1961 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football season

The 1961 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football season was the season of college football played by the five member schools of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) as part of the 1961 college football season.

1961 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football season
Sport	Football
Number of teams	5
Champion	Whittier

1961 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Whittier $^	4	–	0	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Redlands	3	–	1	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Occidental	2	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Pomona	1	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Claremont-Mudd	0	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll

Whittier compiled a perfect 9–0 record in the regular season, won the SCIAC championship, and lost to Linfield in the semifinals of the NAIA playoffs. In the 1961 small college football rankings, Whittier was ranked No. 4 in the NAIA coaches poll, No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, and No. 8 in the United Press International poll.

Teams

Whittier

1961 Whittier Poets football
SCIAC champion
Conference	Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	9–1 (4–0 SIAC)
Head coach	John Godfrey (2nd season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Whittier Poets football team represented Whittier College of Whittier, California. In their second year under head coach John Godfrey, the Poets compiled a perfect 9–1 record (4–0 against SCIAC opponents) and won the SCIAC championship.^[1] In the 1961 small college football rankings, Whittier was ranked No. 4 in the NAIA coaches poll,^[2] No. 5 in the Associated Press poll,^[3] and No. 8 in the United Press International poll.^[4]

Quarterback Sei Miyano completed 63 of 115 passes for 1,154 yards with 15 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He also led the team with 1,291 yards of total offense. Halfback Dick Skinner led the team in rushing with 120 carries for 648 yards.^[5] Miyano was five feet, seven inches tall. He was one of four Japanese-American players on the 1961 Whittier team.^[6]

Three Whittier players were selected as first-team players on the 1961 All-SIAC football team: junior back Dick Skinner; junior end Stan Sanders; and senior guard Dave Okura.^[7]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	San Diego*	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	W 27–0		[8]
September 23	at UC Santa Barbara*	La Playa Stadium Santa Barbara, CA	W 20–0		[9]
September 30	UC Davis*	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	W 20–8		[10]
October 7	vs. Pepperdine*	Sentinel Field Inglewood, CA	W 28–11		[11]
October 14	vs. Cal Western*	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	W 46–12		[12]
October 21	at Occidental	Eagle Rock, CA	W 28–8		[13]
November 4	Pomona	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	W 25–0		[14]
November 11	at Claremont-Mudd	Claremont, CA	W 40–13		[15]
November 18	Redlands	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	W 24–6		[16]
November 25	at Linfield*	McMinnville, OR (NAIA semifinal)	L 7–18		[17]
*Non-conference game

Redlands

1961 Redlands Bulldogs football
Conference	Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	6–4 (3–1 SIAC)
Head coach	Ted Runner (3rd season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Redlands Bulldogs football team represented University of Redlands of Redlands, California. In their third year under head coach Ted Runner, the Bulldogs compiled a 6–4 record (3–1 against SCIAC opponents) and finished second the SCIAC.

Four Redlands players were selected as first-team players on the 1961 All-SCIAC football team: senior quarterback Roger Chaney; senior tackle Myron Tarkanian; senior guard Marshall Nixon; and senior center Rollin Grider.^[7]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	vs. Cal Western*	Point Loma High School San Diego, CA	W 31–0		[18]
September 23	Nevada*	U.R. stadium Claremont, CA	W 25–0	3,000	[19]
September 30	at Arizona State–Flagstaff*	Lumberjack Stadium Flagstaff, AZ	L 10–13	3,500–4,450	[20][21]
October 7	Cal Poly Pomona*	U.R. stadium Claremont, CA	L 14–35	5,200	[22]
October 14	San Diego State*	U.R. stadium Claremont, CA	L 20–32	4,200	[23]
October 21	Pomona	U.R. stadium Claremont, CA	W 38–21	4,500	[24]
October 28	at Claremont-Mudd	Claremont Field Claremont, CA	W 26–7		[25]
November 4	at Occidental	Eagle Rock, Los Angeles	W 27–19	5,000	[26]
November 11	LaVerne*	U.R. stadium Claremont, CA	W 40–28	4,000	[27]
November 18	at Whittier	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	L 6–24		[16]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Occidental

1961 Occidental Tigers football
Conference	Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	6–3 (2–2 SIAC)
Head coach	Vic Schwenk (2nd season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Occidental Tigers football team represented Occidental College of Eagle Rock, Los Angeles. In their second year under head coach Vic Schwenk, the Tigers compiled a 6–2 record (2–2 against SCIAC opponents) and finished third in the SCIAC.

Three Occidental players were selected as first-team players on the 1961 All-SIAC team: junior back John Whitney; junior end Jerry Greenwalt; and senior tackle Mike Lewis.^[7]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	Hamilton AFB*	Patterson Field Eagle Rock, Los Angeles	L 14–20		[28]
September 30	at Cal Western*	San Diego, CA	W 21–2		[29]
October 7	at Santa Clara*	Santa Clara, CA	W 36–28		[30]
October 13	Claremont-Mudd	Patterson Field Eagle Rock, Los Angeles	W 61–0		[31]
October 21	Whittier	Eagle Rock, CA	L 8–28		[13]
October 28	at UC Santa Barbara*	La Playa Stadium Santa Barbara, CA	W 14–13	6,000	[32]
November 4	Redlands	Patterson Field Eagle Rock, Los Angeles	L 19–27	5,000	[26]
November 10	Caltech*	Patterson Field Eagle Rock, Los Angeles	W 47–8	300	[33]
November 18	at Pomona	Alumni Field Pomona, CA	W 7–0		[34]
*Non-conference game

Pomona

1961 Pomona Sagehens football
Conference	Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	5–4 (1–3 SIAC)
Head coach	Chuck Mills (3rd season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Pomona Sagehens football team represented Pomona College of Claremont, California. In their third year under head coach Chuck Mills, the Sagehens compiled a 5–4 record (1–3 against SCIAC opponents) and finished fourth in the SCIAC. Senior back Pete Rodi was a first-team selection on the 1961 All-SCIAC team.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	La Verne*	Alumni Field Pomona, CA	L 28–37		[35]
September 30	Azusa*	Claremont, CA	W 29–6		[36]
October 7	Claremont-Mudd	Claremont, CA	W 8–6		[37]
October 14	Caltech*	Claremont, CA	W 53–7		[38]
October 21	Redlands		L 21–38	4,500	[24]
October 28	at UC Riverside*	Riverside, CA	W 32–8		[39]
November 4	Whittier	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	L 0–25		[14]
November 11	vs. Southern California College*	Newport Beach High School Newport Beach, CA	W 40–0		[40]
November 18	Occidental	Alumni Field Pomona, CA	L 0–7		[34]
*Non-conference game

Claremont-Mudd

1961 Claremont-Mudd Stags football
Conference	Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	3–6 (0–4 SIAC)
Head coach	Jim Williams (1st season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

The 1961 Claremont-Mudd Stags football team represented Claremont College and Harvey Mudd College of Claremont, California. In their first year under head coach Jim Williams, the Stags compiled a 3–6 record (0–4 against SCIAC opponents) and finished last in the SCIAC.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	El Toro Marines	Claremont, CA	L 20–27		[41]
September 30	La Verne*	Claremont, CA	L 12–28		[42]
October 7	Pomona	Claremont, CA	L 6–8		[37]
October 13	at Occidental	Patterson Field Eagle Rock, Los Angeles	L 0–61		[31]
October 21	UC Riverside	Claremont, CA	W 21–14		[43]
October 28	Redlands	Claremont Field Claremont, CA	L 7–26		[25]
November 4	Cal Western*	Claremont, CA	W 20–12		[44]
November 11	Whittier	Claremont, CA	L 13–40		[15]
November 18	at Caltech	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	W 60–8		[45]
*Non-conference game

All-conference selections

At the end of the season, the conference coaches selected the best players at each position to their 1961 all-SIAC football team.

First team

• Quarterback - Roger Chaney, senior, Redlands
• Backs - John Whitney, junior, Occidental; Pete Rodi, senior, Pomona; Dick Skinner, junior, Whittier
• Ends - Jerry Greenwalt, junior, Occidental, and Stan Sanders Jr., Whittier
• Tackles - Myron Tarkanian, senior, Redlands; Mike Lewis, senior, Occidental
• Guards - Dave Okura, senior, Whittier; Marshall Nixon, senior, Redlands
• Center - Rollin Grider, senior, Redlands

^[7]

References

1. "College Grid Standings". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 21, 1961. p. 72. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
2. "Linfield Third As Whittier Fourth; Pittsburg Top Team". Humboldt Standard. November 22, 1961. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Kansas School Nabs Small College Honor". The Lawton Constitution. Lawton, Oklahoma. November 23, 1961. p. 26. Retrieved January 25, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "HSC 16th In Final UPI Small College Grid Poll". Eureka Humboldt Standard. Eureka, California. November 22, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved February 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics (Whittier)". NCAA. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
6. "Poets Possess Smallest QB Sensation". Pasadena Independent. November 6, 1961. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Six Bulldogs on All-Conference". Redlands Daily Facts. November 21, 1961. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Whittier Blanks San Diego U, 27-0". THe Fresno Bee. September 17, 1961. p. 5S – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Poets Stomp Gauchos; Cal Aggies Saturday Foe". The Daily News. September 25, 1961. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Two Blocked Punts Aid Poets' Third Win In Row". The Daily News. October 2, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Poets Engulf Waves For 4th Win; Western Next". The Daily News. October 9, 1961. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Poets Host Cal Western At Hadley". The Daily News. Whittier, California. October 14, 1961. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Poets Smash Occidental For Sixth Straight Win". The Daily News. October 23, 1961. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Advertisement - Whittier football". The Daily News. Whittier, California. October 17, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Undefeated Poets Nail Stubborn CMC-Mudd, 40-13". Progress-Bulletin. November 12, 1961. p. III-2 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Potent Whittier Poets defeated Bulldogs 24 to 6". Redlands Daily Facts. November 20, 1961. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Ron Blankenbaker (November 26, 1961). "Linfield Wins NAIA Playoff Berth". Oregon Statesman. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Strong UR BUlldog team downs Cal Western 31-0". Redlands Daily Facts. September 18, 1961. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Chaney guides U.R. to 25-0 win over Nevada". Redlands Daily Facts. September 25, 1961. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Lumberjacks Dump Redlands 13-10". Arizona Daily Sun. October 2, 1961. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
22. "Cal Poly passing defeats UR 35-14". Redlands Daily Facts. October 9, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
23. Johnny McDonald (October 15, 1961). "Aztecs Rally Trips Redlands, 32-20". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. G-1.
24. "Chaney leads U.R. to 38-21 win over Sagehens". Redlands Daiy Facts. October 23, 1961. p. 8.
25. Gordon Verrell (October 29, 1981). "Stags Fall, 26-7: Bulldogs Prevail". Progress-Bulletin. p. III-2 – via Newspapers.com.
26. Bill Bruns (November 5, 1961). "Bulldogs Shock Tigers, 27-19". THe San Bernardino Sun. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
27. "Bulldogs, trailing 28-8 at half, rally to win". Redlands Daily Facts. November 13, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
28. "Oxy Gridders Bow". Los Angeles Times. September 24, 1961. p. H6 – via Newspapers.com.
29. "Oxy Triumphs". Los Angeles Times. October 1, 1961. p. H10 – via Newspapers.com.
30. "Oxy Defeats Santa Clara". The Fresno Bee. October 8, 1961. p. 4S – via Newspapers.com.
31. "Oxy Thrashes Stags, 61-0". Progress-Bulletin. October 14, 1961. p. 7.
32. Philip Patton (October 29, 1961). "Gauchos Lose, 14-13 As Gun Ends Contest". Santa Barbara News-Press. pp. B1, B2 – via Newspapers.com.
33. Don Johnson (November 11, 1961). "Oxy Trips Caltech by 47-8". Pasadena Independent. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
34. "Occidental Downs Pomona Grids, 7-0". Independent Star-NEws. November 19, 1961. p. A2 – via Newspapers.com.
35. Gordon Verrell (September 24, 1961). "Leos Nip Pomona". Progress-Bulletin. p. III-1 – via Newspapers.com.
36. Don Vogt (October 1, 1961). "Sagehens Triumph Over Azusa". Progress-Bulletin. p. III-1 – via Newspapers.com.
37. Gordon Verrell (October 8, 1961). "Hens Nip Stags". Progress-Bulletin. p. III-1 – via Newspapers.com.
38. "Caltech Crushed, 53-7". Los Angeles Times. October 15, 1961. p. H6 – via Newspapers.com.
39. "Hens CLobber UC Riverside". Progress-Bulletin. October 29, 1961. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
40. "Pomona Sagehens Trounces So. Calif. College, 40-0". Progress-Bulletin. November 12, 1961. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
41. "El Toro Gets 27-20 Victory Over Stags". Progress-Bulletin. September 24, 1961. p. II-3 – via Newspapers.com.
42. "La Verne Romps Past Stags, Scores Second Straight Win". Progress-Bulletin. October 1, 1961. p. III-2 – via Newspapers.com.
43. "Stags Gain First Win, Club Riverside 21-14". Progress-Bulletin. October 22, 1961. p. II-5 – via Newspapers.com.
44. "Bob Ellis Sparks 20-12 CMC Win Over Cal Western". Progress-Bulletin. November 5, 1961. p. III-2 – via Newspapers.com.
45. "Claremont-Mudd Mauls Tech 60-8". Progress-Buletin. November 19, 1961. p. III-1 – via Newspapers.com.