1959 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

The 1959 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team was an American football team that represented the University of Delaware in the Middle Atlantic Conference during the 1959 college football season. In its ninth season under head coach David M. Nelson, the team compiled an 8–1 record (5–0 against MAC opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 286 to 95. Mark Hurm was the team captain.^[1]

1959 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
MAC University Division champion
Conference	Middle Atlantic Conference
Division	University Division
Record	8–1 (5–0 MAC)
Head coach	David M. Nelson (9th season)
Captain	Mark Hurm
Home stadium	Delaware Stadium
Seasons ← 1958 1960 →

1959 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
University Division
Delaware x	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Gettysburg	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Lafayette	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Bucknell	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Rutgers	2	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Lehigh	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Temple	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
Muhlenberg *	1	–	2	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Northern College Division
Albright x	6	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Juniata	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
Wagner	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Lebanon Valley	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Susquehanna	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Moravian	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Wilkes	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
Lycoming	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Scranton *	3	–	1	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Southern College Division
Johns Hopkins x	6	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
Pennsylvania Military	6	–	2	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Western Maryland	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	2	–	2
Ursinus	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
Dickinson	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Haverford	0	–	5	–	0			1	–	5	–	0
Drexel	0	–	5	–	0			1	–	6	–	0
Franklin & Marshall *	1	–	2	–	1			4	–	3	–	1
Swarthmore *	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
West Chester *	0	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games

The Blue Hens started the year unranked, but early victories over Lafayette, Lehigh and Massachusetts catapulted them into the UPI small college poll's national top 3 by mid-October. Delaware held the No. 1 spot for two weeks in November before ceding it to Bowling Green in a head-to-head matchup. Delaware dropped to No. 4, and remained at that rank through the end of the season.

The team played its home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	Lehigh		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 12–7	7,000–7,205	[2]
October 3	at UMass*	No. T–16	Alumni Field Amherst, MA	W 42–12	4,500	[3]
October 10	at Lafayette	No. 9	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 26–8	6,000–9,000	[4]
October 17	New Hampshire*	No. 3	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 50–12	7,000–8,500	[5][6]
October 24	Marshall*	No. 2	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 30–6	4,896–5,809	[7]
October 31	Rutgers	No. 2	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 34–14	10,500	[8]
November 7	Temple	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 62–0	2,000–4,500	[9]
November 14	at No. 3 Bowling Green*	No. 1	University Stadium Bowling Green, OH	L 8–30	8,700	[10]
November 21	at Bucknell	No. 4	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 22–6	8,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from UPI Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

References

1. "2012 Blue Hens Football Media Guide". University of Delaware. 2012. p. 159. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
2. Kelley, Bob (September 28, 1959). "Delaware 11 Downs Lehigh, 12-7, Before 7,000". Wilmington Morning News. Wilmington, Del. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Kelley, Bob (October 5, 1959). "Bowman Gains 189 Yards as Delaware Demolishes Mass. Eleven, 42 to 12". Wilmington Morning News. Wilmington, Del. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Steber, Bernie (October 11, 1959). "Lafayette Blitzed, 26-8; Delaware Bombards Leopards". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Tompkins, Dave (October 19, 1959). "Marshall Next Foe for Streaking Hens". Journal–Every Evening. Wilmington, Del. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics )New Hampshire_". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
7. Tompkins, Dave (October 26, 1959). "Hens Bury Marshall in Warmup for Rutgers". Journal–Every Evening. Wilmington, Del. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Moody, Sid (November 1, 1959). "Delaware 34, Rutgers 14". Sunday News. Lancaster, Pa. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Smith, Ron (November 8, 1959). "Delaware Routs Temple, 62-0; Clinches MAC Title". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. S3 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Fitzpatrick, Tom (November 15, 1959). "Colburn-Led BG Wrecks Delaware". The Lima News. Lima, Ohio. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Cartwright, Al (November 23, 1959). "Delaware 22, Bucknell 6: Somebody Stole My Gal, but Not the Ball Game". Journal–Every Evening. Wilmington, Del. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Delaware)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 15, 2024.