1961 Gotham Bowl

April 2026 August 2023 Gotham Bowl December 9 1961 1961 Baylor Bears 5–5 John Bridgers 7 3 7 7 Utah State Aggies 9–0–1 John Ralston 10 10 0 0 3 6 RB Ronnie Bull, Baylor yes bg Polo Grounds Upper Manhattan, New York David H. Buchanan 15,123 1961 Gotham Bowl trophy.png A black and white photograph of a trophy The game trophy The 1961 Gotham Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Utah State Aggies and the Baylor Bears at the Polo Grounds in New York. The game attracted a modest crowd of 15,153 fans because of inclement weather. Background For the second straight year, the Aggies were champion of the Mountain States Conference. The Bears had finished tied for 6th in the Southwest Conference. Both teams were making bowl games for the 2nd straight year. This became the inaugural Gotham Bowl after attempts to invite schools such as Syracuse and Holy Cross to last year's game failed, leaving the bowl makers to cancel the game and wait for 1961. Game summary Baylor – Bull 14 yard touchdown run (Choate kick) Baylor – Choate 22 yard field goal Utah State – Turner 32 yard field goal Baylor – Trull 2 yard touchdown run (Choate kick) Baylor – Plumb 38 yard touchdown pass from Trull (Choate kick) Utah State – Munson 4 yard touchdown run (run failed) Ronnie Bull scored on a 14-yard run to give the Bears a 7–0 lead as the first quarter expired, all set up by an Aggie fumble. Carl Choate added in a field goal later in the 2nd to make it 10–0 with 5:28 remaining in the half, which turned out to be the halftime lead. The Aggies narrowed the lead with a 36-yard field goal with 8:47 in the 3rd, but Don Trull increased the lead on a touchdown sneak with 1:22 remaining in the quarter to make it 17–3. Ted Plumb caught a 38-yard pass from Trull to make it 24–3 with 9:48 to go in the game. Munson made the final score 24–9 on his TD run, but by then there was only five minutes remaining as Baylor won their first bowl game since 1956. The Aggies turned the ball over eight times, while Don Trull threw 11-of-16 for 116 yards for the Bears. Bull rushed for 61 yards on 13 carries and caught 4 passes for 25 yards.2011 Baylor Football Media Almanac http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/bay/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/11-ma-section05.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20160304134814/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/bay/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/11-ma-section05.pdf 2016-03-04 dead2015 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Media Guide http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/bay/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/14-bowlguide-section05.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20151208112946/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/bay/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/14-bowlguide-section05.pdf 2015-12-08 deadhttp://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ust/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/UtahStateRecords.pdf 2014 Utah State Football https://web.archive.org/web/20160804060039/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ust/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/UtahStateRecords.pdf 2016-08-04 Aftermath The Aggies did not reach another bowl game again until 1993. The Bears played in the Bluebonnet Bowl two years later. Statistics Statistics Baylor Utah StateFirst downs1410Rushing yards 113 153Passing yards 153 41Passing (C–A–I) 13–26–0 3–14–3Total yards 266 194Punts–average6–31.0 5–36.6Fumbles–lost 5–26–5Penalty–yards3–16 2–32 References Gotham Bowl Category:Baylor Bears football bowl games Category:Utah State Aggies football bowl games Category:December 1961 sports events in the United States Gotham Bowl