1961 Northwestern Wildcats football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1961 Northwestern Wildcats football Big Ten Conference Big Ten 4–5 2–4 Ara Parseghian 6th Boyd "Bud" Melvin Larry Onesti Dyche Stadium The 1961 Northwestern Wildcats team was an American football team that represented Northwestern University during the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Ara Parseghian, the Wildcats compiled a 4–5 record (2–4 in conference games), and finished in a tie for seventh place in the Big Ten Conference. Northwestern played home games at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. Highlights of the season included a 45–0 victory over Boston College in the season opener and a narrow 12–10 victory over No. 8 Notre Dame. The Wildcats were 4–2 after six games, but then lost three consecutive games at the end of the season. Senior center and middle linebacker Larry Onesti was the team captain and received first-team All-Big Ten honors. Senior tackle Boyd "Bud" Melvin was selected as the team's most valuable player. Schedule 1961 AP September 30 w y Boston College Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL 45–0 35,418 N.U. Triumphs, 45-0: Swingle's 3 Scores Help Rout Boston; Goes Record 95 Yards for 2d Chicago Tribune Wilfrid Smith October 1, 1961 1, 2 (part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-nu-triumphs-45-0-swi/154358181/ Newspapers.com October 7 w y Illinois Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL rivalry 28–7 40,138 Wildcats Rip Illinois, 28-7: Northwestern Posts Victory in Big 10 The Pantagraph October 8, 1961 21 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pantagraph-wildcats-rip-illinois-28/153936757/ Newspapers.com October 14 l Minnesota Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL 3–10 41,251 Gophers Stun Wildcats 10-3 Minneapolis Sunday Tribune Dick Gordon October 15, 1961 1, 2 (sports) https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-gophers-stun-wildcats-10-3/153048625/ Newspaper.com October 21 l Ohio State 7 Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL 0–10 43,259 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. October 28 w y y Notre Dame 8 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry 12–10 59,075 N.U. Beats Irish: Benz Passes for 2 Scores in 12-10 Game Chicago Tribune Maurice Shevlin October 29, 1961 1, 4 (part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-nu-beats-irish-benz-p/153717387/ Newspapers.com November 4 w Indiana<hc> Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL 14–8 35,392 November 11 l Wisconsin Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL 10–29 46,203 N.U. Defeated, 29-10: Wisconsin's Passes, Kicks Provide Edge Chicago Tribune Wilfrid Smith November 12, 1961 1, 2 (part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-nu-defeated-29-10-wi/153714141/ Newspapers.com November 18 l y Michigan State 9 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI 13–21 51,403 Spartans Back on Victory Road, 21-13 Lansing State Journal George S. Alderton November 19, 1961 53, 54 https://www.newspapers.com/article/lansing-state-journal-spartans-back-on-v/153016204/ Newspapers.com November 24 Friday l y y Miami (FL) Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL 6–10 46,282 A Night Of Records For Mira And Miller The Miami News Tommy Fitzgerald November 25, 1961 1B, 4B https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news-a-night-of-records-for-mi/154367423/ Newspapers.com 1961 Northwestern Wildcats Schedule and Results Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football December 18, 2015 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/northwestern/1961-schedule.html Statistics The team gained an average of 200.1 rushing yards and 80.6 passing yards per game. On defense, the Wildcats gave up an average of 155.6 rushing yards and 106.2 passing yards per game. Though he did not become a starter until the sixth game of the season,Wildcats Treat Grads by Clawing Past Indiana, 14-8: O'Grady Stars in First Start Chicago Tribune Edward Prell November 5, 1961 1 (part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-ogrady-stars-in-first-s/154356512/ Newspapers.com sophomore quarterback Tom O'Grady led the team in total offense, tallying 322 passing yards and 283 rushing yards for a total of 605 yards. In his first start, he tallied 101 rushing yards and completed seven of 13 passes for 113 passing yards. For the entire season, he completed 28 of 59 passes (47.5%) with one touchdown pass and seven interceptions for a quarterback rating of 75.2. Sophomore fullback Bill Swingle led Northwestern to a 45–0 victory over Boston College in the season opener, rushing for three touchdowns (including a school-record 95-yard touchdown run) and also passed for a touchdown. He later missed two games due to a cist on the back of his knee.N.U. Battles Spartans: Today's Foes Try to Halt Frustrations; Swingle Carries Wildcat Hopes Chicago Tribune November 18, 1961 1 (part 4) https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-todays-foes-try-to-halt/154357861/ Newspapers.com He finished the season as the team's leading rusher with 476 rushing yards on 79 carries for an average of 6.0 yards per carry. The team's leading receivers were Willie Stinson (10 receptions, 158 yards, 15.8-yard average), Chuck Logan (13 receptions, 130 yards, 10.0-yard average), and Dave Cox (9 receptions, 100 yards, 11.1-yard average).1961 Northwestern Wildcats Stats Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football December 18, 2015 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/northwestern/1961.html Awards and honors Senior tackle Boyd "Bud" Melvin was selected as the most valuable player on the 1961 Northwestern team. He was a regular for Northwestern on offense in 1959 and 1960 as well and became a two-way player in 1961, playing on both offense and defense. Coach Ara Parseghian rated Melvin as the best blocker he had ever coached and added: "Melvin was like another coach on the field. He knew every player's assignment . . . I've never seen a more dedicated football player than Melvin."Melvin Named Most Valuable at N.U.: 2 Year Regular Draws Praise From Parseghian Chicago Tribune December 6, 1961 1 (part 4) https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-melvin-named-most-valuab/154359675/ Newspapers.com Senior center and middle linebacker Larry Onesti was selected as the team captain.N.U. Football Squad Elects Onesti Leader Chicago Tribune September 13, 1961 2 (sports/business section) https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-nu-football-squad-elec/154358711/ Newspapers.com At the end of the season, Onesti was selected by both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) as the first-team center on the 1961 All-Big Ten Conference football team.Stephens Unanimous Choice on Big Ten Pittsburgh Post-Gazette November 28, 1961 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19611127&id=zm0xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G2wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7127,5722758Saimes and MacRae Selected on All-Big Ten Football Team The Holland, Michigan, Evening Sentinel November 29, 1961 16 https://www.newspapers.com/image/15943497/?terms=stephens%2B%2Bferguson%2Bsaimes%2Bcoaches Onesti later played four seasons in the American Football League for the Houston Oilers. Tackle Fate Echols also received first-team All-Big Ten honors from the UPI. He was placed on the second team by the AP. Echols later played two seasons in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals. Personnel Players The following 39 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1961 Northwestern football team: 30em Larry Benz, back Chuck Brainerd, back George Burman, tackle John Campbell, tackle Dave Cox, end Dave Damm, tackle Ray Dillon, end Lou Dineff, tackle Fate Echols, tackle Bob Eickhoff, back Paul Flatley, back Gerry Goshgarian, center Charles Hansen, guard Frank Johnson, back Al Kimbrough, back Richard Lawton, guard Charles Logan, end Dick Machalski, end Bob Mackall, back Boyd Melvin, tackle Richard Neeley, guard Tom O'Grady, quarterback Larry Onesti, center Burt Petkus, guard Kent Pike, guard Fred Quinn, back Pat Riley, end Jay Robertson, center Ike Smith, tackle Bob Snider, back Willie Stinson, back Bill Swingle, fullback George Thomas, tackle Ed Tuerk, center Dick Uhler, back Chuck Urbanic, guard Elliott Williams, back Larry Zeno, guard Tim Ziemke, end Coaches References Northwestern Category:Northwestern Wildcats football seasons Northwestern Wildcats football