1961 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1961 SMU Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Bill Meek, the Mustangs compiled a 2–7–1 record (1–5–1 in conference games), finished last out of eight teams in the SWC, and were outscored by a total of 191 to 92.^[1]

1961 SMU Mustangs football
Conference	Southwest Conference
Record	2–7–1 (1–5–1 SWC)
Head coach	Bill Meek (5th season)
Captain	Bobby Hunt, Max Christian, Mike Rice
Home stadium	Cotton Bowl
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

1961 Southwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Texas +	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 9 Arkansas +	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Rice	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Texas A&M	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
TCU	2	–	4	–	1			3	–	5	–	2
Baylor	2	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Texas Tech	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
SMU	1	–	5	–	1			2	–	7	–	1
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders were Jerry Rhome (693 passing yards), Billy Gannon (187 rushing yards), and Buddy Nichols (161 receiving yards).^[2]

A few hours after the final game of the season, SMU announced that Meek had been fired as the team's head coach.^[3] In five seasons under Meek, SMU won only 10 SWC games and compiled an overall record of 17–29–4.

The team played its home games at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	Maryland*	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 6–14	17,000	[4]
September 29	at USC*	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	L 16–21	29,148	[5]
October 7	Air Force*	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	W 9–7	28,000
October 21	at Rice	Rice Stadium Houston, TX (rivalry)	L 0–10	37,000	[6]
October 28	Texas Tech	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	W 8–7	17,000	[7]
November 4	No. 3 Texas	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 0–27	41,000	[8]
November 11	at Texas A&M	Kyle Field College Station, TX	L 12–25	18,000	[9]
November 18	Arkansas	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 7–21	17,000	[10]
November 25	at Baylor	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	L 6–31	17,000	[11]
December 2	at TCU	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (rivalry)	T 28–28	20,000	[3]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1961 SMU Mustangs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 17 Jerry Rhome So	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Bill Meek Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1961 SMU Mustangs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
2. "1961 SMU Mustangs Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
3. Bill Van Fleet (December 3, 1961). "Ponies Fight Back, Tie TCU, 28-28: Big Rallies Mark Wild SWC Fray". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1, 4 (section 2).
4. "Terps stymie late SMU drives, post 14–6 victory". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 24, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Al Wolf (September 30, 1961). "Brown Runs 93 For TD; Trojans Win; 29,148 See SMU Bow, 21-16". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 4 (part II) – via Newspapers.com.
6. Paul Brookshire (October 22, 1961). "Owls Score in First Half To Beat Mustangs, 10-0". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 3 (section 2) – via Newspapers.com.
7. Galyn Wilkins (October 29, 1961). "Ponies Pin 8-7 Defeat On Raiders". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1, 4 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Saxton puts Texas by SMU". The Victoria Advocate. November 5, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. George Wallace (November 12, 1961). "Aggies Stop Pony Star, Win, 25-12: Cadets Control Ball In Fourth Quarter". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1, 4 (section 2) – via Newspapers.com.
10. Herb Owens (November 19, 1961). "Hogs Whip Ponies, 21-7, Pull Into Tie for Lead". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 2 (section 2) – via Newspapers.com.
11. Dave Campbell (November 26, 1961). "Bruins Explode Early, Bury Mustangs; Stanley Sets Air Mark in 31-6 Romp". Waco Tribune-Herald. pp. 1B, 2B – via Newspapers.com.