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American college football season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1961 UCLA Bruins football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a member of the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), commonly known at the time as the Big 5 Conference, during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Bill Barnes, the Bruins compiled a 7–4 record (3–1 in conference games), won the AAWU championship, outscored opponents by a total of 182 to 121, and were ranked No. 16 in the final Associated Press writers poll. They closed the season with a 21–3 loss to Minnesota in the 1962 Rose Bowl.[1]
| 1961 UCLA Bruins football | |
|---|---|
_.jpg) | |
AAWU champion | |
| Conference | Athletic Association of Western Universities |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 16 |
| Record | 7–4 (3–1 AAWU) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | Ron Hull |
| Home stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 UCLA $ | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ron Hull, who played at center on offense and linebacker on defense, was the team captain and a first-team All-American. The team's offensive leaders were Bobby Smith with 305 passing yards and 60 points scored; Mike Haffner with 696 rushing yards; and Kermit Alexander with 271 receiving yards.[2]
The team played its home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23 | at Air Force* | W 19–6 | 27,500 | [3] | ||
| September 30 | at Michigan* | No. 9 | L 6–29 | 73,019 | [4] | |
| October 7 | at No. 8 Ohio State* | L 3–13 | 82,992 | |||
| October 14 | Vanderbilt* | W 28–21 | 23,704 | [5] | ||
| October 21 | Pittsburgh* |
| W 20–6 | 27,688 | [6] | |
| October 28 | at Stanford | W 20–0 | 35,000 | [7] | ||
| November 4 | California |
| W 35–15 | 33,792 | [8] | |
| November 10 | TCU* |
| W 28–7 | 29,236 | ||
| November 18 | Washington |
| L 13–17 | 33,969 | [9] | |
| November 25 | at USC |
| W 10–7 | 57,580 | [10] | |
| January 1 | vs. No. 6 Minnesota* | L 3–21 | 98,214 | |||
| ||||||
Ron Hull was on the field for 350 of 600 minutes during the 1961 regular season, playing at center on offense and at linebacker on defense.[12] He was selected by the Football Writers Association of America (for Look magazine) as the first-team center on the 1961 All-America team.[13] Hull also received second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press (AP).
At the end of the season, the AP released a 1961 All-Pacific Coast football team, and the AAWU released its own all-conference list limited to AAWU teams. Nine UCLA players received honors one or both: Hull (AP-1, AAWU-1); halfback Bobby Smith (AP-1, AAWU-1); quarterback/halfback Mike Haffner (AP-2, AAWU-2); tackle Foster Andersen (AP-2, AAWU-2); end Kermit Alexander (AAWU-2); end Don Vena (AAWU-2); guard Frank Macri (AAWU-2); guard Tom Paton (AAWU-2); and tackle Marshall Shirk (AAWU-2).[14][15]
The Bruins gained an average of 218.5 rushing yards and 68 passing yards per game and scored an average of 16.5 points a game. On defense, the team held opponents to 144.2 rushing yards and 78.9 passing yards and 11.0 points per game.[16]
The team's individual statistical leaders were:
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