1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team

The 1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York during the 1959 college football season. Led by eleventh-year head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the independent Orangemen were undefeated and won the school's only national championship in football, topping the rankings by wide margins in the final polls in early December.^[2][3][4][5]

1959 Syracuse Orangemen football
Consensus national champion Eastern champion Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 23–14 vs. Texas
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	11–0
Head coach	Ben Schwartzwalder (11th season)
Captain	Gerhard Schwedes[1]
Home stadium	Archbold Stadium
Seasons ← 1958 1960 →

1959 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Syracuse			–					11	–	0	–	0
No. 12 Penn State			–					9	–	2	–	0
Oregon			–					8	–	2	–	0
Detroit			–					6	–	4	–	0
Holy Cross			–					6	–	4	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					6	–	4	–	0
Oklahoma State			–					6	–	4	–	0
No. 20 Pittsburgh			–					6	–	4	–	0
Washington State			–					6	–	4	–	0
Boston College			–					5	–	4	–	0
Pacific (CA)			–					5	–	4	–	0
Air Force			–					5	–	4	–	1
Navy			–					5	–	4	–	1
Army			–					4	–	4	–	1
No. 17 Notre Dame			–					5	–	5	–	0
Boston University			–					4	–	5	–	0
Florida State			–					4	–	6	–	0
San Jose State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Texas Tech			–					4	–	6	–	0
Dayton			–					3	–	7	–	0
Marquette			–					3	–	7	–	0
Oregon State			–					3	–	7	–	0
Colgate			–					2	–	7	–	0
Idaho			–					1	–	9	–	0
Villanova			–					1	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

They met fourth-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas on New Year's Day. They led 15–0 at halftime and 23–6 after the three quarters. Texas scored midway through the fourth quarter to draw to 23–14, but there was no further scoring, and Syracuse gained its first bowl win.^[6] Unranked at the start of the season, Syracuse finished with an 11–0 record with five shutouts, and outscored its opponents 413–73.

Notable players included sophomore running back Ernie Davis, winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1961 and the first selection of the 1962 NFL draft. In the Cotton Bowl Classic, he scored the first two touchdowns and threw a pass to Gerhard Schwedes for the third.^[6] Davis was helped by an offensive line that included unanimous first team All-American guard Roger Davis.

The team was named national champion by AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Football News, Football Research, Football Writers, Helms, Litkenhous, NCF, NFF, Poling, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI, and Williamson,^[7] leading to a consensus national champion designation.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	Kansas		Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 35–21	25,000	[8]
October 3	Maryland	No. 20	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 29–0	30,000	[9]
October 10	vs. Navy	No. 12	Foreman Field Norfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl)	W 32–6	31,700	[10]
October 17	Holy Cross	No. 8	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 42–6	30,000	[11]
October 24	West Virginia	No. 6	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 44–0	35,000	[12]
October 31	at Pittsburgh	No. 5	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	W 35–0	25,761	[13]
November 7	at No. 7 Penn State	No. 4	New Beaver Field University Park, PA	W 20–18	32,800	[14]
November 14	Colgate	No. 1	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 71–0	31,000	[15]
November 21	at Boston University	No. 1	Boston University Field Boston, MA	W 46–0	22,000
December 5	at No. 17 UCLA	No. 1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	W 36–8	46,436	[16]
January 1, 1960	vs. No. 4 Texas	No. 1	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	W 23–14	75,504	[6]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[1]

Game summaries

Kansas

See also: 1959 Kansas Jayhawks football team

Maryland

See also: 1959 Maryland Terrapins football team

Vs. Navy

See also: 1959 Navy Midshipmen football team

Holy Cross

See also: 1959 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

West Virginia

See also: 1959 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

At Pittsburgh

See also: 1959 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

At Penn State

See also: 1959 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Colgate

See also: 1959 Colgate Red Raiders football team

At Boston University

See also: Boston University Terriers football

At UCLA

See also: 1959 UCLA Bruins football team

Vs. Texas (Cotton Bowl Classic)

1 2 3 4 Total • Syracuse 7 8 8 0 23 Texas 0 0 6 8 14 Date: January 1 Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX Game attendance: 98,202 Television network: CBS

Main article: 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic

See also: 1959 Texas Longhorns football team

^[17]

1960 NFL Draft

Main article: 1960 NFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Roger Davis	Guard	1	7	Chicago Bears
Gerhard Schwedes	Running back	4	47	Baltimore Colts
Bob Yates	Tackle	7	84	New York Giants
Dave Baker	End	17	204	New York Giants

^[18]

References

1. 2017 Syracuse football media guide. pg. 148
2. "Orange win grid crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 18.
3. "Syracuse runs off with title". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 34.
4. "Syracuse tops final grid poll by wide margin". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 2.
5. "Syracuse is voted national champion by coaches board". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 23.
6. "Syracuse tops Texas, 23–14". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1960. p. 6.
7. 2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2017. p. 113. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
8. "Midnight strikes for KU gridders 35–21". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). September 26, 1959. p. 1.
9. "Syracuse thumps Maryland, 29 to 0". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 4, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Navy stopped by Syracuse". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 11, 1959. p. 3B.
11. Sheehan, Joseph M. (October 18, 1959). "Orange Conquers Holy Cross, 42-6". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
12. "Syracuse breezes over WVU, 44–0". Pittsburgh Press. October 25, 1959. p. 1, sec.7.
13. Smith, Chester L. (November 1, 1959). "Syracuse smothers Pitt, 35–0". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, sec.7.
14. Smith, Chester L. (November 8, 1959). "Syracuse wins 'big one,' 20–18". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, sec.7.
15. "Syracuse wins, 71–0, takes Cotton Bowl offer". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. November 15, 1959. p. 25.
16. "Syracuse easy 36–8 winner". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 6, 1959. p. 6.
17. "LIFE at the 1960 Cotton Bowl: 'Battle of the Hard-Noses'". Time. January 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
18. "1960 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 11, 2020.