1961 college football season

American college football season August 2023 December 2025 1961 NCAA University Division NCAA College Division Ernie davis topps card.jpg 1961 Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis Iowahttp://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=248 Archived copy 2009-01-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20111002010335/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=248 2011-10-02 dead September 23 – December 2, 1961 11 December 9, 1961 January 1, 1962 Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF)Ohio State (FWAA) Syracuse halfback Ernie Davis The 1961 college football season was the 93rd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Two teams have a claim to the 1961 major college national championship: Alabama (11–0), led by Bear Bryant, won the Southeastern Conference championship and defeated No. 9 Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press (AP) writers poll and United Press International (UPI) coaches poll and recognized as national champion by nine other selectors, including the National Football Foundation. The team was led on offense by quarterback Pat Trammell. Tackle Billy Neighbors was a consensus All-American. Ohio State (8–0–1), led by Woody Hayes, won the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes were invited to the Rose Bowl, but the university faculty council voted to reject the invitation. Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UPI polls and were rated as the national champion by the Football Writers Association of America. Fullback Bob Ferguson won the Maxwell Award. Pittsburg State (11–0) was declared small college national champion by the AP and UPI and also won the NAIA national championship. Florida A&M (10–0) was the black college national champion. Washington and Lee (9–0) won Timmie Trophy as the outstanding small college football team in the country. Syracuse halfback Ernie Davis won the Heisman Trophy. Wisconsin quarterback Ron Miller won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and Utah State tackle Merlin Olsen won the Outland Trophy. Individual statistical leaders in major college football for 1961 included Iowa State halfback Dave Hoppmann with 1,638 yards of total offense, San Jose State quarterback Chon Gallegos with 117 pass completions and 14 touchdown passes, Washington State end Hugh Campbell with 53 pass receptions, and New Mexico State halfback Preacher Pilot with 1,278 rushing yards and 138 points scored. Conference and program changes School 1960 Conference 1961 ConferenceArizona Wildcats Border IndependentDenver Pioneers Mountain States dropped program Marquette Golden Avalanche Independent dropped program Season chronology September In the preseason poll released on September 18, Iowa was ranked No. 1, and Ohio State No. 2. SEC teams Alabama and LSU were third and fifth, and Texas was fourth. Rounding out the top ten were No. 6 Michigan State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 8 Kansas, No. 9 Mississippi, and No. 10 Syracuse.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, new polls were issued on the Monday following the weekend's games. The Big Ten schools would not kick off until September 30. On September 23, No. 3 Alabama won, 32–6, at Georgia, and No. 4 Texas won at California, 28–3. In Houston, No. 5 LSU lost to Rice, 16–3. No. 9 Mississippi, which had shut out Arkansas 16–0, and No. 10 Syracuse, which had beaten Oregon State 19–8 in Portland, rose into the top five. In the poll that followed, Iowa remained No. 1, followed by No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Alabama, and No. 5 Syracuse. Texas dropped to sixth place. September 30 California played a top-ranked team for the second straight week, losing at No. 1 Iowa 28–7. No. 2 Mississippi won 20–6 at Kentucky. Texas Christian University (TCU) tied No. 3 Ohio State 7–7 at Columbus. In a game at Mobile, No. 4 Alabama beat Tulane 9–0. No. 5 Syracuse defeated visiting West Virginia 29–14, but fell to seventh in the next ratings. No. 6 Texas, which beat Texas Tech at home, 42–14, returned to the Top Five, along with previously unranked Georgia Tech, which shut out Rice 24–0. In the poll that followed, Iowa remained No. 1, followed by No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 4 Alabama, and No. 5 Texas. October October 7 No. 1 Iowa won 35–34 at USC. No. 2 Mississippi won 33–0 against Florida State. No. 3 Georgia Tech lost to LSU 10–0. No. 4 Alabama won 35–6 at Vanderbilt. No. 5 Texas routed Washington State 41–8. No. 6 Michigan State defeated Stanford 31–3. In the poll that followed, Mississippi took over first place from Iowa, which dropped to second. These were followed by No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Michigan State. October 14 No. 1 Mississippi met the Houston Cougars at Memphis and won 47–7. No. 2 Iowa beat Indiana 27–8 at home. No. 3 Alabama beat North Carolina State 26–7 at Birmingham, and No. 4 Texas played its annual game against Oklahoma at Dallas, winning 28–7. No. 5 Michigan State won at No. 6 Michigan, shutting out the Wolverines 28–0. On the next poll, Michigan State took the No. 1 spot from Ole Miss by a margin of only two points (431 to 429), though the Rebels had more first place votes than the Spartans (21 vs. 16). They were followed by No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Iowa, and No. 5 Alabama. On October 21, No. 1 Michigan State got by No. 6 Notre Dame 17–7 at home, and No. 2 Mississippi shut out Tulane in a game at Jackson, 41–0. No. 3 Texas won at No. 10 Arkansas, 33–7, No. 4 Iowa hosted Wisconsin, winning 47–15, and No. 5 Alabama defeated Tennessee at Birmingham, 34–3. The top three (Michigan State, Ole Miss and Texas) were unchanged, while Alabama and Iowa traded places at 4th and 5th. October 28 In a week of shutouts, No. 1 Michigan State beat Indiana 35–0, and No. 2 Mississippi had an even bigger blowout, 47–0, against Vanderbilt. No. 3 Texas beat the visiting Rice Owls, 34–7, while No. 4 Alabama won at Houston over the Cougars, 17–0. No. 5 Iowa was on the wrong side of a shutout, losing 9–0 at Purdue. The top 4 stayed the same, while No. 6 Ohio State, which had won at Wisconsin 30–21, took fifth place from Iowa, whom they would play the following Saturday. November November 4 No. 1 Michigan State fell to unranked Minnesota, 13–0. At the same time, No. 2 Mississippi lost to No. 6 LSU 10–7 at Baton Rouge. The No. 3 Texas Longhorns beat the SMU Mustangs at Dallas, 27–0. No. 4 Alabama shut out Mississippi State 24–0. At Columbus, No. 5 Ohio State beat No. 9 Iowa 29–13. Texas, Alabama and Ohio State moved up to 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and giant-killers LSU and Minnesota were 4th and 5th. Michigan State and Ole Miss fell to 6th and 7th. November 11 No. 1 Texas beat Baylor, 33–7. No. 2 Alabama crushed the visiting Richmond Spiders (which would be I-AA later) 66–0 at home. No. 3 Ohio State won 16–7 at Indiana, No. 4 LSU won 30–0 at North Carolina, and No. 5 Minnesota handed Iowa its third straight loss, 16–9. The Hawkeyes, ranked first in the preseason poll, would finish just 5–4. No. 6 Michigan State, too, lost its second straight, falling 7–6 at Purdue. The Top Five remained unchanged. November 18 Texas Christian University had earlier tied Ohio State 6–6 in Columbus, and bested that with a win over No. 1 Texas in Austin, 6–0. After his team's loss, legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal uttered his immortal description of TCU: "They're like a bunch of cockroaches. It's not what they eat and tote off, it's what they fall into and mess up that hurts." No. 2 Alabama beat Georgia Tech in Birmingham, 10–0. No. 3 Ohio State defeated visiting Oregon, 22–12, and No. 4 LSU hosted Mississippi State and won 14–6. No. 5 Minnesota defeated No. 7 Purdue, 10–7, at home. Alabama (9–0) rose to No. 1, with Ohio State (7–0–1) at No. 2. Minnesota (7–1) rose to No. 3, LSU (8–1) stayed at No. 4 and Texas (8–1) fell from No. 1 to No. 5. Post-Thanksgiving (November 25) No. 1 Alabama was idle. No. 2 Ohio State won at Michigan, 50–20. No. 3 Minnesota narrowly lost to Wisconsin 23–21. No. 4 LSU crushed visiting Tulane, 62–0. No. 5 Texas won 25–0 over Texas A&M, wrapping up the SWC title and a berth in the Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss, which was idle, returned to the Top Five: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Mississippi. December December 2, No. 1 Alabama won its annual Birmingham game against the Auburn Tigers, 34–0, to close the season with a 10–0–0 record, an SEC championship, and a berth in the Sugar Bowl against No. 9 Arkansas. No. 5 Mississippi closed its season at 9–1–0 with a 37–7 win against Mississippi State and prepared to meet Texas in the Cotton Bowl. For the third year in a row, Ole Miss was undefeated and untied against all opponents other than LSU, which had beaten them in 1959 and 1961 and tied them in 1960. The Bayou Bengals would meet the Big 8 champion, No. 7 Colorado, in the Orange Bowl. With 26 of the 48 first place votes, Alabama was awarded the AP trophy, ahead of Ohio State (by a margin of 26 votes to 20). The point total was even closer, with 16 points separating Alabama and Ohio State (452 to 436). Unbeaten and tied only once, Ohio State University qualified for the Rose Bowl. In a move that stunned the sports world, however, the university's faculty council voted, 28–25, on November 28 not to accept the invitation, declaring that the school's emphasis on sports over academics was excessive. The wire service commented that "A team of 57 Ohio State University faculty members handed the second ranked Buckeyes their only defeat of the season."."Faculty Nips Ohio State Roses In Bud," The Fresno Bee-Republican November 29, 1961, pD-1 Minnesota took the Buckeyes' place in the Rose Bowl, where they would play UCLA. Conference standings Major colleges Small colleges Independents Rankings Major college polls 1961 major college football rankings Tracking No. 1 spot Week No. 1 Team Event Preseason Iowa 1 (Sep 23) IOWA Did not play 2 (Sep 30) Iowa Iowa 28, California 7 3 (Oct 7) Iowa Iowa 35, USC 34 4 (Oct 14) Ole Miss Ole Miss 47, Houston 7 5 (Oct 21) Michigan State MSU 17, Notre Dame 7 6 (Oct 28) Michigan State MSU 35, Indiana 0 7 (Nov 4) Michigan State Minnesota 13, MSU 0 8 (Nov 11) Texas Texas 33, Baylor 7 9 (Nov 18) Texas TCU 6, Texas 010 (Nov 25) Alabama (Idle)11 (Dec 2) Alabama Alabama 34, Auburn 0 Final polls auto + AP writers pollBryant's Tide Realizes Goal; Wildcats 18th Tucson Daily Citizen December 5, 1961 29 https://www.newspapers.com/article/tucson-daily-citizen-bryants-tide-reali/149752069/ Newspapers.com Rank Team 1st Points1Alabama (11–0) 26 4522Ohio State (8–0–1) 20 4363Texas (10–1) 3484LSU (10–1) 1 3355Ole Miss (9–2) 1 2846Minnesota (8–2) 2257Colorado (9–2) 1718Michigan State (7–2) 1289Arkansas (8–3 ) 10510Utah State (9–1–1) 33 4em + UPI coaches pollOhio State Second In Final UPI Grid Poll Troy Daily News December 5, 1961 6 https://www.newspapers.com/article/troy-daily-news-ohio-state-second-in-fin/149752309/ Newspapers.com Rank Team 1st Points1Alabama183182Ohio State153113LSU2394Texas 2375Ole Miss 2196Minnesota 1637Colorado 1 1248Arkansas 919Michigan State 7610Utah State 2811Purdue (6–3) 1111Missouri (7–2–1) 1113Georgia Tech (7–4) 1614Duke (7–3) 1115Kansas (7–3–1) 1016Syracuse (8–3) 817Wyoming (6–1–2) 718Wisconsin (6–3) 619Miami (FL) (7–4) 419Penn State (8–3) 4 Small college polls 1961 small college football rankings In 1961, both United Press International (UPI) and the Associated Press (AP) conducted "small college" polls. The number one selection of both wire services was the Pittsburg State Gorillas,"Kansas Team Ranked First," Holland Evening Sentinel, November 24, 1961, p13"Pittsburg Best in AP Poll, Too" The Lima News, Nov. 22, 1961, p15 who compiled a regular season record of 9–0 while outscoring opponents 299–25 and registering seven shutouts.http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/p/pittsburg_state/1960-1964_yearly_results.php Welcome cfbdatawarehouse.com - BlueHost.com 2019-02-26 2019-02-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20190227065011/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/p/pittsburg_state/1960-1964_yearly_results.php dead The Gorillas went on to win two NAIA postseason games and finished 11–0 for the season. United Press International (coaches) final poll Published on November 22https://www.newspapers.com/image/105661325/?terms=pittsburg Butler 9th Best Small College UPI subscription The Indianapolis Star newspapers.com November 22, 1961 February 27, 2017 RankSchoolRecordNo. 1votesTotalpoints 1 Pittsburg State 9–0 14 250 2 Baldwin–Wallace 8–0 1 179 3 Mississippi Southern 7–2 4 163 4 Southeastern Louisiana 9–1 148 5 Fresno State 9–0 8 147 6 Florida A&M 8–0 82 7 Wheaton (IL) 8–0 68 8 Whittier 9–0 59 9 Butler 9–0 56 10 Northern Michigan 6–2 55 Baldwin–Wallace was 9–0 when the poll was taken.https://www.newspapers.com/image/98965988/?terms=baldwin Go, You Baldwin AP subscription Detroit Free Press newspapers.com November 19, 1961 February 27, 2017 Associated Press (writers) final poll Published on November 22https://www.newspapers.com/image/22146161/?terms=pittsburg Pittsburg 1st in Final AP Small College Poll AP subscription Corpus Christi Caller-Times Corpus Christi, Texas newspapers.com November 22, 1961 February 27, 2017 RankSchoolRecordNo. 1votesTotalpoints 1 Pittsburg State 9–0 5 70 2 Baldwin–Wallace 9–0 60 3 Fresno State 9–0 46 4 Florida A&M 8–0 42 T5 Whittier 9–0 34 T5 Lehigh 7–2 34 7 Linfield 9–0 1 26 8 Southeastern Louisiana 9–1 21 9 Lenoir–Rhyne 7–1–1 1 16 T10 Butler 9–0 13 T10 Mississippi Southern 7–2 13 Postseason Major bowls Monday, January 1, 1962 Bowl Sugar No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 10 No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks3 Cotton No. 3 Texas Longhorns 12 No. 5 Mississippi Rebels7 Orange No. 4 LSU Tigers 25 No. 7 Colorado Buffaloes7 Rose No. 6 Minnesota Golden Gophers 21 No. 16 UCLA Bruins3 Other bowls BowlLocationDateWinnerScoreLoserSunEl Paso, TXDecember 30Villanova17–91961 Wichita State Shockers Wichita StateGatorJacksonville, FLDecember 30No. 17 Penn State30–15No. 13 Georgia TechTangerineOrlando, FLDecember 29Lamar Tech21–14Middle TennesseeBluebonnetHouston, TXDecember 16Kansas33–7No. 17 RiceLibertyPhiladelphia, PADecember 16No. 14 Syracuse15–14Miami (FL)AviationDayton, OHDecember 9New Mexico28–12Western MichiganGothamNew York, NYDecember 9Baylor24–9No. 10 Utah StateMercyLos Angeles, CANovember 23Fresno State36–6Bowling GreenMineral WaterExcelsior Springs, MONovember 251961 Kirksville State Bulldogs Kirksville State22–8ParsonsAll-SportsOklahoma City, OKDecember 9Panhandle A&M28–14LangstonWest VirginiaWest Virginia Wesleyan12–01961 Salem Tigers SalemMissileOrlando, FLDecember 9Fort Eustis25–241961 Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football Quantico MarinesOrange BlossomMiami, FLDecember 9Florida A&M14–8 Jackson State 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 The 1961 NAIA season culminated in the sixth annual NAIA Football National Championship, played at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. During its three years in Sacramento, the game was called the Camellia Bowl (separate from the later Camellia Bowl played in Montgomery, Alabama). Pittsburg State defeated Linfield in the championship game, 12–7, to win their second NAIA national title and first since 1957.NAIA Championship History http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/FB_Championship.pdf?SPSID=640523 NAIA November 13, 2015 4–11 https://web.archive.org/web/20150715022933/http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/FB_Championship.pdf?SPSID=640523 July 15, 2015 dead SemifinalsDecember 2, 1961 ChampionshipDecember 9, 1961Camellia Bowl1961 NAIA Football Playoffs http://www.jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=1961_NAIA_Football_Playoffs JonFMorse.com November 13, 2015 Whittier 7 Linfield* 18 Northern State 14 Pittsburg State* 28 Linfield 7 Pittsburg State 12 Award season Heisman Trophy The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player Player School Position 1st 2nd 3rd Total Ernie Davis Syracuse HB 179 103 81 824 Bob Ferguson Ohio State FB 122 156 93 771 Jimmy Saxton Texas HB 81 105 98 551 Sandy Stephens Minnesota QB 104 78 68 543 Pat Trammell Alabama QB 76 45 44 362 Joe Romig Colorado G 55 40 34 279 John Hadl Kansas QB 33 25 23 172 Gary Collins Maryland E 28 31 21 167 Roman Gabriel NC State QB 23 27 32 155 Merlin Olsen Utah State DT 13 19 16 93 Source: http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1961/11/29/page/58/article/ernie-davis-wins-heisman-football-poll Chicago Tribune UPI Ernie Davis wins Heisman football poll November 29, 1961 2, sec. 4http://heisman.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=27&path=football Heisman Trophy Ernie Davis 1961 January 26, 2017 All-Americans 1961 College Football All-America Team 1961 Little All-America college football team For the year 1961, 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 OtherRoy WinstonGuardLSU6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCErnie DavisHalfbackSyracuse6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCBob FergusonFullbackOhio State6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCBilly NeighborsTackleAlabama6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, WCJimmy SaxtonHalfbackTexas6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, WCGary CollinsEndMaryland5/6AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WCJoe RomigGuardColorado5/6AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPIWCAlex KrollCenterRutgers5/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPIWCSandy StephensQuarterbackMinnesota5/6AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPIWCBill MillerEndMiami (Fla.)4/6AP, FWAA, NEA, SNTime, WCMerlin OlsenTackleUtah State4/6AP, FWAA, NEA, UPITime, WC Other awards Maxwell Award - Bob Ferguson, Ohio StateFerguson Gets Maxwell Award The Pittsburgh Press December 12, 1961 40 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-press-mazwell/149782462/ Newspapers.com Sammy Baugh Trophy - Ron Miller, Wisconsin Outland Trophy (best lineman) - Merlin Olsen, Utah StateAggies' Olsen Wins Outland Award The Salt Lake Tribune December 5, 1961 21 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-aggies-olsen-wins/149782043/ Newspapers.com AFCA Coach of the Year Award - Bear Bryant, Alabama FWAA Coach of the Year Award - Darrell Royal, Texas Statistical leaders Individual Total offense The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1961 season: Major college RankPlayerTeamGamesPlays Total Yds PtRPoints-for-which-responsible is player's total of points scored and points passed for1Dave HoppmannIowa State103201638802Pat McCarthyHoly Cross1028315091283Ron MillerWisconsin92341449864Chon GallegosSan Jose State1023713881005Eddie WilsonArizona1018113771206John FurmanTexas Western102551334897Pat TrammellAlabama1020813141088Sandy StephensMinnesota92521281969Preacher PilotNew Mexico State10191127813810Jerry GrossDetroit9189125069 Small college RankPlayerTeamGamesPlays Total Yds1Denny SpurlockWhitworth1022417602Jan LloydOccidental926417503Tom GryzwinskiDefiance831417494Roy CurryJackson State1025815115Doug OlsenSouthern Oregon925914646HalseyCarthage918113797CavalliWagner922913548GilesLouisville920813469NunesSlippery Rock9221134510ConnorsSalem (WV)91631333 Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1962 National Collegiate Athletic Association 88 Passing The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1961 season: Major college RankPlayerTeamGamesCompl.Att.Pct.Compl.Yds.Int.TDs1Chon GallegosSan Jose State10117197.594148013142Ron MillerWisconsin9104198.525148711113Roman GabrielNC State1099186.532987684Ron KlemickNavy1086183.47010451365Bill CantyFurman1084168.5008841286John FurmanTexas Western1084180.467102610107Matt SzykownyIowa979139.56810781578Eddie WilsonArizona1079154.51312947109Pat McCarthyHoly Cross1076165.4611081111110Pat TrammellAlabama1075133.564103528 Small college RankPlayerTeamGamesCompl.Att.Pct.Compl.Yds.Int.TDs1Tom GryzwinskiDefiance8127258.492168417142Jan LloydOccidental9122234.52117488113Denny SpurlockWhitworth10115189.608170816264Bill ThorpCornell (IA)9108199.543123110155Doug McClaryPacific Lutheran105208.5059661946HermannBradley10104201.517137212157Doug OlsenSouthern Oregon9103195.528137916108Jim KuplicBeloit895178.534827869Norm McKinleyLos Angeles Pacific993156.596122041110Earl LittleGettysburg990172.523797104 Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1962 National Collegiate Athletic Association 89 Rushing The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Player Team Games Yds Rushes Avg1Preacher PilotNew Mexico State1019112786.692Pete PedroWest Texas State101379767.123Bob FergusonOhio State92029384.644Dave HoppmannIowa State102299204.025Jimmy SaxtonTexas101078467.916Ernie DavisSyracuse101508235.497Tommy LarscheidUtah State101217736.398Tom CampbellFurman101577674.899Bobby Lee ThompsonArizona101037527.3010Earl StoudtRichmond101627044.35 Small college Rank Player Team Games Yds Rushes Avg1Bob LisaSt. Mary's (KS)915610826.942Nelson GuthrieWinston-Salem919410775.553Joe IaconeWest Chester917010596.234Steve BeguinLinfield916310586.495Bob RomaWofford1113010548.116Dan BoalsIowa State College916210037John KnightValparaiso91589988GrillLewis & Clark91629609ThorneSouth Dakota State1017495810HauserWestminster (UT)9139943 Receiving The following players were the individual leaders in receptions during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Player Team Games Receptions ReceivingYards Touchdowns1Hugh CampbellWashington State105372352Pat RichterWisconsin94781783Bill MillerMiami (FL)104364024Al SnyderHoly Cross103855855Oscar DonahueSan Jose State103552756Larry VargoDetroit93260187Tom HutchinsonKentucky103254348Buddy IlesTCU1047929Gary CollinsMaryland1030428410Royce CassellNew Mexico State1029519710Joe BorichUtah10294865 Small college Rank Player Team Games Receptions ReceivingYards Touchdowns1Martin BaumhowerDefiance85770842Howard HartmanSouthern Oregon95161163Ken FisherCornell (IA)84640264John MurioWhitworth1045811135Jerry GriffinLouisiana Tech94543536Dean MackBeloit84431127Dave BottemillerPacific Lutheran94338128Karl FinchCal Poly Pomona94176789DavisBethune-Cookman84067099HoutzPepperdine104059049Ed BurtonChico State10405665 Scoring The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Player Team Pts TD PAT FG1Preacher PilotNew Mexico State138211202Pete PedroWest Texas State13222003Tom LarscheidUtah State9615604Ernie DavisSyracuse9415404Wendell HarrisLSU9482866Bobby SmithUCLA85101637Bobby ThompsonArizona8213408Nolan JonesArizona State7782039Butch BlumeRice74620610Sam MudieRutgers701010011Bob FergusonOhio State68112012Earl StoudtRichmond67910113CarterMemphis State65438114Tom HaggertyColumbia62102015Greg MatherNavy611221116Billy Ray AdamsOle Miss60100017Paul AllenBYU5894017Jim TurnerUtah State583342 Small college Rank Player Team Pts TD PAT FG1John MurloWhitworth129153322Jerry DomescikMillikin12020003John NachtsheimMinnesota Duluth112171004Steve BeguinLinfield10818005Bobby LisaSt. Mary's (KS)981586Frank MelosWagner96141207Fred FugazziMissouri Valley9215207Bill WinterSt. Olaf9214809Jim PribulaWest Chester91828510Toby BarkmanEast Stroudsburg90150010Dave ArendsCornell (IA)901500 Team Total offense The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Team Gamesplayed Totalplays Yardsgained Yardsper game1Ole Miss106744187418.72New Mexico State106314009400.93Utah State106693911391.14Texas107003831383.15Arizona105883782378.26Penn State107063691369.17Memphis State106103690369.08Ohio State96123142349.19Arizona State106583353335.310West Texas State105753290329.0 Small college Rank Team Gamesplayed Totalplays Yardsgained Yardsper game1Florida A&M95313722413.62Whitworth106594078407.83South Dakota State106764061406.14Wittenberg96693608400.95Linfield96073549394.36Cal Poly Pomona95623528392.07St. Mary's (KS)95723504389.38Lewis & Clark96403484387.19Carthage95013482386.910West Chester95723409378.8 Scoring offense The following teams were the leaders in scoring offense during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Team Pointsper game1Utah State38.72New Mexico State34.13Memphis State33.24Ole Miss32.65West Texas State30.96Texas29.17Arizona28.88Arizona State28.78Alabama28.710Rutgers27.3 Rushing offense The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Team Yardsper game1New Mexico State299.12Texas285.83Utah State281.84Ohio State271.95West Texas State247.56Wyoming245.07Michigan State237.28Bowling Green236.99Ole Miss236.010Memphis State234.1 Small college Rank Team Yardsper game1Huron313.12Lewis & Clark287.93St. Mary's (KS)282.44Central State (OH)280.75Carthage278.4 Passing offense The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Team Yardsper game1Wisconsin188.42Ole Miss182.73Detroit182.14Holy Cross162.55Washington State156.15San Jose State156.17Navy154.58Iowa146.69Maryland146.410Arizona145.6 Small college Rank Team Yardsper game1Cal Poly Pomona244.12Defiance227.93Occidental202.94Bethune-Cookman185.05Whitworth174.2 Total defense The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Team Gamesplayed Totalplays Yardsgained Yardsper game1Alabama105241326132.62Utah State105121393139.33Ole Miss105271453145.34Bowling Green94601456161.85Wyoming94381511167.96LSU105641703170.37Villanova94701559173.28Texas105771761176.19Missouri105601769176.910Arkansas105481774177.4 Small college Rank Team Gamesplayed Totalplays Yardsgained Yardsper game1Florida A&M942976885.32East Stroudsburg8405863107.93John Carroll7342766109.44Washington & Lee8428927115.95Wittenberg94791065118.36Edward Waters94381117124.17Delta State105141282128.28J.C. Smith95361157128.69Washington & Lee94821163129.210Winona State84051086135.8 Scoring defense The following teams were the leaders in scoring defense during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Team Pointsper game1Alabama2.22Ole Miss4.03Bowling Green4.74LSU5.04Georgia Tech5.06Michigan State5.67Missouri5.78Texas5.99Miami (FL)7.010Memphis State7.5 Rushing defense The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Team Yardsper game1Utah State50.82Alabama55.03Villanova71.14LSU79.45Ole Miss80.46Minnesota84.37Bowling Green86.78Wyoming89.29Texas90.210Georgia Tech94.9 Small college Rank Team Yardsper game1Florida A&M20.12John Carroll37.43Washington & Lee37.44Hampton Institute58.35Parsons58.4 Passing defense The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1961 season: Major college Rank Team Yardsper game1Penn56.92Yale58.13Arkansas62.94Ole Miss64.95Dartmouth65.76Columbia65.87USC66.68Brown66.79Oregon67.210Kansas State68.7 Small college Rank Team Yardsper game1Westminster24.82Principia31.83Ursinus37.64Western Maryland40.35Middlebury43.3 References