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:

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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

More information School, 1960 Conference ...
School1960 Conference1961 Conference
Arizona WildcatsBorderIndependent
Denver PioneersMountain Statesdropped program
Marquette Golden AvalancheIndependentdropped program
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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.[2]

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.".[3] Minnesota took the Buckeyes' place in the Rose Bowl, where they would play UCLA.

Conference standings

Major colleges

More information Conf, Overall ...
1961 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 16 UCLA $ 3 1 07 4 0
USC 2 1 14 5 1
Washington 2 1 15 4 1
Stanford 1 3 04 6 0
California 1 3 01 8 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 20 Duke $  5 1   7 3  
North Carolina  4 3   5 5  
Maryland  3 3   7 3  
Clemson  3 3   5 5  
NC State  3 4   4 6  
South Carolina  3 4   4 6  
Wake Forest  3 4   4 6  
Virginia  2 4   4 6  
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll[4]
1961 Big Eight Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Colorado $ 7 0 09 2 0
No. 11 Missouri 5 2 07 2 1
Kansas 5 2 07 3 1
Oklahoma 4 3 05 5 0
Iowa State 3 4 05 5 0
Oklahoma State 2 5 04 6 0
Nebraska 2 5 03 6 1
Kansas State 0 7 02 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Ohio State $ 6 0 08 0 1
No. 6 Minnesota 6 1 08 2 0
No. 8 Michigan State 5 2 07 2 0
No. 12 Purdue 4 2 06 3 0
Wisconsin 4 3 06 3 0
Michigan 3 3 06 3 0
Iowa 2 4 05 4 0
Northwestern 2 4 04 5 0
Indiana 0 6 02 7 0
Illinois 0 7 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Border Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Arizona State § 3 0 07 3 0
West Texas State 3 1 06 4 0
New Mexico State 2 1 05 4 1
Texas Western 1 3 03 7 0
Hardin–Simmons 0 4 00 10 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Ivy League football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Columbia + 6 1 06 3 0
Harvard + 6 1 06 3 0
Dartmouth 5 2 06 3 0
Princeton 5 2 05 4 0
Yale 3 4 04 5 0
Cornell 2 5 03 6 0
Penn 1 6 02 7 0
Brown 0 7 00 9 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1961 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wichita $ 3 0 08 3 0
North Texas State 1 2 05 4 1
Cincinnati 1 2 03 7 0
Tulsa 1 2 02 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Skyline Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 Utah State + 5 0 19 1 1
Wyoming + 5 0 16 1 2
New Mexico 3 3 07 4 0
Utah 3 3 06 4 0
Montana 2 4 02 6 0
BYU 2 4 02 8 0
Colorado State 0 6 00 10 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Alabama + 7 0 011 0 0
No. 4 LSU + 6 0 010 1 0
No. 5 Ole Miss 5 1 09 2 0
No. 13 Georgia Tech 4 3 07 4 0
Tennessee 4 3 06 4 0
Florida 3 3 04 5 1
Auburn 3 4 06 4 0
Kentucky 2 4 05 5 0
Georgia 2 5 03 7 0
Mississippi State 1 5 05 5 0
Tulane 1 5 02 8 0
Vanderbilt 1 6 02 8 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
The Citadel $ 5 1 07 3 0
Richmond 5 2 05 5 0
VMI 4 2 06 4 0
West Virginia 2 1 04 6 0
Furman 2 2 07 3 0
George Washington 3 4 03 6 0
Virginia Tech 2 3 04 5 0
Davidson 1 4 04 4 0
William & Mary 1 6 01 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Texas + 6 1 010 1 0
No. 9 Arkansas + 6 1 08 3 0
Rice 5 2 07 4 0
Texas A&M 3 4 04 5 1
TCU 2 4 13 5 2
Baylor 2 5 06 5 0
Texas Tech 2 5 04 6 0
SMU 1 5 12 7 1
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
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Small colleges

More information Conf, Overall ...
1961 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 17 Arkansas Tech $ 6 0 18 0 1
Arkansas State Teachers 5 2 07 3 0
Southern State (AR) 5 2 06 3 0
Harding 4 3 04 5 0
Henderson State 3 3 04 6 0
Ouachita Baptist 2 3 14 4 1
Arkansas A&M 1 6 02 8 0
Ozarks 0 7 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Badger-Gopher Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Lakeland $ 4 0 04 3 1
Northland 3 1 04 4 0
Bethel (MN) 2 2 04 4 0
Milton 1 3 04 3 0
Northwestern (WI) 0 4 01 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1961 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3/5 Fresno State $ 5 0 010 0 0
Cal Poly 3 2 04 4 0
San Diego State 2 2 17 2 1
Los Angeles State 2 2 14 4 1
Long Beach State 2 3 05 5 0
UC Santa Barbara 0 5 02 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP/UPI small college polls
1961 Carolinas Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 15 Lenoir Rhyne $ 6 1 08 1 1
Appalachian State 5 1 07 3 0
Newberry 4 2 05 5 1
East Carolina 4 3 05 4 1
Elon 3 4 04 6 0
Catawba 3 4 03 7 0
Western Carolina 2 5 04 6 0
Guilford 0 7 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Carolina College $ 5 0 27 0 2
North Carolina A&T 5 1 05 4 0
Johnson C. Smith 6 1 08 1 0
Winston-Salem State 5 1 16 1 1
Maryland State 2 2 14 2 1
Delaware State 5 2 07 3 0
Virginia Union 4 3 15 3 1
Morgan State 5 4 05 4 0
Virginia State 3 4 13 4 1
Hampton 3 3 06 3 0
Elizabeth City State 3 4 04 4 0
St. Augustine's 3 5 04 5 0
Fayetteville State 2 4 03 6 0
Howard 1 5 01 8 0
Shaw 1 8 01 8 0
Saint Paul's (VA) 0 6 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1/1 Pittsburg State $^ 5 0 011 0 0
Omaha 4 1 06 3 0
Fort Hays State 3 2 04 4 1
St. Benedict's 2 3 02 7 0
Emporia State 1 4 01 8 0
Washburn 0 5 03 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA poll and AP small college poll
1961 College Conference of Illinois football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 14 Millikin $ 6 0 08 0 0
Carroll (WI) 5 1 06 3 0
Carthage 4 2 07 2 0
North Central (IL) 3 3 05 4 0
Augustana (IL) 2 4 05 4 0
Illinois Wesleyan 1 5 02 7 0
Lake Forest 0 6 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Evergreen Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Central Washington $ 6 1 07 2 0
Whitworth * 6 1 0 ?  ?  ?
Western Washington 4 3 05 4 0
Puget Sound 3 3 15 3 1
Pacific Lutheran 1 5 12 6 1
Eastern Washington 0 7 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – on probation; ineligible for conference title
1961 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13/16 Humboldt State + 4 1 08 2 0
San Francisco State + 4 1 08 2 0
UC Davis 3 2 05 4 0
Nevada 2 3 05 4 0
Sacramento State 2 3 04 5 0
Chico State 0 5 04 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA poll and UPI small college poll
1961 Frontier Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Arizona State–Flagstaff $ 1 0 13 5 1
New Mexico Western 1 1 04 5 0
New Mexico Highlands 0 1 13 3 1
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Gulf States Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Southeastern Louisiana + 4 1 09 1 0
No. 10 McNeese State + 4 1 07 2 0
Northwestern State 3 2 07 3 0
Louisiana Tech 3 2 05 4 0
Northeast Louisiana State 1 4 03 7 0
Southwestern Louisiana 0 5 02 8 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Hoosier Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Taylor + 4 1 08 1 0
Anderson (IN) + 4 1 04 4 0
Hanover 3 2 03 6 0
Indiana Central 2 3 04 5 0
Franklin (IN) 1 4 03 6 0
Manchester (IN) 1 4 01 8 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1961 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Butler $ 6 0 09 0 0
Valparaiso 5 1 07 2 0
Evansville 3 3 04 5 0
DePauw 2 4 05 4 0
Ball State 2 4 02 5 1
Indiana State 2 4 02 6 0
Saint Joseph's (IN) 1 5 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Southern Illinois $ 5 1 07 3 0
Western Illinois 4 2 05 3 0
Illinois State Normal 4 2 05 4 0
Eastern Illinois 3 2 14 3 1
Northern Illinois 3 2 14 4 1
Central Michigan 1 5 02 8 0
Eastern Michigan 0 6 00 8 1
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 12 Parsons $ 8 0 09 0 0
Luther 6 2 06 3 0
Central (IA) 5 3 06 3 0
Upper Iowa 5 3 06 3 0
Dubuque 4 4 05 4 0
Buena Vista 3 5 04 5 0
Iowa Wesleyan 3 5 03 7 0
Wartburg 2 6 02 7 0
Simpson (IA) 0 8 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 16 Ottawa $ 9 0 09 0 0
College of Emporia 8 1 08 1 0
Southwestern (KS) 6 2 16 2 1
Baker 6 3 06 3 0
Bethany (KS) 3 4 23 4 2
Kansas Wesleyan 4 5 04 5 0
Bethel (KS) 3 6 03 6 0
McPherson 3 6 03 6 0
Sterling 1 8 01 8 0
Friends 0 8 10 8 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Sam Houston State $ 7 0 08 1 0
Texas A&I 5 2 07 2 0
Lamar Tech 4 2 18 2 1
Howard Payne 4 3 04 5 0
East Texas State 3 4 04 6 0
Southwest Texas State 2 4 14 5 1
Sul Ross 1 6 03 7 0
Stephen F. Austin 1 6 01 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Maryland $ 4 0 07 2 0
Gallaudet * 1 0 01 6 0
Johns Hopkins 1 1 03 4 1
Hampden–Sydney 2 2 03 6 0
Randolph–Macon 1 2 04 5 0
Bridgewater 0 4 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Ineligible for title
1961 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Albion $ 5 0 08 0 0
Olivet 4 1 08 1 0
Kalamazoo 3 2 04 4 0
Alma 2 3 02 6 0
Adrian 1 4 02 6 0
Hope 0 5 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Mid-American Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Bowling Green $ 5 1 08 2 0
Western Michigan 4 1 15 4 1
Miami (OH) 3 2 06 4 0
Ohio 3 2 15 3 1
Toledo 2 4 03 7 0
Marshall 1 4 02 7 1
Kent State 1 5 02 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Mid-Ohio League football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Findlay $ 5 0 07 3 0
Ohio Northern 4 1 06 3 0
Bluffton 2 3 05 3 0
Defiance 2 3 03 5 0
Ashland 2 3 03 6 0
Wilmington (OH) 0 5 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
University Division
No. 15 Rutgers x 4 0 09 0 0
Bucknell 5 2 06 3 0
Delaware 3 2 04 4 0
No. 6 Lehigh 3 2 07 2 0
Gettysburg 2 2 13 5 1
Temple 1 2 22 5 2
Lafayette 1 5 12 6 1
Muhlenberg 0 4 02 7 0
Northern College Division
Susquehanna x 6 0 08 0 1
Albright 4 0 17 0 1
Moravian 4 1 14 3 1
Wagner 4 2 06 3 0
Lycoming 1 3 11 6 1
Wilkes 1 6 01 6 0
Hofstra * 2 0 07 2 0
Juniata * 1 2 03 4 0
Upsala * 0 4 00 7 0
Southern College Division
Lebanon Valley x 5 1 06 1 0
Swarthmore 4 2 05 2 0
Western Maryland 4 2 07 2 0
Dickinson 5 3 05 3 0
Pennsylvania Military 5 3 06 3 0
Johns Hopkins 2 3 13 4 1
Ursinus 2 5 02 5 0
Drexel 1 5 12 5 1
Haverford 0 6 10 6 1
West Chester * 0 0 07 2 0
Franklin & Marshall * 0 3 01 7 0
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games
Rankings from major college AP poll for Rutgers and small college AP poll for Lehigh
1961 Midwest Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 Tennessee A&I $ 3 0 04 4 1
No. 14 Central State (OH) 2 1 07 1 0
Kentucky State 1 2 06 3 0
Lincoln (MO) 0 3 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from Pittsburgh Courier[5]
1961 Midwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Cornell (IA) + 6 2 06 2 0
Grinnell + 6 2 06 2 0
St. Olaf + 6 2 06 2 0
Carleton 5 2 15 2 1
Ripon 4 3 14 3 1
Coe 4 4 04 4 0
Lawrence 4 4 04 4 0
Beloit 2 6 02 6 0
Knox 1 7 01 7 0
Monmouth (IL) 1 7 01 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1961 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 18 Minnesota–Duluth $ 7 0 08 1 0
Saint John's (MN) 5 2 06 2 0
St. Thomas (MN) 5 2 06 3 0
Macalester 4 3 06 3 0
Augsburg 3 4 04 4 0
Concordia (MN) 3 4 04 5 0
Gustavus Adolphus 1 6 02 7 0
Hamline 0 7 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 19 Missouri Valley $ 4 0 09 0 1
William Jewell 3 1 07 3 0
Graceland 3 2 05 2 2
Tarkio 2 3 02 7 0
Central (MO) 0 2 11 6 1
Culver–Stockton 0 4 11 6 2
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
NE Missouri State $ 5 0 09 1 0
SE Missouri State 3 2 05 5 0
Missouri–Rolla 3 2 04 5 0
SW Missouri State 2 3 04 4 1
Central Missouri State 2 3 03 5 0
NW Missouri State 0 5 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Montana $ 5 0 07 1 1
Eastern Montana 4 1 05 3 0
Carroll (MT) 2 2 14 3 1
Northern Montana 2 3 02 5 0
Rocky Mountain 1 4 0 ?  ?  ?
Montana Mines 0 4 1 ?  ?  ?
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Nebraska College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Peru State $ 5 0 17 1 1
Kearney State 4 2 07 2 0
Hastings 3 2 14 4 1
Doane 2 2 25 2 2
Wayne State (NE) 3 3 04 5 0
Chadron State 2 4 03 6 0
Nebraska Wesleyan 0 6 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
South Dakota State + 5 1 08 2 0
State College of Iowa + 5 1 07 2 0
North Dakota 4 2 06 3 0
Augustana (SD) 4 2 05 3 1
Morningside 2 4 03 6 0
North Dakota State 1 5 03 6 0
South Dakota 0 6 01 8 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1961 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Mayville State $ 6 0 08 0 0
Wahpeton Science 4 2 06 2 0
Dickinson State 4 2 05 3 0
Jamestown 3 3 04 4 0
Minot State 3 3 04 5 0
Valley City State 1 5 01 7 0
Ellendale 0 6 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Northern State College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Mankato State $ 5 0 06 3 0
Moorhead State 3 2 05 4 0
Bemidji State 3 2 03 6 0
Winona State 2 2 14 3 1
Michigan Tech 1 4 01 6 1
St. Cloud State 0 4 11 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Northwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Linfield $^ 5 0 010 1 0
Lewis & Clark 3 2 06 3 0
College of Idaho 3 2 05 4 0
Willamette 3 2 04 4 0
Whitman 1 4 01 7 0
Pacific (OR) 0 5 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wittenberg $ 6 0 08 1 0
Akron 6 1 06 2 0
Otterbein 5 1 08 1 0
Muskingum 5 1 07 2 0
Capital 5 2 15 2 1
Wooster 5 3 06 3 0
Ohio Wesleyan 4 3 06 3 0
Kenyon 2 4 03 4 1
Mount Union 2 5 03 6 0
Denison 2 6 03 6 0
Heidelberg 1 4 11 7 1
Oberlin 1 5 02 5 1
Hiram 1 5 01 7 0
Marietta 0 5 10 8 1
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Tennessee Tech $ 6 0 07 3 0
Middle Tennessee 5 1 07 3 0
Western Kentucky 4 2 06 3 0
Eastern Kentucky 3 3 04 5 0
Murray State 2 4 04 6 0
East Tennessee State 1 5 03 7 0
Morehead State 0 6 01 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Central State (OK) + 6 1 09 1 0
Langston + 6 1 08 2 0
No. 11 Panhandle A&M 4 1 09 2 0
East Central 3 4 05 5 0
SE Oklahoma State 2 4 04 6 0
Northeastern State 2 4 03 6 0
SW Oklahoma State 2 5 02 8 0
NW Oklahoma State 1 6 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Southern Oregon $ 4 0 05 4 0
Oregon College of Education 2 1 14 3 1
Portland State 2 2 03 5 0
Oregon Tech 1 2 14 4 1
Eastern Oregon 0 4 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Pennsylvania State College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Division
No. 20 West Chester xy$ 4 0 07 2 0
East Stroudsburg 5 1 07 1 0
Bloomsburg 2 2 04 4 0
Millersville 2 3 05 3 0
Mansfield 2 3 04 4 0
Kutztown 2 3 02 6 0
Cheyney 0 5 00 7 1
West Division
Slippery Rock xy 4 1 06 3 0
California (PA) 4 1 15 2 1
Clarion 3 2 14 3 1
Lock Haven 2 2 15 2 2
Edinboro 1 3 13 4 1
Indiana (PA) 1 4 02 7 0
Shippensburg 0 4 00 8 0
Championship: West Chester 21, Slippery Rock 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
  • Edinboro forfeited to Clarion.
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Allegheny $ 5 1 06 1 0
John Carroll 4 1 05 2 0
Western Reserve 5 2 05 2 0
Case Tech 4 2 04 3 0
Bethany (WV) 2 4 02 5 0
Thiel 2 4 02 4 0
Wayne State (MI) 1 4 01 5 0
Washington & Jefferson 0 5 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Adams State $ 4 0 08 2 0
Colorado College 2 2 05 3 1
Western State (CO) 2 2 04 5 0
Colorado Mines 2 2 03 6 0
Colorado State–Greeley 0 4 01 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Northern State $^ 6 0 09 1 0
Huron 5 1 07 2 0
Southern State (SD) 4 2 06 3 0
South Dakota Tech 2 4 03 5 0
Black Hills 2 4 03 5 0
Dakota Wesleyan 2 4 02 7 0
General Beadle 0 6 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Whittier $^ 4 0 09 1 0
Redlands 3 1 06 4 0
Occidental 2 2 06 3 0
Pomona 1 3 05 4 0
Claremont-Mudd 0 4 03 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Florida A&M $ 5 0 010 0 0
Alabama A&M 5 0 08 1 0
Allen 4 2 05 4 0
Bethune–Cookman 5 2 05 3 0
Morris Brown 4 2 05 4 0
Fisk 4 2 05 4 0
Tuskegee 4 1 14 4 1
Morehouse 3 3 04 4 0
Clark (GA) 2 3 13 3 2
Lane 1 4 02 5 1
Benedict 2 4 02 7 0
South Carolina State 2 5 02 7 0
Alabama State 1 5 01 7 0
Knoxville 1 5 01 7 0
Fort Valley State 0 5 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Jackson State $ 6 1 09 2 0
Grambling 5 2 08 2 0
Southern 5 2 07 3 0
Texas Southern 5 2 06 3 0
Prairie View A&M 3 4 05 4 1
Wiley 2 4 14 4 1
Arkansas AM&N 1 5 13 6 1
Texas College 0 7 00 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Tri-State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Midland $ 5 1 06 2 0
Dana 4 2 05 3 0
Westmar 4 2 04 4 0
Northwestern (IA) 3 3 03 4 1
Concordia (NE) 2 4 03 6 0
Yankton 2 4 05 4 0
Sioux Falls 1 5 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Virginia Little Eight Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Emory and Henry * 1 0 05 4 0
Hampden–Sydney $ 2 1 03 6 0
Randolph–Macon 1 1 04 5 0
Bridgewater 0 2 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Emory and Henry did not play enough conference games to be eligible for the championship.
1961 West Penn Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Westminster (PA) $ 4 1 06 2 0
Grove City 2 0 05 4 0
Waynesburg 2 2 06 2 0
Saint Vincent 2 2 03 3 1
Geneva 1 2 04 4 0
Carnegie Tech 0 4 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Eastern Division
Salem x 6 2 06 3 0
West Liberty State 5 2 06 2 0
Davis & Elkins 1 5 02 5 0
West Virginia State 0 4 00 7 0
Western Division
West Virginia Wesleyan x$ 4 1 08 1 0
Glenville State 5 2 05 2 0
Fairmont State 4 4 04 5 0
Concord 3 4 05 4 0
Potomac State 1 3 02 3 0
West Virginia Tech 1 3 02 5 1
Non-qualifiers
Bluefield State 1 0 03 3 1
Shepherd 1 2 04 2 2
Bethany (WV) 0 1 02 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • Conference standings based on power ratings
1961 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Stevens Point State $ 7 1 08 1 0
La Crosse State 5 1 05 3 0
River Falls State 4 2 05 4 0
Whitewater State 3 3 06 3 0
Superior State 2 3 13 4 2
Stout State 2 3 13 4 1
Eau Claire State 3 5 04 5 0
Oshkosh State 2 4 02 4 0
Milwaukee 2 4 02 6 0
Platteville State 1 5 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1961 Yankee Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Maine $ 5 0 08 0 1
UMass 3 1 05 4 0
Connecticut 2 2 02 7 0
New Hampshire 1 3 03 5 0
Rhode Island 1 4 02 6 1
Vermont 0 2 03 3 1
  • $ Conference champion
Close

Independents

More information Conf, Overall ...
1961 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Middlebury    5 1 1
Villanova    8 2 0
Southern Connecticut State    7 2 0
Alfred    6 2 0
Montclair State    6 2 0
Delaware Valley    6 2 0
No. 17 Penn State    8 3 0
No. 14 Syracuse    8 3 0
Trinity (CT)    5 2 1
Holy Cross    7 3 0
C. W. Post    6 3 0
Army    6 4 0
Merchant Marine    6 4 0
Tufts    5 3 0
Rochester    5 3 0
Hamilton    4 3 0
Cortland State    4 3 0
American International    5 4 0
Colgate    5 4 0
Northeastern    4 4 0
Coast Guard    4 4 0
Ithaca    4 4 0
Boston University    4 5 0
Buffalo    4 5 0
Bridgeport    4 5 0
Norwich    3 4 1
Worcester Tech    3 4 0
Boston College    4 6 0
Union (NY)    3 5 0
Pittsburgh    3 7 0
Nichols    2 3 0
Trenton State    1 6 0
King's (PA)    1 8 0
Springfield    0 7 1
Brockport    0 7 0
RPI    0 7 0
Hobart    0 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Midwestern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Baldwin–Wallace    9 0 0
Wheaton (IL)    8 0 0
Earlham    7 1 0
St. Norbert    7 2 0
Northern Michigan    6 2 0
Hillsdale    6 3 0
Ferris Institute    5 3 0
Bradley    6 4 0
Xavier    6 4 0
Eureka    3 2 1
Detroit    5 4 0
Drake    5 4 0
Wabash    5 4 0
Youngstown    4 4 1
Notre Dame    5 5 0
Concordia (IL)    4 4 0
St. Mary of the Plains    4 5 0
North Park    3 5 0
William Penn    3 5 1
St. Procopius    2 4 0
Dayton    2 8 0
Elmhurst    1 6 1
Rose Poly    0 8 0
Washington University    0 9 0
1961 Southern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Washington and Lee    9 0 0
Tampa    8 1 0
Mississippi College    8 1 0
Mississippi Southern    8 2 0
Memphis State    8 2 0
Delta State    7 2 1
Howard (AL)    7 2 0
South Carolina Trade    6 2 0
Maryville (TN)    6 2 0
Sewanee    5 2 1
Miles    5 2 0
Navy    7 3 0
Arlington State    7 3 0
Louisville    6 3 0
Miami (FL)    7 4 0
McMurry    6 4 0
Houston    5 4 1
Livingstone    5 4 0
Southwestern (TN)    4 4 0
Emory & Henry    4 4 0
Florida State    4 5 1
Norfolk State    3 4 0
Abilene Christian    4 6 0
Chattanooga    4 6 0
Georgetown (KY)    2 3 1
Arkansas State    3 6 0
Austin    2 7 0
Trinity (TX)    2 7 0
Millsaps    1 5 2
Centre    1 7 0
1961 Western college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 17 Arizona    8 1 1
Westminster (UT)    7 1 1
La Verne    7 2 0
Idaho State    5 2 1
San Francisco    4 2 0
Cal Poly Pomona    6 3 0
San Jose State    6 4 0
Eastern New Mexico    6 4 0
Los Angeles Pacific    5 3 0
Montana State    4 3 1
Pacific (CA)    5 4 0
Azusa    4 3 0
Oregon State    5 5 0
Santa Clara    3 3 0
Oregon    4 6 0
Claremont    3 6 0
Air Force    3 7 0
Washington State    3 7 0
Cal Western    3 7 0
Idaho    2 7 0
San Diego    2 8 0
Southern California College    1 5 0
UC Riverside    1 7 0
Pepperdine    1 9 0
1961 NAIA independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Baldwin–Wallace    9 0 0
Wheaton (IL)    8 0 0
No. 8 Tampa    8 1 0
Westminster (UT)    7 1 1
Earlham    7 1 0
Oklahoma Panhandle State    9 2 0
La Verne    7 2 0
Hillsdale    6 3 0
Eastern New Mexico    6 4 0
McMurry    6 4 0
St. Mary of the Plains    4 5 0
Georgetown (KY)    2 3 1
Austin    2 7 0
Rankings from NAIA poll
Close

Rankings

Major college polls

Tracking No. 1 spot

More information Week, No. 1 Team ...
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 0
10 (Nov 25) Alabama (Idle)
11 (Dec 2) Alabama Alabama 34, Auburn 0
Close

Final polls

More information Rank, Team ...
Close

Small college polls

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,[8][9] who compiled a regular season record of 9–0 while outscoring opponents 299–25 and registering seven shutouts.[10] The Gorillas went on to win two NAIA postseason games and finished 11–0 for the season.

More information Rank, School ...
Close

Postseason

Major bowls

Monday, January 1, 1962

More information Bowl ...
Close

Other bowls

More information Bowl, Location ...
Bowl Location Date Winner Score Loser
Sun El Paso, TX December 30 Villanova 17–9 Wichita State
Gator Jacksonville, FL December 30 No. 17 Penn State 30–15 No. 13 Georgia Tech
Tangerine Orlando, FL December 29 Lamar Tech 21–14 Middle Tennessee
Bluebonnet Houston, TX December 16 Kansas 33–7 No. 17 Rice
Liberty Philadelphia, PA December 16 No. 14 Syracuse 15–14 Miami (FL)
Aviation Dayton, OH December 9 New Mexico 28–12 Western Michigan
Gotham New York, NY December 9 Baylor 24–9 No. 10 Utah State
Mercy Los Angeles, CA November 23 Fresno State 36–6 Bowling Green
Mineral Water Excelsior Springs, MO November 25 Kirksville State 22–8 Parsons
All-Sports Oklahoma City, OK December 9 Panhandle A&M 28–14 Langston
West Virginia West Virginia Wesleyan 12–0 Salem
Missile Orlando, FL December 9 Fort Eustis 25–24 Quantico Marines
Orange Blossom Miami, FL December 9 Florida A&M 14–8 Jackson State
Close
  • 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.[14]

Semifinals
December 2, 1961
Championship
December 9, 1961
Camellia Bowl[15]
      
Whittier 7
Linfield* 18
Linfield 7
Pittsburg State 12
Northern State 14
Pittsburg State* 28

Award season

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

More information Player, School ...
PlayerSchoolPosition1st2nd3rdTotal
Ernie DavisSyracuseHB17910381824
Bob FergusonOhio StateFB12215693771
Jimmy SaxtonTexasHB8110598551
Sandy StephensMinnesotaQB1047868543
Pat TrammellAlabamaQB764544362
Joe RomigColoradoG554034279
John HadlKansasQB332523172
Gary CollinsMarylandE283121167
Roman GabrielNC StateQB232732155
Merlin OlsenUtah StateDT13191693
Close

Source: [16][17]

All-Americans

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.

More information Name, Position ...
Name Position School Number Official Other
Roy WinstonGuardLSU6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WC
Ernie DavisHalfbackSyracuse6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WC
Bob FergusonFullbackOhio State6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WC
Billy NeighborsTackleAlabama6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, WC
Jimmy SaxtonHalfbackTexas6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, WC
Gary CollinsEndMaryland5/6AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WC
Joe RomigGuardColorado5/6AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPIWC
Alex KrollCenterRutgers5/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPIWC
Sandy StephensQuarterbackMinnesota5/6AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPIWC
Bill MillerEndMiami (Fla.)4/6AP, FWAA, NEA, SNTime, WC
Merlin OlsenTackleUtah State4/6AP, FWAA, NEA, UPITime, WC
Close

Other awards

Statistical leaders

Individual

Total offense

The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Games Plays Total Yds PtR[20]
1Dave HoppmannIowa State10320163880
2Pat McCarthyHoly Cross102831509128
3Ron MillerWisconsin9234144986
4Chon GallegosSan Jose State102371388100
5Eddie WilsonArizona101811377120
6John FurmanTexas Western10255133489
7Pat TrammellAlabama102081314108
8Sandy StephensMinnesota9252128196
9Preacher PilotNew Mexico State101911278138
10Jerry GrossDetroit9189125069
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Small college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Games Plays Total Yds
1Denny SpurlockWhitworth102241760
2Jan LloydOccidental92641750
3Tom GryzwinskiDefiance83141749
4Roy CurryJackson State102581511
5Doug OlsenSouthern Oregon92591464
6HalseyCarthage91811379
7CavalliWagner92291354
8GilesLouisville92081346
9NunesSlippery Rock92211345
10ConnorsSalem (WV)91631333
Close

[21]

Passing

The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Games Compl. Att. Pct.
Compl.
Yds. Int. TDs
1Chon GallegosSan Jose State10117197.59414801314
2Ron MillerWisconsin9104198.52514871111
3Roman GabrielNC State1099186.53298768
4Ron KlemickNavy1086183.4701045136
5Bill CantyFurman1084168.500884128
6John FurmanTexas Western1084180.46710261010
7Matt SzykownyIowa979139.5681078157
8Eddie WilsonArizona1079154.5131294710
9Pat McCarthyHoly Cross1076165.46110811111
10Pat TrammellAlabama1075133.564103528
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Small college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Games Compl. Att. Pct.
Compl.
Yds. Int. TDs
1Tom GryzwinskiDefiance8127258.49216841714
2Jan LloydOccidental9122234.5211748811
3Denny SpurlockWhitworth10115189.60817081626
4Bill ThorpCornell (IA)9108199.54312311015
5Doug McClaryPacific Lutheran105208.505966194
6HermannBradley10104201.51713721215
7Doug OlsenSouthern Oregon9103195.52813791610
8Jim KuplicBeloit895178.53482786
9Norm McKinleyLos Angeles Pacific993156.5961220411
10Earl LittleGettysburg990172.523797104
Close

[22]

Rushing

The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1961 season:
Major college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Games Yds Rushes Avg
1Preacher PilotNew Mexico State1019112786.69
2Pete PedroWest Texas State101379767.12
3Bob FergusonOhio State92029384.64
4Dave HoppmannIowa State102299204.02
5Jimmy SaxtonTexas101078467.91
6Ernie DavisSyracuse101508235.49
7Tommy LarscheidUtah State101217736.39
8Tom CampbellFurman101577674.89
9Bobby Lee ThompsonArizona101037527.30
10Earl StoudtRichmond101627044.35
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Small college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Games Yds Rushes Avg
1Bob LisaSt. Mary's (KS)915610826.94
2Nelson GuthrieWinston-Salem919410775.55
3Joe IaconeWest Chester917010596.23
4Steve BeguinLinfield916310586.49
5Bob RomaWofford1113010548.11
6Dan BoalsIowa State College91621003
7John KnightValparaiso9158998
8GrillLewis & Clark9162960
9ThorneSouth Dakota State10174958
10HauserWestminster (UT)9139943
Close

[21]

Receiving

The following players were the individual leaders in receptions during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Games Receptions Receiving
Yards
Touchdowns
1Hugh CampbellWashington State10537235
2Pat RichterWisconsin9478178
3Bill MillerMiami (FL)10436402
4Al SnyderHoly Cross10385585
5Oscar DonahueSan Jose State10355275
6Larry VargoDetroit9326018
7Tom HutchinsonKentucky10325434
8Buddy IlesTCU104792
9Gary CollinsMaryland10304284
10Royce CassellNew Mexico State10295197
10Joe BorichUtah10294865
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Small college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Games Receptions Receiving
Yards
Touchdowns
1Martin BaumhowerDefiance8577084
2Howard HartmanSouthern Oregon9516116
3Ken FisherCornell (IA)8464026
4John MurioWhitworth104581113
5Jerry GriffinLouisiana Tech9454353
6Dean MackBeloit8443112
7Dave BottemillerPacific Lutheran9433812
8Karl FinchCal Poly Pomona9417678
9DavisBethune-Cookman8406709
9HoutzPepperdine10405904
9Ed BurtonChico State10405665
Close

[22]

Scoring

The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Pts TD PAT FG
1Preacher PilotNew Mexico State13821120
2Pete PedroWest Texas State1322200
3Tom LarscheidUtah State961560
4Ernie DavisSyracuse941540
4Wendell HarrisLSU948286
6Bobby SmithUCLA8510163
7Bobby ThompsonArizona821340
8Nolan JonesArizona State778203
9Butch BlumeRice746206
10Sam MudieRutgers7010100
11Bob FergusonOhio State681120
12Earl StoudtRichmond679101
13CarterMemphis State654381
14Tom HaggertyColumbia621020
15Greg MatherNavy6112211
16Billy Ray AdamsOle Miss601000
17Paul AllenBYU58940
17Jim TurnerUtah State583342
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Small college

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team Pts TD PAT FG
1John MurloWhitworth12915332
2Jerry DomescikMillikin1202000
3John NachtsheimMinnesota Duluth11217100
4Steve BeguinLinfield1081800
5Bobby LisaSt. Mary's (KS)98158
6Frank MelosWagner9614120
7Fred FugazziMissouri Valley921520
7Bill WinterSt. Olaf921480
9Jim PribulaWest Chester918285
10Toby BarkmanEast Stroudsburg901500
10Dave ArendsCornell (IA)901500
Close

Team

Total offense

The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Games
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1Ole Miss106744187418.7
2New Mexico State106314009400.9
3Utah State106693911391.1
4Texas107003831383.1
5Arizona105883782378.2
6Penn State107063691369.1
7Memphis State106103690369.0
8Ohio State96123142349.1
9Arizona State106583353335.3
10West Texas State105753290329.0
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Small college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Games
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1Florida A&M95313722413.6
2Whitworth106594078407.8
3South Dakota State106764061406.1
4Wittenberg96693608400.9
5Linfield96073549394.3
6Cal Poly Pomona95623528392.0
7St. Mary's (KS)95723504389.3
8Lewis & Clark96403484387.1
9Carthage95013482386.9
10West Chester95723409378.8
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Scoring offense

The following teams were the leaders in scoring offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Points
per game
1Utah State38.7
2New Mexico State34.1
3Memphis State33.2
4Ole Miss32.6
5West Texas State30.9
6Texas29.1
7Arizona28.8
8Arizona State28.7
8Alabama28.7
10Rutgers27.3
Close

Rushing offense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Yards
per game
1New Mexico State299.1
2Texas285.8
3Utah State281.8
4Ohio State271.9
5West Texas State247.5
6Wyoming245.0
7Michigan State237.2
8Bowling Green236.9
9Ole Miss236.0
10Memphis State234.1
Close

Small college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Yards
per game
1Huron313.1
2Lewis & Clark287.9
3St. Mary's (KS)282.4
4Central State (OH)280.7
5Carthage278.4
Close

Passing offense

The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Yards
per game
1Wisconsin188.4
2Ole Miss182.7
3Detroit182.1
4Holy Cross162.5
5Washington State156.1
5San Jose State156.1
7Navy154.5
8Iowa146.6
9Maryland146.4
10Arizona145.6
Close

Small college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Yards
per game
1Cal Poly Pomona244.1
2Defiance227.9
3Occidental202.9
4Bethune-Cookman185.0
5Whitworth174.2
Close

Total defense

The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Games
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1Alabama105241326132.6
2Utah State105121393139.3
3Ole Miss105271453145.3
4Bowling Green94601456161.8
5Wyoming94381511167.9
6LSU105641703170.3
7Villanova94701559173.2
8Texas105771761176.1
9Missouri105601769176.9
10Arkansas105481774177.4
Close

Small college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Games
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1Florida A&M942976885.3
2East Stroudsburg8405863107.9
3John Carroll7342766109.4
4Washington & Lee8428927115.9
5Wittenberg94791065118.3
6Edward Waters94381117124.1
7Delta State105141282128.2
8J.C. Smith95361157128.6
9Washington & Lee94821163129.2
10Winona State84051086135.8
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Scoring defense

The following teams were the leaders in scoring defense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Points
per game
1Alabama2.2
2Ole Miss4.0
3Bowling Green4.7
4LSU5.0
4Georgia Tech5.0
6Michigan State5.6
7Missouri5.7
8Texas5.9
9Miami (FL)7.0
10Memphis State7.5
Close

Rushing defense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Yards
per game
1Utah State50.8
2Alabama55.0
3Villanova71.1
4LSU79.4
5Ole Miss80.4
6Minnesota84.3
7Bowling Green86.7
8Wyoming89.2
9Texas90.2
10Georgia Tech94.9
Close

Small college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Yards
per game
1Florida A&M20.1
2John Carroll37.4
3Washington & Lee37.4
4Hampton Institute58.3
5Parsons58.4
Close

Passing defense

The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1961 season:

Major college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Yards
per game
1Penn56.9
2Yale58.1
3Arkansas62.9
4Ole Miss64.9
5Dartmouth65.7
6Columbia65.8
7USC66.6
8Brown66.7
9Oregon67.2
10Kansas State68.7
Close

Small college

More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Yards
per game
1Westminster24.8
2Principia31.8
3Ursinus37.6
4Western Maryland40.3
5Middlebury43.3
Close

References

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