 4 Texas defeated No. 13 Oklahoma 19–12. No. 5 Mississippi won at Vanderbilt, 33–0. In four games, Ole Miss was 4–0 and had outscored its opponents 108–0. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Georgia Tech, and No. 5 Mississippi. On October 17, No. 1 LSU won at Kentucky, 9–0. No. 2 Northwestern won at Michigan 20–7. No. 3 Texas narrowly beat No. 12 Arkansas 13–12 in Little Rock. No. 4 Georgia Tech lost to No. 11 Auburn, 7–6. No. 5 Mississippi yielded some points for the first time in the season, but beat Tulane 53–7. The No. 7 USC Trojans rose to 5th after beating No. 18 Washington in Seattle, 22–15. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Mississippi, and No. 5 USC. October 24 No. 1 LSU recorded its fourth shutout, winning 9–0 in Florida. No. 2 Northwestern killed another giant on the road, beating Notre Dame 30–24. No. 3 Texas defeated Rice 28–6. No. 4 Mississippi shut out No. 10 Arkansas 28–0 at Memphis. The No. 5 USC Trojans got past Stanford 30–28 and fell to 6th. Taking USC's place was No. 6 Syracuse, which had beaten West Virginia 44–0 to reach the 5–0 mark. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Mississippi, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Syracuse. October 31 No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Mississippi, both 6–0, met in Baton Rouge and both schools had great defenses. LSU had outscored its opposition 103–6, while Ole Miss had a 189–7 point differential over all comers. Someone had to lose, and Ole Miss fell to LSU 7–3. Billy Cannon returned a Jake Gibbs punt 89 yards for the game's only touchdown, but the Rebels had a chance to win the game when it drove to the LSU 1–yard line in the closing seconds, only to see third-string quarterback Doug Elmore stopped cold on fourth and goal by Cannon. No. 2 Northwestern beat visiting Indiana 30–13. No. 4 Texas beat SMU in Dallas, 21–0. No. 5 Syracuse won at Pittsburgh, 35–0, and rose to fourth. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Syracuse, and No. 5 Mississippi. November November 7 No. 1 LSU traveled to Knoxville to face No. 13 Tennessee, and gave up a touchdown for the first time in the season. The Vols made it to the end zone twice, winning 14–13 over the Tigers. Losing also was No. 2 Northwestern, which fell to visiting No. 9 Wisconsin, 24–19, and dropped to 6th. Northwestern would close the season on a three-game losing streak after a 6–0 start. No. 3 Texas won a close one over Baylor, 13–12, and rose to 2nd. No. 4 Syracuse, which had won at No. 7 Penn State 20–18, was catapulted to the No. 1 spot. No. 5 Mississippi crushed UT-Chattanooga 58–0. No. 6 USC returned to the Top Five after a 36–0 win over West Virginia. The next poll was No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Mississippi. November 14 No. 1 Syracuse exercised its top status, brushing off overmatched Colgate 71–0. No. 2 Texas lost to No. 18 TCU, 14–9, and No. 3 LSU returned to its winning ways, beating Mississippi State at home, 27–0. No. 4 USC beat Baylor 17–8. No. 5 Mississippi beat No. 9 Tennessee in Memphis, 37–7. The poll changed slightly: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Texas. November 21 No. 1 Syracuse won at Boston University, 46–0, for its fifth shutout as it reached the 9–0 mark. No. 3 LSU beat Tulane 14–6, then accepted an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl. No. 4 USC lost to rival UCLA, 10–3 and fell to 7th. No. 9 Wisconsin, which closed its season and clinched the Big Ten title with an 11–7 win at Minnesota, rose to 5th. No. 2 Mississippi and No. 5 Texas were idle. The next poll: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Wisconsin. On Thanksgiving Day, No. 4 Texas won 20–17 at Texas A&M. No. 1 Syracuse was idle as it prepared for its December 5 trip to Los Angeles to play UCLA. On Saturday, November 28, No. 2 Mississippi played its season ender against Mississippi State, in Starkville, and won 42–0. Both LSU and Ole Miss were invited to a rematch in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl. A third SEC team, the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs, beat Georgia Tech 21–14 in Atlanta and accepted a spot in the Orange Bowl. Because Oklahoma had played in the Orange Bowl the year before, a "no repeat" rule gave the Big 7 (Oklahoma State would join later) berth to 6–4 Missouri. The Rose Bowl matched No. 6 Wisconsin against No. 8 Washington. The penultimate poll was No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Georgia. On December 5, No. 1 Syracuse closed its season with trip to the Los Angeles Coliseum to face the upset-minded (but 5–3–1) No. 17 UCLA Bruins "UCLA Threat To Syracuse's Title Hopes", Oakland Tribune, December 1, 1959, p44 In a nationally televised game, the Orangemen took a 14–0 lead and went on to win 36–8 to finish the season with a perfect 10–0 record."Orange Rolls to 36–8 Win Over Bruins", Oakland Tribune, December 6, 1959, p79 As the only unbeaten team among universities, Syracuse was voted No. 1 in the AP Poll (with 134 of 201 first-place votes) and in the UPI Coaches Poll, with 31 of the 35 first-place votes."Nation Votes Syracuse University Best On Gridiron", Syracuse Herald Journal, December 8, 1959, p.33 The Orangemen prepared to play SWC champion Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Conference standings Major conference standings Major independents Minor conference standings Non-major independents Bowl games 1959–60 NCAA football bowl games Major bowls Friday, January 1, 1960 COTTON No. 1 Syracuse Orangemen 23 No. 4 Texas Longhorns 14 SUGAR No. 2 Mississippi Rebels 21 No. 3 LSU Tigers 0 ROSE No. 8 Washington Huskies 44 No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers 8 ORANGE No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs 14 No. 18 Missouri Tigers 0 Behind future Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, the Orangemen proved the voters' decision to name them national champions in the final polls was a wise one. It was the first Cotton Bowl for the Longhorns under coach Darrell Royal, who guided Texas to national championships in 1963, 1969, and 1970, and compiled a career record of 167–47–5 (167 47 5) in Austin from 1957 through 1976. Ole Miss systematically demolished LSU in the Sugar Bowl. LSU was Ole Miss's sole loss of the regular season. The Rebels outgained the Bayou Bengals and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon 373–74 in front of a largely pro-LSU crowd of over 83,000 at Tulane Stadium. Immediately following the game, Cannon signed a contract with the Houston Oilers of the fledgling American Football League, spurning the Los Angeles Rams and general manager Pete Rozelle, who would become the Commissioner of the National Football League in late-January. Other bowls BOWL LocationDate WinnerScoreRunner-upSUNEl Paso, TXDecember 31 New Mexico State28–8 North Texas StateGATORJacksonville, FLJanuary 2 No. 9 Arkansas 14–7 Georgia Tech BLUEBONNET Houston, TX December 19 No. 11 Clemson 23–7 No. 7 TCU LIBERTY Philadelphia, PA December 19 No. 12 Penn State   7–0 No. 10 Alabama Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and AAWU (later Pac-8) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl. NAIA postseason SemifinalsDecember 5, 1959 ChampionshipDecember 19, 1959Holiday Bowl1959 NAIA Football Playoffs http://www.jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=1959_NAIA_Football_Playoffs JonFMorse.com November 13, 2015 1959 Hillsdale Dales Hillsdale 0 Texas A&I* 20 1959 Southern Connecticut State Fighting Owls Southern Connecticut State 20 1959 Lenoir Rhyne Bears football Lenoir Rhyne* 47 Texas A&I 20 Lenoir Rhyne 7 Rankings Major college polls 1959 major college football rankings Final polls were released in the first week of December. auto + AP writers pollSyracuse First On Final Ballot Daily News-Post December 8, 1958 9 https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-post-syracuse-first-on-final/149169292/ Newspapers.com Rank Team 1st Points1Syracuse 134 17682Ole Miss 47 14443 LSU 6 12844 Texas 1 10285 Georgia 3 8766 Wisconsin 5 7247 TCU - 5808 Washington - 4289 Arkansas - 30110 Alabama 5 30111 Clemson - 23912 Penn State - 19013 Illinois - 10414 USC - 9415 Oklahoma - 6816 Wyoming - 6017 Notre Dame - 4618 Missouri - 4019 Florida - 3420 Pittsburgh - 30 4em + UPI coaches pollUnbeaten Syracuse Named National Football Champion The Bryan Times Earl Wright 6 https://www.newspapers.com/article/bryan-times-unbeaten-syracuse-named-nati/149169795/ Newspapers.com Rank Team 1st Points1Syracuse313422Ole Miss32853LSU -2584Texas - 2475Georgia - 1846Wisconsin - 1577Washington 1 1218TCU - 1039Arkansas - 6510Penn State - 4211Clemson - 3812Illinois - 1913Alabama - 1713USC - 1715Auburn - 816Michigan State - 517Oklahoma - 418Notre Dame - 319Florida - 219Pittsburgh - 219Missouri - 2 Small college poll 1959 small college football rankings In 1959, United Press International (UPI) conducted its "small college" coaches' poll for the second time; they voted the Bowling Green Falcons, who had a 9–0 record and outscored their opponents 274–83, as the number one team."Bowling Green Is Voted No. 1", Lincoln Evening Journal, November 27, 1959, p14 United Press International (coaches) final poll Published on November 27https://www.newspapers.com/image/249789087/?terms=delaware Bowling Green Top Small College Football Team UPI subscription Palladium-Item Richmond, Indiana newspapers.com November 27, 1959 February 27, 2017 RankSchool RecordNo. 1votesTotalpoints 1 Bowling Green 9–0 23 407 2 Mississippi Southern 6–3 5 247 3 Middle Tennessee 9–0 2 231 4 Delaware 8–1 1 211 5 1959 East Texas State Lions East Texas State 9–1 179 6 Western Illinois 9–0 152 7 Memphis State 5–4 86 8 Louisiana Tech 8–1 2 81 9 Ohio 7–2 76 10 1959 West Chester Golden Rams West Chester 7–1 71 Award season Heisman Trophy voting The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player Player School Position 1st 2nd 3rd Total Billy Cannon LSU HB 519 147 78 1,929 Richie Lucas Penn State QB 97 109 104 613 Don Meredith SMU QB 26 67 74 286 Bill Burrell Illinois G 23 47 33 196 Charlie Flowers Ole Miss FB 11 58 44 193 Dean Look Michigan State HB 23 41 25 176 Dale Hackbart Wisconsin QB 19 21 35 134 Dwight Nichols Iowa State HB 21 25 13 126 Monty Stickles Notre Dame E 16 21 36 126 Ron Burton Northwestern HB 10 28 36 122 Source: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UEoVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9eIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2573%2C223921 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press LSU's Billy Cannon Heisman Trophy winner December 2, 1959 1Dhttp://heisman.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=25&path=football Heisman Trophy Billy Cannon 1959 January 29, 2017 All-Americans 1959 College Football All-America Team 1959 Little All-America college football team For the year 1960, the NCAA recognizes six published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received. Name Position School Number Official OtherMike DitkaEndPittsburgh6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCDan LaRoseEndMissouri6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCBob LillyTackleTCU6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCTom BrownGuardMinnesota6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCJoe BellinoHalfbackNavy6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCBob FergusonFullbackOhio State6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCJake GibbsQuarterbackOle Miss6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, WCKen RiceTackleAuburn5/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCE. J. HolubCenterTexas Tech5/6AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCJoe RomigGuardColorado3/6AFCA, FWAA, UPIWCErnie DavisHalfbackSyracuse2/6AFCA, UPIWC Other awards Maxwell Award - Richie Lucas, Penn State Sammy Baugh Trophy - Dick Norman, Stanford Outland Trophy (best lineman) - Mike McGee, Duke AFCA Coach of the Year Award - Ben Schwartzwalder, Syracuse FWAA Coach of the Year Award - Ben Schwartzwalder, Syracuse Statistical leaders Individual Total offense The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1959 season: Major college RankPlayerTeamGamesPlays Total Yds PtRPoints-for-which-responsible is player's total of points scored and points passed for1Dick NormanStanford103192018682Charley JohnsonNew Mexico State1025116351143Pete HallMarquette103301555664Jacky LeeCincinnati102981528705Norm SneadWake Forest102181365786Rich MayoAir Force102491357587Dwight NicholsIowa State1028713551028Fran CurciMiami (FL)102891328509Gale WeidnerColorado1025613058410Don MeredithSMU10283129182 Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1960 National Collegiate Athletic Association 65 Small college RankPlayerTeamGamesPlays Total Yds1Gary CampbellWhittier1030923832Jim St. ClairUC Santa Barbara1024518583Jim NorthrupAlma929616584Vince TesoneColorado Mines1029116195GreenYoungstown1023015046MillerAustin924314857Dale MillsNE Missouri925014478AlvaroCollege of Idaho1022714419FergusonGraceland8264142210KincaidWilliam Jewell92211368 Passing The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1959 season: Major college RankPlayerTeamGamesCompl.Att.Pct.Compl.Yds.Int.TDs1Dick NormanStanford10152263.578196312112Jacky LeeCincinnati10132232.5691535673Pete HallMarquette10120237.50615891474Rich MayoAir Force10110211.52112121065Don MeredithSMU10105181.580126610116Joe CaldwellArmy9105188.5591343797Charley JohnsonNew Mexico State10105199.52814498188Fran CurciMiami (FL)10100195.51310681459Gale WeidnerColorado10100207.483120013710Dick SoergelOklahoma State1093155.600110248 Small college RankPlayerTeamGamesCompl.Att.Pct.Compl.Yds.Int.TDs1Gary CampbellWhittier10111183.60717174122LightPacific9110197.55810861933St. ClairUC Santa Barbara10107208.514190112174StoneAkron9102231.44211962235TerhesBucknell997173.561831866ConiamOberlin896165.58211118107JohnsonPepperdine896187.513119713118CostelloXavier (OH)1093161.5781062969FlinnNorthern Illinois993174.5341420121810MillerAustin990154.5841219141310SpurlockWhitworth990167.5391309918 1960 Official Collegiate Football Record Book, p. 73. Rushing The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Player Team Games Yds Rushes Avg1Pervis AtkinsNew Mexico State109711307.472Tom WatkinsIowa State108431585.343Dwight NicholsIowa State107462073.604Dick BassPacific97421395.345Billy BrownNew Mexico10740957.796Charlie FlowersOle Miss107331415.207Abner HaynesNorth Texas State107301166.298Bob CrandallNew Mexico107291166.289Fred DoellingPenn97071335.3210Nolan JonesArizona State116891434.8211Ernie DavisSyracuse10686987.0012Tom MooreVanderbilt106761255.4113Keith LincolnWashington State106701245.4014Jack SpikesTCU106601404.7215Monk BaileyUtah106401384.6416Don PerkinsNew Mexico106351464.3517Chet BoulrisHarvard96281255.0218Charles BowersHardin-Simmons10619867.2019Paul ChoquetteBrown96171793.4520Alger PughVirginia Tech106151125.49 Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1960 National Collegiate Athletic Association 67 Small college Rank Player Team Games Yds Rushes Avg1Dale MillsNE Missouri924813855.582Dallas Lee GarberMarietta918812983Bill "Cannonball" CooperMuskingum921911914Brad HustadLuther923011885HawkConway State916211566Steve McClellanWooster919810887PriceBemidji State811710859.278Larry JacobsonKearney State1015510759FowlerMartin Branch8151104510MacDonaldTufts8179978 Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1960 National Collegiate Athletic Association 72 Receiving The following players were the individual leaders in receptions during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Player Team Games Receptions ReceivingYards Touchdowns1Chris BurfordStanford106175662Bill CarpenterArmy94359133Dick EvansVMI103569894Ben RobinsonStanford103459525Bill MillerMiami (FL)103339516Paul MaguireThe Citadel1032549107Ed KovacCincinnati103133258Bud WhiteheadFlorida State103132029NortonIowa930428410GregorySMU10303692 Small college Rank Player Team Games Receptions ReceivingYards Touchdowns1Fred TunnicliffeUC Santa Barbara10481087111HillCal Poly SLO94871473HughesPacific University94654304HornOberlin84457855GregoryWhittier104275176HouseDavidson94256337DeNeefHofstra94154568CeremugaYoungstown103961589EachusBucknell938310210FosterHumboldt State10374694 1960 Official Collegiate Football Record Book, p. 73. Scoring The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Player Team Pts TD PAT FG1Pervis AtkinsNew Mexico State10717502Skip FaceStanford100112532Nolan JonesArizona State100112532Gerhard SchwedesSyracuse10016405Abner HaynesNorth Texas State9014605Ed KovacCincinnati9015007Larry WilsonUtah8413608Bruce MaherDetroit7411808Don PerkinsNew Mexico74122010Bill MathisClemson70114011Tony BanfieldOklahoma State66110012Charlie FlowersOle Miss66110013Alger PughVirginia Tech66110014Ernie DavisSyracuse64104015Bobby BoydOklahoma62102016Paul MaguireThe Citadel60100016LavoieSouth Carolina6012016MooreVanderbilt60100019GaitersNew Mexico State5894019RavenelHarvard58940 Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1960 National Collegiate Athletic Association 66 Small college Rank Player Team Pts TD PAT FG1Garney HenleyHuron14122902Rusty AddlemanCollege of Emporia138163913Dale MillsNE Missouri124191004Richard David SeastrunkNewberry12020005Vernon Lee FarmerLenoir Rhyne110142606WhiteCapital10517017ChildsFlorida A&M102151208Bill "Cannonball" CooperMuskingum9815808GarberMarietta98158010Roger WaldrupEast Central Oklahoma96160011PhelpsCornell (IA)92152011SchleicherPittsburg921314013HawkConway State91151014Gary CampbellWhittier90150014ChambersClaflin90150016BrandaWheaton881025117StosuySouthern Connecticut871215-18McClellanWooster86138018BassEast Carolina86142018BroadwaterWest Carolina861380 Team Total offense The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Team Gamesplayed Totalplays Yardsgained Yardsper game1Syracuse107384515451.52Iowa96323399377.73New Mexico State106183756375.64North Texas State106553713371.35Ole Miss106983686368.66Utah107123651365.17Wyoming106863577357.78New Mexico106393562356.29Stanford106653467346.710Oklahoma107313405340.5 Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1960 69 National Collegiate AthleticAssoociation Small college Rank Team Gamesplayed Totalplays Yardsgained Yardsper game1Whittier106544613461.32Florida A&M95113686409.63Huron106573975397.54Butler96433468385.35Winston-Salem84632993374.16Otterbein95603313368.17Marietta95613285365.08Bemidji State84612919364.99Lenoir Rhyne95073280364.410Hofstra96213278364.2 Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1960 74 National Collegiate AthleticAssoociation Scoring offense The following teams were the leaders in scoring offense during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Team Pointsper game1Syracuse39.0 2New Mexico State33.23Ole Miss32.94North Texas State29.55Wyoming28.76Clemson26.27New Mexico26.08Iowa25.99Penn State25.510Iowa State24.8 Rushing offense The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Team Yardsper game 1Syracuse313.62North Texas State290.83New Mexico289.84Oklahoma273.55Utah257.06Wyoming252.07USC249.38Ole Miss239.19Iowa239.010Iowa State228.7 Small college Rank Team Yardsper game1Bemidji State326.62Huron309.13Colorado State308.84Conway State303.95Florida A&M292.46Middle Tennessee289.87Johns Hopkins282.38Gustavus Adolphus279.09Muskingum278.410Delaware276.6 Passing offense The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Team Yardsper game1Stanford227.82Marquette187.03San Jose State185.24Army182.35Boston College175.36Cincinnati158.57New Mexico State157.38Hardin-Simmons154.29Pacific152.310Wake Forest149.8 Small college Rank Team Yardsper game1Whittier199.32UC Santa Barbara199.03Hofstra189.24Whitworth180.05Xavier (OH)177.36Wagner172.67Cal Poly167.08Oberlin166.38Otterbein166.310Graceland160.6 Total defense The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Team Gamesplayed Totalplays Yardsgained Yardsper game1Syracuse1048696296.22LSU105591432143.23Ole Miss105161472147.24Alabama105491799179.95Wyoming105721805180.56Auburn105651825182.57USC106031844184.48Illinois95331713190.39TCU105781945194.510North Texas State105531965196.5 Small college Rank Team Gamesplayed Totalplays Yardsgained Yardsper game1Maryland State731352775.32Trenton State8807100.92Huron105951009100.94John Carroll7319796113.75Norfolk State8382948118.56Ithaca7340848121.17Winston-Salem83371009126.18Livingstone94181136126.29Henderson State4481145127.210Claflin93371171130.1 Scoring defense The following teams were the leaders in scoring defense during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Team Pointsper game1Ole Miss2.12LSU2.93Alabama5.23TCU5.25Auburn5.86Syracuse5.97Wyoming6.28Washington6.59Texas7.310North Texas7.5 Rushing defense The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Team Yardsper game1Syracuse19.32LSU90.83Ole Miss93.94USC98.15TCU101.76Clemson108.57Penn109.87Wyoming109.89South Carolina111.510Detroit112.9 Small college Rank Team Yardsper game1Maryland State36.32Florida A&M43.43Trenton State45.14Winston-Salem52.55Whitewater State57.86John Carroll57.97Geneva67.28Cornell (IA)68.19West Chester69.910San Francisco State69.9 Passing defense The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1959 season: Major college Rank Team Yardsper game1Alabama45.72Montana46.13LSU52.44Ole Miss53.35Iowa State55.36North Texas State58.17Wake Forest62.18Kentucky62.69Auburn63.610Tennessee66.8 Small college Rank Team Yardsper game1Huron21.92Henderson State25.33West Virginia State35.64Central (IA)35.95Ashland36.06St. Procopius36.67Martin Branch36.88Mankato State37.49Rochester37.610Maryland State39.010West Virginia Wesleyan39.0 See also 1959 College Football All-America Team 1959 Little All-America college football team References