1961 Northern Michigan Wildcats football team

The 1961 Northern Michigan Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Northern Michigan College (later renamed Northern Michigan University) as an independent during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach Frosty Ferzacca, the Wildcats compiled a 6–2 record and outscored opponents by a total of 252 to 69, and were ranked No. 7 in the final UPI small college poll.^[1] They had been ranked No. 1 in the UPI polls released on October 18 and October 25 and No. 2 in the poll released on November 8.

1961 Northern Michigan Wildcats football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–2
Head coach	Frosty Ferzacca (5th season)
MVP	Frank Novak
Home stadium	Memorial Field
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

1961 Midwestern college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		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

Senior quarterback Frank Novak was chosen as the team's most valuable player. Novak completed 56 of 107 passes for 792 yards and 14 touchdowns during the 1961 season. Coach Ferzacca called Novak "a student of football with the poise, confidence and quick reaction of a great quarterback."^[2]

Guard Al Sandona received third-team honors on the 1961 Little All-America college football team.^[3]

End Wayne Sickler handled place-kicking and led all players in Michigan with 64 points (six touchdowns, 22 extra points, and two gield goals) in eight games.^[4] Northern Michigan had the two top scorers among Michigan teams: Sickler with 64 points and Mike Mileski with 44 points.^[5]

Northern Michigan's star back Gene "Mickey" Valesano was ruled ineligible after the fourth game of the season when it was discovered that he had played one year at Superior State before enrolling at Northern Michigan and was thus playing his fifth season of college football.^[6][7][8]

The Wildcats' 61–6 victory over rival Michigan Tech broke Northern Michigan single-game scoring record.^[9]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	vs. Central Michigan		Arthur Hill Stadium Saginaw, MI	W 35–0	8,500	[10][11]
September 16	Minnesota–Duluth		Memorial Stadium Marquette, MI	W 35–6	5,000	[12][13]
September 30	at Bradley		Bradley Stadium Peoria, IL	L 8–14		[14]
October 7	No. 2 Hillsdale	No. 8	Memorial Stadium Marquette, MI	W 24–3	5,500	[15]
October 14	at St. Norbert	No. 6	Minahan Stadium De Pere, WI	W 36–7	4,000	[16]
October 21	Illinois State Normal	No. 4	Memorial Stadium Marquette, MI	W 47–6		[17]
November 4	Michigan Tech	No. 4	Memorial Stadium Marquette, MI (rivalry)	W 61–6	5,000	[18][19]
November 11	Tampa	No. 4	Phillips Field Tampa, FL	L 6–27	8,500–9,000	[20][21]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1961 - Northern Michigan". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
2. "Koski Is Named NMC Co-Captain". Ironwood Daily Globe. November 24, 1961. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Harold Claassen (December 6, 1961). "Annual Little All-Americans -- Small College Stars Selected". The Shreveport Journal. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Wayne Sickler Is Scoring Champion". The Escanaba Daily Press. November 28, 1961. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Sickler of NMC Holds Big Lead". Ironwood Daily Globe. November 8, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Storm Brewing Over Northern's Valesano". Battle Creek Enquirer. October 24, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "NAIA Questions Eligibility Of Gene Valesano". The Wakefield News. October 26, 1961. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Lions Sign Ace Halfback From Northern Michigan". Lansing State Journal. December 1, 1961. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Northern's Win Sets Score Mark". The Herald-Press. November 6, 1961. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Chippewas Lose To Northern, 35-0". The Lansing State Journal. September 11, 1961. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Central Michigan)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
12. "N. Michigan Tops Duluth 35-6". Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. September 17, 1961. p. 8S – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Minnesota–Duluth)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
14. "Bradley Pops Northern's Grid Balloon, 14 to 6: No. 1 Team Scuttled". Lansing State Journal. October 1, 1961. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Northern Rips 'Dales: Wildcats Grind Out 24-3 Win". The Lansing State Journal. October 8, 1961. p. 55 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Len Wagner (October 15, 1961). "Burly Northern Michigan Whips Knights 36-7". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Northern Michigan Whips ISNU: No. 1 Rated Team Rolls Past Redbirds, 47 to 6". The Pantagraph. October 22, 1961. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "It's Northern, 61-6!". Detroit Free Press. November 5, 1961. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Michigan Tech)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
20. Larry Bush (November 12, 1961). "Tampa Upsets 4th-Ranked N. Michigan 27-6: Spartans Thrive On Mistakes". The Tampa Tribune. pp. 1C, 3C – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Tampa)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved July 18, 2024.