1959 Big Ten Conference football season

August 2023 1959 Big Ten Conference football season American football 10 Jim Houston Wisconsin Champion Michigan State Bill Burrell 1958 1960 The 1959 Big Ten Conference football season was the 64th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1959 college football season. The 1959 Wisconsin Badgers football team, under head coach Milt Bruhn, won the Big Ten championship, was ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll, and lost to Washington in the 1960 Rose Bowl. Tackle Dan Lanphear was a consensus first-team All-American. Quarterback Dale Hackbart led the Big Ten with 1,121 yards of total offense. Season overview Results and team statistics Conf. RankTeamHead coachAP finalAP highOverall recordConf. recordPPGPAGMVP 1WisconsinMilt Bruhn#6#57–35–216.514.9Jerry Stalcup2Michigan StateDuffy DaughertyNR#115–44–216.613.1Dean Look3 (tie)PurdueJack MollenkopfNR#65–2–24–2–112.19.0Len Jardine3 (tie)IllinoisRay Eliot#13#125–3–14–2–112.310.3Bill Burrell5NorthwesternAra ParseghianNR#26–34–319.314.9Jim Andreotti6IowaForest EvashevskiNR#55–43–325.911.1Don Norton7MichiganBump ElliottNRNR4–53–413.617.9Tony Rio8IndianaPhil DickensNRNR4–4–12–4–115.811.7Ted Aucreman9Ohio StateWoody HayesNR#73–5–12–4–19.212.7Jim Houston10MinnesotaMurray WarmathNRNR2–71–610.917.7Tom Moe Key AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1959 season AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1959 season PPG = Average of points scored per game PAG = Average of points allowed per game1959 Big Ten Conference Year Summary Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football February 2, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/big-ten/1959.html MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold Preseason On November 14, 1958, Bennie Oosterbaan resigned as Michigan's head football coach with two games remaining in the program's worst season since 1936. Bump Elliott, who had been Michigan's backfield coach for two years, was hired to replace him.Bump Elliott Gets Job of Rebuilding Sagging Michigan The Terre Haute Star Jerry Green November 15, 1958 7 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8740531/bump_elliott_gets_job_of_rebuilding/ Regular season Bowl games 1960 Rose Bowl Post-season developments Shortly before the end of the 1959 season, Illinois head coach Ray Eliot retired after 18 years in the position.Colorful Ray Eliot Bowing Out as Illini Football Coach Galesburg Register-Mail November 18, 1959 18 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8740112/colorful_ray_eliot_bowing_out_as_illini/ On December 22, 1959, Illinois hired 33-year-old Pete Elliott as its new head football coach. Elliott had played for Michigan and served as California's head coach from 1957 to 1959.Illinois Appoints Pete Elliott, 33, To Football Post Wilmington Morning News December 23, 1959 28 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8740298/illinois_appoints_pete_elliott_33_to/ Statistical leaders The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders for the 1959 season include the following: Passing yards RankNameTeamYards1Olen TreadwayIowa1,0142Dean LookMichigan State7853John TalleyNorthwestern7834Stan NoskinMichigan7475Dale HackbartWisconsin734 Rushing yards RankNameTeamYards1Bob JeterIowa6092Bill BrownIllinois5043Ted SmithIndiana4394Herb AdderleyMichigan State4195Johnny CountsIllinois416 Receiving yards RankNameTeamYards1Don NortonIowa4282Tom HallMinnesota3223Johnny CountsIllinois3144Allan SchoonoverWisconsin2905Ray PurdinNorthwestern280 Total yards RankNameTeamYards1Dale HackbartWisconsin1,1212Olen TreadwayIowa9873Dean LookMichigan State8754John TalleyNorthwestern7775Stan NoskinMichigan718 Scoring RankNameTeamPoints1Dale HackbartWisconsin362Gary BallmanMichigan State302Ron BurtonNorthwestern302Tom WiesnerWisconsin30 Awards and honors All-Big Ten honors the complete All-Big Ten selections 1959 All-Big Ten Conference football team The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1959 All-Big Ten Conference football team. PositionNameTeamSelectorsQuarterbackDean LookMichigan StateAPQuarterbackDale HackbartWisconsinUPIHalfbackBob JeterIowaAP, UPIHalfbackRon BurtonNorthwesternAP, UPIFullbackMike StockNorthwesternAP, UPIEndJim HoustonOhio StateAP, UPIEndDon NortonIowaAP, UPITackleDan LanphearWisconsinAP, UPITackleJoe RutgensIllinoisAPTackleGene GossageNorthwesternUPIGuardJerry StalcupWisconsinAP, UPIGuardBill BurrellIllinoisAP, UPICenterJim AndreottiNorthwesternAP, UPI All-American honors the complete All-America selections 1959 College Football All-America Team At the end of the 1959 season, Big Ten players secured three of the 11 consensus first-team picks on the 1959 College Football All-America Team.2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2014 February 3, 2017 5–6 http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf December 22, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141222163944/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf dead The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were: PositionNameTeamSelectorsTackleDan LanphearWisconsinAFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, TSN, UPI, CP, Time, WCFFHalfbackRon BurtonNorthwesternAFCA, FWAA, NEA, TSN, UPI, CP, Time, WCFFGuardBill BurrellIllinoisAP, FWAA, UPI, CP, WCFF Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were: PositionNameTeamSelectorsEndJim HoustonOhio StateCP, TimeEndDon NortonIowaFWAACenterJim AndreottiNorthwesternFWAAHalfbackDean LookMichigan StateFWAAFullbackBob WhiteOhio StateTime Other awards Four Big Ten players finished among the top 10 in the voting for the 1959 Heisman Trophy: offensive lineman Bill Burrell of Illinois (fourth); running back Dean Look of Michigan State (sixth); quarterback Dale Hackbart of Wisconsin (seventh); and running back Ron Burton of Wisconsin (10th).1959 Heisman Trophy Voting Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football January 17, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/awards/heisman-1959.html 1960 NFL draft The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1960 NFL draft:1960 NFL Draft: Full Draft National Football League NFL.com February 3, 2017 http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=1960 NamePositionTeamRoundOverall pickJim HoustonDefensive endOhio State18Ron BurtonHalfbackNorthwestern19Bob JeterHalfbackIowa217Curt MerzEndIowa331Ross FichtnerDefensive backPurdue333Jim AndreottiCenterNorthwestern439Billy MartinBackMinnesota443Jim MarshallTackleOhio State444Bill BurrellLinebackerIllinois550Dale HackbartBackWisconsin551Bob JarusRunning backPurdue553Don NortonEndIowa556Jerry StalcupGuardWisconsin662Mike WrightTackleMinnesota665Leonard WilsonBackPurdue776Jerry BeaboutTacklePurdue782Dan LanphearTackleWisconsin890Bob WhiteBackOhio State891Dewitt HoopesTackleNorthwestern998 References