1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

American college football season August 2023 January 2026 1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football File:Bob Ferguson (1961).png 185px Maxwell Award winner Bob Ferguson Big Ten Conference Big Ten 2 2 8–0–1 6-0 Woody Hayes 11th Mike Ingram Tom Perdue Ohio Stadium FWAA national championBig Ten champion The 1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented Ohio State University in the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 11th year under head coach Woody Hayes, the Buckeyes compiled an 8–0–1 record (6–0 in conference games), won the Big Ten Conference (Big Ten) championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 221 to 83. They tied with TCU (7–7) in the season opener and then won nine consecutive games, including victories over No. 8 Iowa (29–13) and rival Michigan (50–20). Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the final AP writers and UPI coaches polls. However, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) chose Ohio State as national champion over undefeated Alabama. Fullback Bob Ferguson, who led the team with 938 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, was the first African-American player to win the Maxwell Award as the best player in college football. He finished second in close voting for the 1961 Heisman Trophy. Other notable contributors to the 1961 Ohio State team included halfbacks Paul Warfield and Matt Snell, guard Mike Ingram, tackle Bob Vogel, and linebacker Gary Moeller. Days after the conclusion of the regular season, and with growing concern over Ohio State's reputation as a "football school", Ohio State's faculty council voted to reject an invitation to play in the Rose Bowl. The decision prompted protests by students on the school's campus.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kp5OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EwEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7142%2C4501401 Toledo Blade Ohio Associated Press Buckeyes finally lose, 28-25 in bowl debate November 29, 1961 48https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FjdAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=832%2C4312787 Youngstown Vindicator Ohio Associated Press Ohio State's rejection of Rose Bowl bid trip triggers sharp comments November 29, 1961 60https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=b1spAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6821%2C4632700 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Ohio State rejects chance to play in Rose Bowl game November 29, 1961 11 The team played it home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, and led the nation in home attendance with an average crowd size of 82,941 for five home games.Ohio State Crowd Leader 10th Time in Last 11 Years The Berkshire Eagle Dick Joyce December 14, 1961 35 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-berkshire-eagle-ohio-state-crowd-lea/154004505/ Newspapers.com Schedule 1961 AP Eastern yes September 30 1:30 p.m. t y 3 TCU Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH 7–7 82,878 October 7 1:30 p.m. w y 8 UCLA Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH 13–3 82,992 October 14 1:00 p.m. w 7 Illinois Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH Illibuck 44–0 82,374 October 21 w y 7 Northwestern Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL 10–0 43,259 October 28 w y 6 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI 30–21 58,411 ABC Game Badgers Go Down Fighting: Ohio State's Brutal Attack Grinds Out 30-21 Victory Wisconsin State Journal Monte McCormick October 29, 1961 1, 5 (section 3) https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-game-badgers-go/153713211/ Newspapers.com November 4 1:30 p.m. w y 5 Iowa 9 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH 29–13 83,795 November 11 w y 3 Indiana Seventeenth Street Football Stadium Bloomington, IN 16–7 27,108 November 18 1:30 p.m. w y 3 Oregon Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH 22–12 82,073 November 25 1:00 p.m. w y 2 ABC Michigan Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI rivalry 50–20 80,444 Game summaries TCU TCU 0 0 0 7 Ohio St 7 0 0 0 September 30 Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 82,878 Sunny; 82 F; wind 20 mph yes Q1 7:05 OHST Bryant 2 yard pass from Mrukowski (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 7–0 Q4 11:20 TCU Glasscock 12 yard pass from Gibbs (McAteer kick) Tie 7–7 yes Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150402193122/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-1TexasChristian.pdf 2015-04-02 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. UCLA UCLA 0 3 0 0 Ohio St 0 0 0 13 October 7 Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 82,992 Sunny; 72 F; wind 5 mph ESE yes Q2 2:22 UCLA Smith 32 yard field goal UCLA 3–0 Q4 14:14 OHST Warfield 13 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 7–3 Q4 9:30 OHST Snell 33 yard run (kick failed) OHST 13–3 yes Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113214/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-2-UCLA.pdf 2015-04-02 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. Illinois Illinois 0 0 0 0 Ohio St 0 21 16 7 October 14 Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 82,974 Cloudy; 48 F; wind 15 mph NNW yes Q2 13:03 OHST Ferguson 2 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 7–0 Q2 10:43 OHST Warfield 36 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 14–0 Q2 :09 OHST Ferguson 2 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 21–0 Q3 9:08 OHST Ferguson 3 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 28–0 Q3 7:53 OHST Safety, Mills tackled in end zone OHST 30–0 Q3 3:09 OHST Ferguson 1 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 37–0 Q4 8:10 OHST Johnson 11 yard pass from Mummey (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 44–0 yes Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150402170256/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-3-Illinois.pdf 2015-04-02 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. Northwestern Ohio St 0 3 0 7 Northwestern 0 0 0 0 October 21 Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois 43,259 Cloudy; 48 F yes Q2 14:50 OHST Van Raaphorst 24 yard field goal OHST 3–0 Q4 2:04 OHST Mrukowski 20 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 10–0 yes Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150402191006/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-4-Northwestern.pdf 2015-04-02 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. Wisconsin Ohio St 7 10 6 7 Wisconsin 0 15 0 6 October 28 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin 58,411 Cloudy; 52 F; wind 10 mph S Tony Skover yes Q1 5:55 OHST Katterhenrich 17 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 7–0 Q2 14:28 OHST Van Raaphorst 23 yard field goal OHST 10–0 Q2 9:57 WIS Kroner 36 yard pass from Miller (Mckinney pass from Bakken) OHST 10–8 Q2 1:41 OHST Klein 8 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 17–8 Q2 :01 WIS Miller 1 yard run (Bakken kick) OHST 17–15 Q3 3:23 OHST Warfield 5 yard run (pass failed) OHST 23–15 Q4 1:36 OHST Warfield 2 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 30–15 Q4 :02 WIS Richter 7 yard pass from Miller (pass failed) OHST 30–21 yes Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150402192319/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-5-Wisconsin.pdf 2015-04-02 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. Iowa Iowa 0 0 7 6 Ohio St 6 6 0 17 November 4 Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 83,795 Cloudy; 46 F; wind 5 mph E yes Q1 11:07 OHST Perdue 55 yard fumble return (kick failed) OHST 6–0 Q2 6:35 OHST Bryant 18 yard pass from Sparma (kick failed) OHST 12–0 Q3 6:18 IOWA Szykowny 1 yard run (Szykowny kick) OHST 12–7 Q4 14:39 OHST Bryant 62 yard pass from Sparma (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 19–7 Q4 8:04 OHST Van Raaphorst 24 yard field goal OHST 22–7 Q4 1:55 OHST Ferguson 13 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 29–7 Q4 :12 IOWA Turici 4 yard run (kick failed) OHST 29–13 yes 1961 Iowa Hawkeyes football team Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150402191251/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-6-Iowa.pdf 2015-04-02 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. Indiana Ohio St 0 9 7 0 Indiana 0 7 0 0 November 11 Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana 27,106 56 F; wind 8 mph SSE yes Q2 7:43 OHST Van Raaphorst 40 yard field goal OHST 3–0 Q2 5:11 OHST Warfield 5 yard pass from Sparma (kick failed) OHST 9–0 Q2 3:42 IND Olsavsky 25 yard pass from Broome (George kick) OHST 9–7 Q3 3:42 OHST Bryant 9 yard pass from Sparma (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 16-7 yes Eugene Register-Guard. 1961 Nov 12. Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124837/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-7-Indiana.pdf 2015-04-02 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. Oregon Oregon 0 6 0 6 Ohio St 8 7 7 0 November 18 Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 82,073 Sunny; 38 F; wind 9 mph NNW yes Q1 13:48 OHST Klein 72 yard run (Ferguson run) OHST 8–0 Q2 13:52 OHST Ferguson 7 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 15–0 Q2 :48 ORE Burleson 29 yard pass from Renfro (pass failed) OHST 15–6 Q3 9:09 OHST Ferguson 6 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 22–6 Q4 4:39 ORE Josephson 2 yard run (pass failed)) OHST 22–12 yes Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063229/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-8-Oregon.pdf 2016-03-04 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. Michigan Ohio St 7 14 0 29 Michigan 0 6 6 8 November 25 Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan 80,444 Clear yes Q1 3:26 OHST Ferguson 12 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 7–0 Q2 11:04 OHST Ferguson 1 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 14–0 Q2 10:49 MICH Raimey 90 yard kickoff return (pass failed) OHST 14–6 Q2 9:04 OHST Warfield 69 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 21–6 Q3 7:36 MICH McLenna 1 yard run (pass failed) OHST 21–12 Q4 14:23 OHST Ferguson 1 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 28–12 Q4 9:50 OHST Klein 80 yard pass from Sparma (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 35–12 Q4 4:45 OHST Ferguson 1 yard run (Van Raaphorst kick) OHST 42–12 Q4 :34 MICH Ward 1 yard run (Ward run) OHST 42–20 Q4 :05 OHST Tidmore 10 yard pass from Sparma (Tidmore pass from Sparma) OHST 50–20 yes On November 25, 1961, Ohio State defeated Michigan, 50-20, before a crowd of 80,444 at Michigan Stadium. Ohio State fullback Bob Ferguson scored four touchdowns in the game. Paul Warfield also scored on a 69-yard run, and Bob Klein scored on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Joe Sparma. The Buckeyes' 50 points was the fourth highest point total allowed by a Michigan team up to that time, with two of the prior occasions occurring in the 1890s. Michigan's Dave Raimey returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.Bucks Pour It On M, 50-20 Detroit Free Press November 26, 1961 D1, D3 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15572745/bucks_pour_it_on_m_5020_ferguson/ Newspapers.com"Buckeyes Win Big 10 Title." Palm Beach Post. 1961 Nov 26.Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150402190011/http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/osu/graphics/pdf/m-footbl/1961/1961-9-Michigan.pdf 2015-04-02 . Retrieved March 30, 2015. The 1961 Ohio State team featured Michigan's next two head coaches. Bo Schembechler was Hayes' line coach, and Gary Moeller was a linebacker for the 1961 Buckeyes. Statistics The 1961 Buckeyes ran the ball an average of 58 time per game and tallied an average of 271.9 rushing yards per game. They relied far less on a passing game, averaging only 10 passes per game for 77.2 yards per game. On defense, they gave up an average of 123.8 rushing yards and 129.8 passing yards per game. The team's leading rushers were Bob Ferguson (938 yards, 202 attempts, 4.6-yard average), Paul Warfield (420 yards, 77 attempts, 5.5-yard average), John Mummey (392 yards, 69 attempts, 5.7-yard average), Matt Snell (197 yards, 50 attempts, 3.9-yard average), and Bob Klein (177 yards, 26 attempts, 6.8-yard average). Joe Sparma, who later played professional baseball for the Detroit Tigers, led the team in passing yardage, completing 16 of 38 passes for 341 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 159.1 quarterback rating. William Mrukowski led the team in completions with 23 completed passes out of 35 attempts; he tallied 231 passing yards and a 119.2 quarterback rating.1961 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats Sports Reference LLC S/R College Football August 25, 2024 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/ohio-state/1961.html The leading receivers were Chuck Bryant (15 receptions, 270 yards, 18.0-yard average), Paul Warfield (9 receptions, 120 yards, 13.3-yard average), and Bob Klein (4 receptions, 112 yards, 28.0-yard average). Awards Fullback Bob Ferguson received multiple awards and honors following the 1961 season. Ferguson received the Maxwell Award as the outstanding player in college football in 1961.Ferguson To Get Maxwell Award The Daily Reporter December 12, 1961 11 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-reporter-ferguson-to-get-maxwe/154003823/ Newspapers.com He also received "Player of the Year" awards from the United Press International (UPI) and the Sporting News.Ohio State Fullback Bob Ferguson Voted Player of the Year in UPI National Poll The Berkshire Eagle John Griffin December 14, 1961 35 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-berkshire-eagle-ohio-state-fullback/154004187/ Newspapers.comFerguson Named Player Of Year Kingsport Times-News November 26, 1961 20 https://www.newspapers.com/article/kingsport-times-news-ferguson-named-play/154004851/ Newspapers.com Ferguson finished second in close voting for the 1961 Heisman Trophy. Syracuse back Ernie Davis won the trophy with 824 points, and Ferguson had 771 points.Syracuse Star Edges Ferguson For Top Trophy The News-Messenger November 29, 1961 24 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-messenger-heisman-voting/154001256/ Newspapers.com Ferguson was a consensus first-team All-American, receiving first-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press (AP), UPI, and Football Writers Association of America, among others. He received first-team honors from both the AP and UPI on the 1961 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Ferguson was unanimously selected by his teammates as the most valuable player on the 1961 Ohio State team.Bob Ferguson Bucks' MVP Dayton Daily News December 7, 1961 30 https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news-bob-ferguson-bucks-mv/154002602/ Newspapers.com He finished second by two points to Sandy Stephens in voting for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player. It was one of the closest votes in the history of the award.Stephens Voted Big 10 Most Valuable: Minnesota Quarterback Beats Bob Ferguson of Ohio State by 2 Votes; Ron Miller Is TD Chicago Tribune Wilfrid Smith December 17, 1961 1, 2 (part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-stephens-voted-big-10-mo/154003212/ Newspapers.com Guard Mike Ingram received second-team All-America honors from both the AP and UPI. He also received first-team honors from the same wire services on the 1961 All-Big Ten team. Five Ohio State players received second- or third-team recognition on the All-Big Ten team: end Tom Perdue (AP-2, UPI-3); tackle Bob Vogel (UPI-2); center Bill Armstrong (AP-3); end Chuck Bryant (UPI-3); and halfback Paul Warfield (UPI-3).2 Bucks Named To All-Big Ten: Ingram, Ferguson Gain Honor Spots The Logan Daily News November 28, 1961 6 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-logan-daily-news-2-bucks-named-to-al/154001737/ Newspapers.com'All' Experts Agree On Ferguson, Ingram The Akron Beacon-Journal November 28, 1961 29 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-all-experts-a/154002115/ Newspapers.com Personnel Coaching staff Woody Hayes – Head coach – 11th year Roster August 2024 1961 Ohio State Buckeyes y 53 Jr Billy Joe Armstrong C 71 So James Bearss OG 12 So Bob Bruney HB DB 88 Sr Charles Bryant E y Chuck Bryant (American football) 54 So Dennis Carter OT 32 Sr Roger Detrick FB LB 46 Sr Bob Ferguson FB LB y Bob Ferguson (American football player) 66 Sr Charles Foreman OG 69 Jr Rod Foster OG 33 Jr Dave Francis FB 58 So Dean Fronk C 15 So Tony Hall HB 35 So Woody Hall FB 47 Sr Gary Honsley HB 62 So Dennis Hullinger OG 64 Sr Mike Ingram OG LB C 65 So Tom Jenkins OG 21 Jr Ken Johnson HB DB 45 So William Jones HB 19 Jr Bob Klein HB 61 Jr Raymond Krstolic OT 48 Jr Karl Kumler HB 17 Sr Howard Lambert FB 70 Jr Richard Laskoski OT 23 Sr Robert Lister QB 43 Jr Richard Mangiamelle HB 27 So Larry Marmie QB 91 Sr Paul Martin E 80 Jr Robert Middleton E 56 So Richard Morgan C 26 Jr Bill Mrukowski QB 25 Jr John Mummey QB 90 So Joseph Nourse E 83 So Ormonde Ricketts E DE 75 Sr Jack Roberts OT 76 Jr Daryl Sanders OT DL 84 So Keith Smith E 41 So Matt Snell HB LB y Matt Snell 24 So Joe Sparma QB 72 So Bernie Stanley OT 16 Sr David Tingley HB 86 So Dick Van Raaphorst E PK y Dick Van Raaphorst 50 Jr Jerry Vanscoy C 73 Jr Bob Vogel OT DL y Bob Vogel 23 Sr Jack Wallace QB 42 So Paul Warfield HB DB y Paul Warfield 82 Sr George Wittmer E 51 Jr Albert Zima C 55 Jr Wayne Betz MG 34 Jr Robert Butts DL 93 Sr Dennis Clotz DL 77 Jr Dan Connor DL 28 Jr Bill Hess DB 49 Sr Ron Houck DB 67 Jr Dave Katterhenrich MG 79 So Charles Mamula DT PK 60 So Wes Mirick MG 68 Jr Gary Moeller MG LB y Gary Moeller 63 So Al Parker LB 87 Sr Tom Perdue DE C 89 Jr Elwood Rayford DE 78 Sr George Tolford DT 85 Sr Sam Tidmore DE 44 Jr Ed Ulmer DB 18 So Stewart Baffer PK 20 Jr Ben Jones PK https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/2023/6/30/1961_Roster.pdf?timestamp=20230823045549 2024-Feb-24. Woody Hayes Lyal Clark Alan Fiers Ernie Godfrey Bill Gunlock Jim Herbstreit Esco Sarkkinen Bo Schembechler Harry Strobel Depth chart I-Formation 5-3 Yes No Yes John Mummey Bill Mrukowski Matt Snell Robert Klein Bob Ferguson Chuck Bryant SE Paul Warfield WB Robert Middleton Ormonde Ricketts Bob Vogel Thomas Jenkins Bill Armstrong Gary Moeller Rod Foster Daryl Sanders Rick Laskoski LB Thomas Perdue LB Bill Mrukowski Samuel Tidmore LB LB David Tingley Howard Lambert Bill Hess Ed Ulmer Ronald Houck George Tolford Larry Stephens Wesley Mirick Gary Moeller Mike Ingram Jack Roberts 85 85 No 1962 Ohio State football media guide 1962 pro draftees 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Player Draft Round Pick Position NFL club Bob Ferguson NFL 1 5 Fullback Pittsburgh Steelers Bob Ferguson AFL 1 8 Fullback San Diego Chargers Chuck Bryant NFL 3 34 End St. Louis Cardinals Chuck Bryant AFL 13 104 End San Diego Chargers Sam Tidmore NFL 6 81 Linebacker Cleveland Browns Sam Tidmore AFL 20 156 Linebacker Buffalo Bills John Havlicek NFL 7 95 End Cleveland Browns Jack Roberts NFL 20 273 Tackle Chicago Bears Mike Ingram AFL 31 246 Guard Boston Patriots References Ohio State Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football seasons Category:College football national champions Category:Big Ten Conference football champion seasons Category:College football undefeated seasons Ohio State Buckeyes football