1961 Northwest Conference football season

The 1961 Northwest Conference football season was the season of college football played by the six member schools of the Northwest Conference (NWC) as part of the 1961 college football season. The 1961 Linfield Wildcats football team won the conference championship with an undefeated 9–0 record in the regular season. They advanced to the NAIA playoffs where they defeated Whittier in the semifinals and lost to Pittsburg State in the Camellia Bowl, the NAIA national championship game.

1961 Northwest Conference football season
Sport	Football
Number of teams	6
Champion	Linfield

1961 Northwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Linfield $^	5	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Lewis & Clark	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
College of Idaho	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Willamette	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Whitman	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Pacific (OR)	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll

Teams

Linfield

1961 Linfield Wildcats football
NWC champion
Camellia Bowl, L 7–12 vs. Pittsburg State
Conference	Northwest Conference
Record	10–1 (5–0 NWC)
Head coach	Paul Durham (14th season)
Home stadium	Maxwell Field
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Linfield Wildcats football team represented the Linfield University of McMinnville, Oregon. In their 14th year under head coach Paul Durham, the team compiled a 10–1 record (5–0 against NWC opponents) and won the Northwest Conference championship. The Wildcats advanced to the NAIA playoffs, defeated Whittier in the semifinals and lost to Pittsburg State in the Camellia Bowl, the NAIA national championship game.^[1][2]

Back Steve Beguin received third-team honors on the 1961 Little All-America college football team.^[3]

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	at Southern Oregon*		Ashland, OR	W 34–25		[4]
September 30	Oregon College of Education*		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 13–7		[5]
October 7	at Lewis & Clark		Portland, OR	W 33–9		[6]
October 14	Chico State*		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 34–7	1,200	[7]
October 21	Whitman		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 52–0		[8]
October 28	at College of Idaho		Caldwell, ID	W 44–7
November 4	at Pacific (OR)		Forest Grove, OR	W 46–0		[9]
November 11	Portland State*		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 55–19		[10]
November 18	Willamette		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 34–12		[11]
November 25	Whittier*		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR (NAIA semifinals)	W 18–7		[12]
December 9	vs. No. 1 Pittsburg State*	No. 7	Sacramento, CA (NAIA Championship Game—Camellia Bowl)	L 7–12	10,000	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

Lewis & Clark

1961 Lewis & Clark Pioneers football
Conference	Northwest Conference
Record	8–3 (3–2 NWC)
Head coach	Joe Huston (15th season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Lewis & Clark Pioneers football team represented Lewis & Clark College of Portland, Oregon. In their 15th year under head coach Joe Huston, the Pioneers compiled a 6–3 record (3–2 in conference games) and finished in a tie for second place in the conference.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	Portland State	Roosevelt HS field Portland, OR	W 39–6		[15]
September 30	at Southern Oregon	Fuller Field Ashland, OR	W 28–26		[16]
October 7	Linfield	Portland, OR	L 9–33
October 14	at Whitman	Walla Walla, WA	W 27–13
October 21	College of Idaho	Portland, OR	W 46–0
October 28	Willamette	McCulloch Stadium	L 7–14
November 4	at San Diego Marine Recruit Depot	San Diego, CA	L 20–22
November 11	at Oregon College of Education	Monmouth, OR	W 28–13
November 18	Pacific (OR)	Portland, OR	W 36–7

^[17]

College of Idaho

1961 College of Idaho Coyotes football
Conference	Northwest Conference
Record	5–4 (3–2 NWC)
Head coach	James A. Brown (4th season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 College of Idaho Coyotes football team represented the College of Idaho of Caldwell, Idaho. In their fourth year under head coach James A. Brown, the team compiled a 5–4 record (3–2 against NWC opponents) and tied for second place in the Northwest Conference.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	at Eastern Oregon*	La Grande, OR	W 14–0		[18]
September 30	Westminster (UT)*	Caldwell, ID	L 7–13	250	[19]
October 7	at Pacific (OR)	Forest Grove, OR	W 32–0
October 14	Willamette	Caldwell, ID	W 34–24
October 21	at Lewis & Clark	Portland, OR	L 0–46
October 28	Linfield	Caldwell, ID	L 7–44
November 4	Whitman	Caldwell, ID	W 67–0
November 11	at Oregon Tech*	Modoc Field Klamath Falls, OR	L 6–12		[20]
November 18	Eastern Washington*		W 23–6
*Non-conference game

^[21]

Willamette

1961 Willamette Bearcats football
Conference	Northwest Conference
Record	4–4 (3–2 NWC)
Head coach	Ted Ogdahl (10th season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Willamette Bearcats football team epresented the Willamette University of Salem, Oregon. In their tenth season under head coach Ted Ogdahl, the team compiled a 4–4 record (3–2 against NWC opponents) and finished in fourth place in the conference.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	Puget Sound		L 19–20
September 30	Humboldt State	McCulloch Stadium Salem, OR	L 13–27	4,500	[22]
October 14	at College of Idaho	Caldwell, ID	L 24–34
October 21	Pacific (OR)		W 31–14
October 28	Lewis & Clark	McCulloch Stadium Salem, OR	W 14–7
November 4	at British Columbia	Vancouver, BC	W 47–20
November 11	Whitman	McCulloch Stadium Salem, OR	W 53–7
November 18	at Linfield	Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	L 12–34		[11]

^[23]

Whitman

1961 Whitman Fighting Missionaries football
Conference	Northwest Conference
Record	1–7 (1–4 NWC)
Head coach	Robert Thomsen (7th season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Whitman Fighting Missionaries football team represented Whitman College of Walla Walla, Washington. In their seventh season under head coach Robert Thomsen, the team compiled a 1–7 record (1–4 against NWC opponents) and finished in fifth place in the Northwest Conference.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
	Central Washington		L 0–19
September 30	Eastern Oregon	Walla Walla, WA	L 13–19		[24]
October 7	at British Columbia	Vancouver, BC	L 0–16
October 14	Lewis & Clark	Walla Walla, WA	L 13–27
October 21	at Linfield	Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	L 0–52		[8]
October 28	Pacific (OR)	Walla Walla, WA	W 19–13
November 4	at College of Idaho	Caldwell, ID	L 0–67
November 11	at Willamette	McCulloch Stadium Salem, OR	L 7–53

^[25]

Pacific (OR)

1961 Pacific Badgers football
Conference	Northwest Conference
Record	0–9 (0–5 NWC)
Head coach	Noah G. Allen (1st season)
Home stadium	McCready Stadium
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Pacific Badgers football team represented Pacific University of Forest Grove, Oregon. In their first season under head coach Noah G. Allen, the team compiled a 0–9 record (0–5 against NWC opponents) and finished in last place in the Northwest Conference.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	Pacific Lutheran*	Forest Grove, OR	L 9–12
September 30	at Chico State*	College Field Chico, CA	L 17–20	3,700
October 7	College of Idaho	Forest Grove, ID	L 0–32
October 14	Oregon College of Education*	McCready Stadium Forest Grove, OR	L 14–27		[26]
October 21	Willamette		L 14–31
October 28	at Whitman	Walla Walla, WA	L 13–19
November 4	Linfield	Forest Grove, OR	L 0–46
November 11	vs. Southern Oregon*	McCready Stadium Forest Grove, OR	L 0–33		[27][28]
November 18	at Lewis & Clark	Portland, OR	L 7–36
*Non-conference game Homecoming

^[29]

References

1. "Linfield Third As Whittier Fourth; Pittsburgh Top Team". Humboldt Standard. Eureka, California. November 22, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
2. "Northwest Conference Football History" (PDF). Northwest Conference. p. 5. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
3. Harold Claassen (December 6, 1961). "Annual Little All-Americans -- Small College Stars Selected". The Shreveport Journal. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Wildcats Dump SOC". Herald and Press. September 24, 1961. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Wildcats Get Past Wolves 13-7". The Oregon Statesman. October 1, 1961. p. 46 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Linfield Smashes Pioneers". The Oregon Statesman. October 8, 1961. pp. 9, 10 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Linfield Smacks Chico State '11'". The Oregon Statesman. October 15, 1961. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Wildcats Blast Whitman, 52-0". Capital Journal. October 23, 1961. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Linfield Wins 46-0: Rugged Wildcats Storm by Badgers". The Oregon Statesman. November 5, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Linfield in 55-19 Win Over PSC". The Oregon Statesman. November 12, 1961. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Gordon Rice (November 19, 1961). "Linfield Rips Bearcats, 34-12, Hopes for Bid". The Oregon Statesman. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Ron Blankenbaker (November 26, 1961). "Linfield Wins NAIA Playoff Berth". The Oregon Statesman. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Pittsburg Wins NAIA Football Championship". Hays Daily News. December 10, 1961. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Official Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1962. p. 117.
15. "Pioneers Rip PSC 39-6". Statesman. September 24, 1961. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Pioneers Nose Out Red Raiders 28-26". Medford Mail Tribune. October 2, 1961. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Official Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1962. p. 116.
18. "Eastern Oregon Drops Football Opener To College Of Idaho". La Grande Observer. September 25, 1961. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Sophomore Back Leads Westminster To Surprise Win Over Coyotes, 13-7". The Idaho Statesman. October 1, 1961. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
20. Wayne Scott (November 12, 1961). "Owls Edge Coyotes 12-6 In '61 Finale". Herald and News. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
21. Official Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1962. p. 112.
22. "Humboldt State Whips Highly Regarded Willamette". Eureka Humboldt Standard. Eureka, California. October 2, 1961. p. 15. Retrieved April 4, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
23. Official Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1962. p. 160.
24. "Mounties Post Victory Over Missionaries". La Grande Observer. October 2, 1961. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
25. Official Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1962. p. 142.
26. "Oregon College Tops Pacific Eleven 27-14". Statesman. October 15, 1961. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
27. "SOC Downs Pacific 33-0". Statesman. November 12, 1961. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
28. "SOC Blanks Pacific In Gridiron Finale". Medford Mail Tribune. November 13, 1961. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
29. Official Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1962. p. 127.