The 1961 college football season was the 93rd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Two teams have a claim to the 1961 major college national championship:

Pittsburg State (11–0) was declared small college national champion by the AP and UPI and also won the NAIA national championship. Florida A&M (10–0) was the black college national champion. Washington and Lee (9–0) won Timmie Trophy as the outstanding small college football team in the country.

Syracuse halfback Ernie Davis won the Heisman Trophy. Wisconsin quarterback Ron Miller won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and Utah State tackle Merlin Olsen won the Outland Trophy. Individual statistical leaders in major college football for 1961 included Iowa State halfback Dave Hoppmann with 1,638 yards of total offense, San Jose State quarterback Chon Gallegos with 117 pass completions and 14 touchdown passes, Washington State end Hugh Campbell with 53 pass receptions, and New Mexico State halfback Preacher Pilot with 1,278 rushing yards and 138 points scored.

Conference and program changes

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School 1960 Conference 1961 Conference
Arizona Wildcats Border Independent
Denver Pioneers Mountain States dropped program
Marquette Golden Avalanche Independent dropped program

Season chronology

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September

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In the preseason poll released on September 18, Iowa was ranked No. 1, and Ohio State No. 2. SEC teams Alabama and LSU were third and fifth, and Texas was fourth. Rounding out the top ten were No. 6 Michigan State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 8 Kansas, No. 9 Mississippi, and No. 10 Syracuse.[2]

As the regular season progressed, new polls were issued on the Monday following the weekend's games. The Big Ten schools would not kick off until September 30. On September 23, No. 3 Alabama won, 32–6, at Georgia, and No. 4 Texas won at California, 28–3. In Houston, No. 5 LSU lost to Rice, 16–3. No. 9 Mississippi, which had shut out Arkansas 16–0, and No. 10 Syracuse, which had beaten Oregon State 19–8 in Portland, rose into the top five. In the poll that followed, Iowa remained No. 1, followed by No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Alabama, and No. 5 Syracuse. Texas dropped to sixth place.

September 30 California played a top-ranked team for the second straight week, losing at No. 1 Iowa 28–7. No. 2 Mississippi won 20–6 at Kentucky. Texas Christian University (TCU) tied No. 3 Ohio State 7–7 at Columbus. In a game at Mobile, No. 4 Alabama beat Tulane 9–0. No. 5 Syracuse defeated visiting West Virginia 29–14, but fell to seventh in the next ratings. No. 6 Texas, which beat Texas Tech at home, 42–14, returned to the Top Five, along with previously unranked Georgia Tech, which shut out Rice 24–0. In the poll that followed, Iowa remained No. 1, followed by No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 4 Alabama, and No. 5 Texas.

October

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October 7 No. 1 Iowa won 35–34 at USC. No. 2 Mississippi won 33–0 against Florida State. No. 3 Georgia Tech lost to LSU 10–0. No. 4 Alabama won 35–6 at Vanderbilt. No. 5 Texas routed Washington State 41–8. No. 6 Michigan State defeated Stanford 31–3. In the poll that followed, Mississippi took over first place from Iowa, which dropped to second. These were followed by No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Michigan State.

October 14 No. 1 Mississippi met the Houston Cougars at Memphis and won 47–7. No. 2 Iowa beat Indiana 27–8 at home. No. 3 Alabama beat North Carolina State 26–7 at Birmingham, and No. 4 Texas played its annual game against Oklahoma at Dallas, winning 28–7. No. 5 Michigan State won at No. 6 Michigan, shutting out the Wolverines 28–0. On the next poll, Michigan State took the No. 1 spot from Ole Miss by a margin of only two points (431 to 429), though the Rebels had more first place votes than the Spartans (21 vs. 16). They were followed by No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Iowa, and No. 5 Alabama.

On October 21, No. 1 Michigan State got by No. 6 Notre Dame 17–7 at home, and No. 2 Mississippi shut out Tulane in a game at Jackson, 41–0. No. 3 Texas won at No. 10 Arkansas, 33–7, No. 4 Iowa hosted Wisconsin, winning 47–15, and No. 5 Alabama defeated Tennessee at Birmingham, 34–3. The top three (Michigan State, Ole Miss and Texas) were unchanged, while Alabama and Iowa traded places at 4th and 5th.

October 28 In a week of shutouts, No. 1 Michigan State beat Indiana 35–0, and No. 2 Mississippi had an even bigger blowout, 47–0, against Vanderbilt. No. 3 Texas beat the visiting Rice Owls, 34–7, while No. 4 Alabama won at Houston over the Cougars, 17–0. No. 5 Iowa was on the wrong side of a shutout, losing 9–0 at Purdue. The top 4 stayed the same, while No. 6 Ohio State, which had won at Wisconsin 30–21, took fifth place from Iowa, whom they would play the following Saturday.

November

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November 4 No. 1 Michigan State fell to unranked Minnesota, 13–0. At the same time, No. 2 Mississippi lost to No. 6 LSU 10–7 at Baton Rouge. The No. 3 Texas Longhorns beat the SMU Mustangs at Dallas, 27–0. No. 4 Alabama shut out Mississippi State 24–0. At Columbus, No. 5 Ohio State beat No. 9 Iowa 29–13. Texas, Alabama and Ohio State moved up to 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and giant-killers LSU and Minnesota were 4th and 5th. Michigan State and Ole Miss fell to 6th and 7th.

November 11 No. 1 Texas beat Baylor, 33–7. No. 2 Alabama crushed the visiting Richmond Spiders (which would be I-AA later) 66–0 at home. No. 3 Ohio State won 16–7 at Indiana, No. 4 LSU won 30–0 at North Carolina, and No. 5 Minnesota handed Iowa its third straight loss, 16–9. The Hawkeyes, ranked first in the preseason poll, would finish just 5–4. No. 6 Michigan State, too, lost its second straight, falling 7–6 at Purdue. The Top Five remained unchanged.

November 18 Texas Christian University had earlier tied Ohio State 6–6 in Columbus, and bested that with a win over No. 1 Texas in Austin, 6–0. After his team's loss, legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal uttered his immortal description of TCU: "They're like a bunch of cockroaches. It's not what they eat and tote off, it's what they fall into and mess up that hurts."

No. 2 Alabama beat Georgia Tech in Birmingham, 10–0. No. 3 Ohio State defeated visiting Oregon, 22–12, and No. 4 LSU hosted Mississippi State and won 14–6. No. 5 Minnesota defeated No. 7 Purdue, 10–7, at home. Alabama (9–0) rose to No. 1, with Ohio State (7–0–1) at No. 2. Minnesota (7–1) rose to No. 3, LSU (8–1) stayed at No. 4 and Texas (8–1) fell from No. 1 to No. 5.

Post-Thanksgiving (November 25) No. 1 Alabama was idle. No. 2 Ohio State won at Michigan, 50–20. No. 3 Minnesota narrowly lost to Wisconsin 23–21. No. 4 LSU crushed visiting Tulane, 62–0. No. 5 Texas won 25–0 over Texas A&M, wrapping up the SWC title and a berth in the Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss, which was idle, returned to the Top Five: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Mississippi.

December

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December 2, No. 1 Alabama won its annual Birmingham game against the Auburn Tigers, 34–0, to close the season with a 10–0–0 record, an SEC championship, and a berth in the Sugar Bowl against No. 9 Arkansas. No. 5 Mississippi closed its season at 9–1–0 with a 37–7 win against Mississippi State and prepared to meet Texas in the Cotton Bowl. For the third year in a row, Ole Miss was undefeated and untied against all opponents other than LSU, which had beaten them in 1959 and 1961 and tied them in 1960. The Bayou Bengals would meet the Big 8 champion, No. 7 Colorado, in the Orange Bowl.

With 26 of the 48 first place votes, Alabama was awarded the AP trophy, ahead of Ohio State (by a margin of 26 votes to 20). The point total was even closer, with 16 points separating Alabama and Ohio State (452 to 436). Unbeaten and tied only once, Ohio State University qualified for the Rose Bowl. In a move that stunned the sports world, however, the university's faculty council voted, 28–25, on November 28 not to accept the invitation, declaring that the school's emphasis on sports over academics was excessive. The wire service commented that "A team of 57 Ohio State University faculty members handed the second ranked Buckeyes their only defeat of the season.".[3] Minnesota took the Buckeyes' place in the Rose Bowl, where they would play UCLA.

Conference standings

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Major colleges

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1961 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings
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
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 20 Duke $   5 1     7 3  
North Carolina   4 3     5 5  
Maryland   3 3     7 3  
Clemson   3 3     5 5  
NC State   3 4     4 6  
South Carolina   3 4     4 6  
Wake Forest   3 4     4 6  
Virginia   2 4     4 6  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll[4]
1961 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Colorado $ 7 0 0 9 2 0
No. 11 Missouri 5 2 0 7 2 1
Kansas 5 2 0 7 3 1
Oklahoma 4 3 0 5 5 0
Iowa State 3 4 0 5 5 0
Oklahoma State 2 5 0 4 6 0
Nebraska 2 5 0 3 6 1
Kansas State 0 7 0 2 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Ohio State $ 6 0 0 8 0 1
No. 6 Minnesota 6 1 0 8 2 0
No. 8 Michigan State 5 2 0 7 2 0
No. 12 Purdue 4 2 0 6 3 0
Wisconsin 4 3 0 6 3 0
Michigan 3 3 0 6 3 0
Iowa 2 4 0 5 4 0
Northwestern 2 4 0 4 5 0
Indiana 0 6 0 2 7 0
Illinois 0 7 0 0 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Border Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Arizona State § 3 0 0 7 3 0
West Texas State 3 1 0 6 4 0
New Mexico State 2 1 0 5 4 1
Texas Western 1 3 0 3 7 0
Hardin–Simmons 0 4 0 0 10 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Columbia + 6 1 0 6 3 0
Harvard + 6 1 0 6 3 0
Dartmouth 5 2 0 6 3 0
Princeton 5 2 0 5 4 0
Yale 3 4 0 4 5 0
Cornell 2 5 0 3 6 0
Penn 1 6 0 2 7 0
Brown 0 7 0 0 9 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1961 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Wichita $ 3 0 0 8 3 0
North Texas State 1 2 0 5 4 1
Cincinnati 1 2 0 3 7 0
Tulsa 1 2 0 2 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Skyline Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Utah State + 5 0 1 9 1 1
Wyoming + 5 0 1 6 1 2
New Mexico 3 3 0 7 4 0
Utah 3 3 0 6 4 0
Montana 2 4 0 2 6 0
BYU 2 4 0 2 8 0
Colorado State 0 6 0 0 10 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Alabama + 7 0 0 11 0 0
No. 4 LSU + 6 0 0 10 1 0
No. 5 Ole Miss 5 1 0 9 2 0
No. 13 Georgia Tech 4 3 0 7 4 0
Tennessee 4 3 0 6 4 0
Florida 3 3 0 4 5 1
Auburn 3 4 0 6 4 0
Kentucky 2 4 0 5 5 0
Georgia 2 5 0 3 7 0
Mississippi State 1 5 0 5 5 0
Tulane 1 5 0 2 8 0
Vanderbilt 1 6 0 2 8 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
The Citadel $ 5 1 0 7 3 0
Richmond 5 2 0 5 5 0
VMI 4 2 0 6 4 0
West Virginia 2 1 0 4 6 0
Furman 2 2 0 7 3 0
George Washington 3 4 0 3 6 0
Virginia Tech 2 3 0 4 5 0
Davidson 1 4 0 4 4 0
William & Mary 1 6 0 1 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Southwest Conference football standings
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

Small colleges

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1961 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 17 Arkansas Tech $ 6 0 1 8 0 1
Arkansas State Teachers 5 2 0 7 3 0
Southern State (AR) 5 2 0 6 3 0
Harding 4 3 0 4 5 0
Henderson State 3 3 0 4 6 0
Ouachita Baptist 2 3 1 4 4 1
Arkansas A&M 1 6 0 2 8 0
Ozarks 0 7 0 0 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Badger-Gopher Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Lakeland $ 4 0 0 4 3 1
Northland 3 1 0 4 4 0
Bethel (MN) 2 2 0 4 4 0
Milton 1 3 0 4 3 0
Northwestern (WI) 0 4 0 1 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3/5 Fresno State $ 5 0 0 10 0 0
Cal Poly 3 2 0 4 4 0
San Diego State 2 2 1 7 2 1
Los Angeles State 2 2 1 4 4 1
Long Beach State 2 3 0 5 5 0
UC Santa Barbara 0 5 0 2 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP/UPI small college polls
1961 Carolinas Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 15 Lenoir Rhyne $ 6 1 0 8 1 1
Appalachian State 5 1 0 7 3 0
Newberry 4 2 0 5 5 1
East Carolina 4 3 0 5 4 1
Elon 3 4 0 4 6 0
Catawba 3 4 0 3 7 0
Western Carolina 2 5 0 4 6 0
Guilford 0 7 0 0 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
North Carolina College $ 5 0 2 7 0 2
North Carolina A&T 5 1 0 5 4 0
Johnson C. Smith 6 1 0 8 1 0
Winston-Salem State 5 1 1 6 1 1
Maryland State 2 2 1 4 2 1
Delaware State 5 2 0 7 3 0
Virginia Union 4 3 1 5 3 1
Morgan State 5 4 0 5 4 0
Virginia State 3 4 1 3 4 1
Hampton 3 3 0 6 3 0
Elizabeth City State 3 4 0 4 4 0
St. Augustine's 3 5 0 4 5 0
Fayetteville State 2 4 0 3 6 0
Howard 1 5 0 1 8 0
Shaw 1 8 0 1 8 0
Saint Paul's (VA) 0 6 0 0 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1/1 Pittsburg State $^ 5 0 0 11 0 0
Omaha 4 1 0 6 3 0
Fort Hays State 3 2 0 4 4 1
St. Benedict's 2 3 0 2 7 0
Emporia State 1 4 0 1 8 0
Washburn 0 5 0 3 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA poll and AP small college poll
1961 College Conference of Illinois football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 14 Millikin $ 6 0 0 8 0 0
Carroll (WI) 5 1 0 6 3 0
Carthage 4 2 0 7 2 0
North Central (IL) 3 3 0 5 4 0
Augustana (IL) 2 4 0 5 4 0
Illinois Wesleyan 1 5 0 2 7 0
Lake Forest 0 6 0 0 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Evergreen Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Central Washington $ 6 1 0 7 2 0
Whitworth * 6 1 0 ? ? ?
Western Washington 4 3 0 5 4 0
Puget Sound 3 3 1 5 3 1
Pacific Lutheran 1 5 1 2 6 1
Eastern Washington 0 7 0 0 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – on probation; ineligible for conference title
1961 Far Western Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13/16 Humboldt State + 4 1 0 8 2 0
San Francisco State + 4 1 0 8 2 0
UC Davis 3 2 0 5 4 0
Nevada 2 3 0 5 4 0
Sacramento State 2 3 0 4 5 0
Chico State 0 5 0 4 6 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA poll and UPI small college poll
1961 Frontier Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Arizona State–Flagstaff $ 1 0 1 3 5 1
New Mexico Western 1 1 0 4 5 0
New Mexico Highlands 0 1 1 3 3 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Gulf States Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Southeastern Louisiana + 4 1 0 9 1 0
No. 10 McNeese State + 4 1 0 7 2 0
Northwestern State 3 2 0 7 3 0
Louisiana Tech 3 2 0 5 4 0
Northeast Louisiana State 1 4 0 3 7 0
Southwestern Louisiana 0 5 0 2 8 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Hoosier Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Taylor + 4 1 0 8 1 0
Anderson (IN) + 4 1 0 4 4 0
Hanover 3 2 0 3 6 0
Indiana Central 2 3 0 4 5 0
Franklin (IN) 1 4 0 3 6 0
Manchester (IN) 1 4 0 1 8 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1961 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Butler $ 6 0 0 9 0 0
Valparaiso 5 1 0 7 2 0
Evansville 3 3 0 4 5 0
DePauw 2 4 0 5 4 0
Ball State 2 4 0 2 5 1
Indiana State 2 4 0 2 6 0
Saint Joseph's (IN) 1 5 0 1 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Southern Illinois $ 5 1 0 7 3 0
Western Illinois 4 2 0 5 3 0
Illinois State Normal 4 2 0 5 4 0
Eastern Illinois 3 2 1 4 3 1
Northern Illinois 3 2 1 4 4 1
Central Michigan 1 5 0 2 8 0
Eastern Michigan 0 6 0 0 8 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Iowa Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 12 Parsons $ 8 0 0 9 0 0
Luther 6 2 0 6 3 0
Central (IA) 5 3 0 6 3 0
Upper Iowa 5 3 0 6 3 0
Dubuque 4 4 0 5 4 0
Buena Vista 3 5 0 4 5 0
Iowa Wesleyan 3 5 0 3 7 0
Wartburg 2 6 0 2 7 0
Simpson (IA) 0 8 0 1 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 16 Ottawa $ 9 0 0 9 0 0
College of Emporia 8 1 0 8 1 0
Southwestern (KS) 6 2 1 6 2 1
Baker 6 3 0 6 3 0
Bethany (KS) 3 4 2 3 4 2
Kansas Wesleyan 4 5 0 4 5 0
Bethel (KS) 3 6 0 3 6 0
McPherson 3 6 0 3 6 0
Sterling 1 8 0 1 8 0
Friends 0 8 1 0 8 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Lone Star Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Sam Houston State $ 7 0 0 8 1 0
Texas A&I 5 2 0 7 2 0
Lamar Tech 4 2 1 8 2 1
Howard Payne 4 3 0 4 5 0
East Texas State 3 4 0 4 6 0
Southwest Texas State 2 4 1 4 5 1
Sul Ross 1 6 0 3 7 0
Stephen F. Austin 1 6 0 1 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Western Maryland $ 4 0 0 7 2 0
Gallaudet * 1 0 0 1 6 0
Johns Hopkins 1 1 0 3 4 1
Hampden–Sydney 2 2 0 3 6 0
Randolph–Macon 1 2 0 4 5 0
Bridgewater 0 4 0 0 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – Ineligible for title
1961 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Albion $ 5 0 0 8 0 0
Olivet 4 1 0 8 1 0
Kalamazoo 3 2 0 4 4 0
Alma 2 3 0 2 6 0
Adrian 1 4 0 2 6 0
Hope 0 5 0 0 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Bowling Green $ 5 1 0 8 2 0
Western Michigan 4 1 1 5 4 1
Miami (OH) 3 2 0 6 4 0
Ohio 3 2 1 5 3 1
Toledo 2 4 0 3 7 0
Marshall 1 4 0 2 7 1
Kent State 1 5 0 2 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Mid-Ohio League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Findlay $ 5 0 0 7 3 0
Ohio Northern 4 1 0 6 3 0
Bluffton 2 3 0 5 3 0
Defiance 2 3 0 3 5 0
Ashland 2 3 0 3 6 0
Wilmington (OH) 0 5 0 0 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
University Division
No. 15 Rutgers x 4 0 0 9 0 0
Bucknell 5 2 0 6 3 0
Delaware 3 2 0 4 4 0
No. 6 Lehigh 3 2 0 7 2 0
Gettysburg 2 2 1 3 5 1
Temple 1 2 2 2 5 2
Lafayette 1 5 1 2 6 1
Muhlenberg 0 4 0 2 7 0
Northern College Division
Susquehanna x 6 0 0 8 0 1
Albright 4 0 1 7 0 1
Moravian 4 1 1 4 3 1
Wagner 4 2 0 6 3 0
Lycoming 1 3 1 1 6 1
Wilkes 1 6 0 1 6 0
Hofstra * 2 0 0 7 2 0
Juniata * 1 2 0 3 4 0
Upsala * 0 4 0 0 7 0
Southern College Division
Lebanon Valley x 5 1 0 6 1 0
Swarthmore 4 2 0 5 2 0
Western Maryland 4 2 0 7 2 0
Dickinson 5 3 0 5 3 0
Pennsylvania Military 5 3 0 6 3 0
Johns Hopkins 2 3 1 3 4 1
Ursinus 2 5 0 2 5 0
Drexel 1 5 1 2 5 1
Haverford 0 6 1 0 6 1
West Chester * 0 0 0 7 2 0
Franklin & Marshall * 0 3 0 1 7 0
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games
Rankings from major college AP poll for Rutgers and small college AP poll for Lehigh
1961 Midwest Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13 Tennessee A&I $ 3 0 0 4 4 1
No. 14 Central State (OH) 2 1 0 7 1 0
Kentucky State 1 2 0 6 3 0
Lincoln (MO) 0 3 0 2 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from Pittsburgh Courier[5]
1961 Midwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Cornell (IA) + 6 2 0 6 2 0
Grinnell + 6 2 0 6 2 0
St. Olaf + 6 2 0 6 2 0
Carleton 5 2 1 5 2 1
Ripon 4 3 1 4 3 1
Coe 4 4 0 4 4 0
Lawrence 4 4 0 4 4 0
Beloit 2 6 0 2 6 0
Knox 1 7 0 1 7 0
Monmouth (IL) 1 7 0 1 7 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1961 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 18 Minnesota–Duluth $ 7 0 0 8 1 0
Saint John's (MN) 5 2 0 6 2 0
St. Thomas (MN) 5 2 0 6 3 0
Macalester 4 3 0 6 3 0
Augsburg 3 4 0 4 4 0
Concordia (MN) 3 4 0 4 5 0
Gustavus Adolphus 1 6 0 2 7 0
Hamline 0 7 0 1 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 19 Missouri Valley $ 4 0 0 9 0 1
William Jewell 3 1 0 7 3 0
Graceland 3 2 0 5 2 2
Tarkio 2 3 0 2 7 0
Central (MO) 0 2 1 1 6 1
Culver–Stockton 0 4 1 1 6 2
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
NE Missouri State $ 5 0 0 9 1 0
SE Missouri State 3 2 0 5 5 0
Missouri–Rolla 3 2 0 4 5 0
SW Missouri State 2 3 0 4 4 1
Central Missouri State 2 3 0 3 5 0
NW Missouri State 0 5 0 2 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Western Montana $ 5 0 0 7 1 1
Eastern Montana 4 1 0 5 3 0
Carroll (MT) 2 2 1 4 3 1
Northern Montana 2 3 0 2 5 0
Rocky Mountain 1 4 0 ? ? ?
Montana Mines 0 4 1 ? ? ?
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Nebraska College Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Peru State $ 5 0 1 7 1 1
Kearney State 4 2 0 7 2 0
Hastings 3 2 1 4 4 1
Doane 2 2 2 5 2 2
Wayne State (NE) 3 3 0 4 5 0
Chadron State 2 4 0 3 6 0
Nebraska Wesleyan 0 6 0 0 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 North Central Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
South Dakota State + 5 1 0 8 2 0
State College of Iowa + 5 1 0 7 2 0
North Dakota 4 2 0 6 3 0
Augustana (SD) 4 2 0 5 3 1
Morningside 2 4 0 3 6 0
North Dakota State 1 5 0 3 6 0
South Dakota 0 6 0 1 8 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1961 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Mayville State $ 6 0 0 8 0 0
Wahpeton Science 4 2 0 6 2 0
Dickinson State 4 2 0 5 3 0
Jamestown 3 3 0 4 4 0
Minot State 3 3 0 4 5 0
Valley City State 1 5 0 1 7 0
Ellendale 0 6 0 0 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Northern State College Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Mankato State $ 5 0 0 6 3 0
Moorhead State 3 2 0 5 4 0
Bemidji State 3 2 0 3 6 0
Winona State 2 2 1 4 3 1
Michigan Tech 1 4 0 1 6 1
St. Cloud State 0 4 1 1 6 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Northwest Conference football standings
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
1961 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Wittenberg $ 6 0 0 8 1 0
Akron 6 1 0 6 2 0
Otterbein 5 1 0 8 1 0
Muskingum 5 1 0 7 2 0
Capital 5 2 1 5 2 1
Wooster 5 3 0 6 3 0
Ohio Wesleyan 4 3 0 6 3 0
Kenyon 2 4 0 3 4 1
Mount Union 2 5 0 3 6 0
Denison 2 6 0 3 6 0
Heidelberg 1 4 1 1 7 1
Oberlin 1 5 0 2 5 1
Hiram 1 5 0 1 7 0
Marietta 0 5 1 0 8 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Tennessee Tech $ 6 0 0 7 3 0
Middle Tennessee 5 1 0 7 3 0
Western Kentucky 4 2 0 6 3 0
Eastern Kentucky 3 3 0 4 5 0
Murray State 2 4 0 4 6 0
East Tennessee State 1 5 0 3 7 0
Morehead State 0 6 0 1 6 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 9 Central State (OK) + 6 1 0 9 1 0
Langston + 6 1 0 8 2 0
No. 11 Panhandle A&M 4 1 0 9 2 0
East Central 3 4 0 5 5 0
SE Oklahoma State 2 4 0 4 6 0
Northeastern State 2 4 0 3 6 0
SW Oklahoma State 2 5 0 2 8 0
NW Oklahoma State 1 6 0 1 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Southern Oregon $ 4 0 0 5 4 0
Oregon College of Education 2 1 1 4 3 1
Portland State 2 2 0 3 5 0
Oregon Tech 1 2 1 4 4 1
Eastern Oregon 0 4 0 1 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Pennsylvania State College Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
East Division
No. 20 West Chester xy$ 4 0 0 7 2 0
East Stroudsburg 5 1 0 7 1 0
Bloomsburg 2 2 0 4 4 0
Millersville 2 3 0 5 3 0
Mansfield 2 3 0 4 4 0
Kutztown 2 3 0 2 6 0
Cheyney 0 5 0 0 7 1
West Division
Slippery Rock xy 4 1 0 6 3 0
California (PA) 4 1 1 5 2 1
Clarion 3 2 1 4 3 1
Lock Haven 2 2 1 5 2 2
Edinboro 1 3 1 3 4 1
Indiana (PA) 1 4 0 2 7 0
Shippensburg 0 4 0 0 8 0
Championship: West Chester 21, Slippery Rock 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Edinboro forfeited to Clarion.
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Allegheny $ 5 1 0 6 1 0
John Carroll 4 1 0 5 2 0
Western Reserve 5 2 0 5 2 0
Case Tech 4 2 0 4 3 0
Bethany (WV) 2 4 0 2 5 0
Thiel 2 4 0 2 4 0
Wayne State (MI) 1 4 0 1 5 0
Washington & Jefferson 0 5 0 0 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Adams State $ 4 0 0 8 2 0
Colorado College 2 2 0 5 3 1
Western State (CO) 2 2 0 4 5 0
Colorado Mines 2 2 0 3 6 0
Colorado State–Greeley 0 4 0 1 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Northern State $^ 6 0 0 9 1 0
Huron 5 1 0 7 2 0
Southern State (SD) 4 2 0 6 3 0
South Dakota Tech 2 4 0 3 5 0
Black Hills 2 4 0 3 5 0
Dakota Wesleyan 2 4 0 2 7 0
General Beadle 0 6 0 2 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
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
1961 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Florida A&M $ 5 0 0 10 0 0
Alabama A&M 5 0 0 8 1 0
Allen 4 2 0 5 4 0
Bethune–Cookman 5 2 0 5 3 0
Morris Brown 4 2 0 5 4 0
Fisk 4 2 0 5 4 0
Tuskegee 4 1 1 4 4 1
Morehouse 3 3 0 4 4 0
Clark (GA) 2 3 1 3 3 2
Lane 1 4 0 2 5 1
Benedict 2 4 0 2 7 0
South Carolina State 2 5 0 2 7 0
Alabama State 1 5 0 1 7 0
Knoxville 1 5 0 1 7 0
Fort Valley State 0 5 0 0 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Jackson State $ 6 1 0 9 2 0
Grambling 5 2 0 8 2 0
Southern 5 2 0 7 3 0
Texas Southern 5 2 0 6 3 0
Prairie View A&M 3 4 0 5 4 1
Wiley 2 4 1 4 4 1
Arkansas AM&N 1 5 1 3 6 1
Texas College 0 7 0 0 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Tri-State Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Midland $ 5 1 0 6 2 0
Dana 4 2 0 5 3 0
Westmar 4 2 0 4 4 0
Northwestern (IA) 3 3 0 3 4 1
Concordia (NE) 2 4 0 3 6 0
Yankton 2 4 0 5 4 0
Sioux Falls 1 5 0 1 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Virginia Little Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Emory and Henry * 1 0 0 5 4 0
Hampden–Sydney $ 2 1 0 3 6 0
Randolph–Macon 1 1 0 4 5 0
Bridgewater 0 2 0 0 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – Emory and Henry did not play enough conference games to be eligible for the championship.
1961 West Penn Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Westminster (PA) $ 4 1 0 6 2 0
Grove City 2 0 0 5 4 0
Waynesburg 2 2 0 6 2 0
Saint Vincent 2 2 0 3 3 1
Geneva 1 2 0 4 4 0
Carnegie Tech 0 4 0 1 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Eastern Division
Salem x 6 2 0 6 3 0
West Liberty State 5 2 0 6 2 0
Davis & Elkins 1 5 0 2 5 0
West Virginia State 0 4 0 0 7 0
Western Division
West Virginia Wesleyan x$ 4 1 0 8 1 0
Glenville State 5 2 0 5 2 0
Fairmont State 4 4 0 4 5 0
Concord 3 4 0 5 4 0
Potomac State 1 3 0 2 3 0
West Virginia Tech 1 3 0 2 5 1
Non-qualifiers
Bluefield State 1 0 0 3 3 1
Shepherd 1 2 0 4 2 2
Bethany (WV) 0 1 0 2 5 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • Conference standings based on power ratings
1961 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Stevens Point State $ 7 1 0 8 1 0
La Crosse State 5 1 0 5 3 0
River Falls State 4 2 0 5 4 0
Whitewater State 3 3 0 6 3 0
Superior State 2 3 1 3 4 2
Stout State 2 3 1 3 4 1
Eau Claire State 3 5 0 4 5 0
Oshkosh State 2 4 0 2 4 0
Milwaukee 2 4 0 2 6 0
Platteville State 1 5 0 1 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1961 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Maine $ 5 0 0 8 0 1
UMass 3 1 0 5 4 0
Connecticut 2 2 0 2 7 0
New Hampshire 1 3 0 3 5 0
Rhode Island 1 4 0 2 6 1
Vermont 0 2 0 3 3 1
  • $ – Conference champion

Independents

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1961 Eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Middlebury     5 1 1
Villanova     8 2 0
Southern Connecticut State     7 2 0
Alfred     6 2 0
Montclair State     6 2 0
Delaware Valley     6 2 0
No. 17 Penn State     8 3 0
No. 14 Syracuse     8 3 0
Trinity (CT)     5 2 1
Holy Cross     7 3 0
C. W. Post     6 3 0
Army     6 4 0
Merchant Marine     6 4 0
Tufts     5 3 0
Rochester     5 3 0
Hamilton     4 3 0
Cortland State     4 3 0
American International     5 4 0
Colgate     5 4 0
Northeastern     4 4 0
Coast Guard     4 4 0
Ithaca     4 4 0
Boston University     4 5 0
Buffalo     4 5 0
Bridgeport     4 5 0
Norwich     3 4 1
Worcester Tech     3 4 0
Boston College     4 6 0
Union (NY)     3 5 0
Pittsburgh     3 7 0
Nichols     2 3 0
Trenton State     1 6 0
King's (PA)     1 8 0
Springfield     0 7 1
Brockport     0 7 0
RPI     0 7 0
Hobart     0 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1961 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Baldwin–Wallace     9 0 0
Wheaton (IL)     8 0 0
Earlham     7 1 0
St. Norbert     7 2 0
Northern Michigan     6 2 0
Hillsdale     6 3 0
Ferris Institute     5 3 0
Bradley     6 4 0
Xavier     6 4 0
Eureka     3 2 1
Detroit     5 4 0
Drake     5 4 0
Wabash     5 4 0
Youngstown     4 4 1
Notre Dame     5 5 0
Concordia (IL)     4 4 0
St. Mary of the Plains     4 5 0
North Park     3 5 0
William Penn     3 5 1
St. Procopius     2 4 0
Dayton     2 8 0
Elmhurst     1 6 1
Rose Poly     0 8 0
Washington University     0 9 0
1961 Southern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Washington and Lee     9 0 0
Tampa     8 1 0
Mississippi College     8 1 0
Mississippi Southern     8 2 0
Memphis State     8 2 0
Delta State     7 2 1
Howard (AL)     7 2 0
South Carolina Trade     6 2 0
Maryville (TN)     6 2 0
Sewanee     5 2 1
Miles     5 2 0
Navy     7 3 0
Arlington State     7 3 0
Louisville     6 3 0
Miami (FL)     7 4 0
McMurry     6 4 0
Houston     5 4 1
Livingstone     5 4 0
Southwestern (TN)     4 4 0
Emory & Henry     4 4 0
Florida State     4 5 1
Norfolk State     3 4 0
Abilene Christian     4 6 0
Chattanooga     4 6 0
Georgetown (KY)     2 3 1
Arkansas State     3 6 0
Austin     2 7 0
Trinity (TX)     2 7 0
Millsaps     1 5 2
Centre     1 7 0
1961 Western college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 17 Arizona     8 1 1
Westminster (UT)     7 1 1
La Verne     7 2 0
Idaho State     5 2 1
San Francisco     4 2 0
Cal Poly Pomona     6 3 0
San Jose State     6 4 0
Eastern New Mexico     6 4 0
Los Angeles Pacific     5 3 0
Montana State     4 3 1
Pacific (CA)     5 4 0
Azusa     4 3 0
Oregon State     5 5 0
Santa Clara     3 3 0
Oregon     4 6 0
Claremont     3 6 0
Air Force     3 7 0
Washington State     3 7 0
Cal Western     3 7 0
Idaho     2 7 0
San Diego     2 8 0
Southern California College     1 5 0
UC Riverside     1 7 0
Pepperdine     1 9 0
1961 NAIA independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Baldwin–Wallace     9 0 0
Wheaton (IL)     8 0 0
No. 8 Tampa     8 1 0
Westminster (UT)     7 1 1
Earlham     7 1 0
Oklahoma Panhandle State     9 2 0
La Verne     7 2 0
Hillsdale     6 3 0
Eastern New Mexico     6 4 0
McMurry     6 4 0
St. Mary of the Plains     4 5 0
Georgetown (KY)     2 3 1
Austin     2 7 0
Rankings from NAIA poll

Rankings

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Major college polls

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Tracking No. 1 spot

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Week No. 1 Team Event
Preseason Iowa
1 (Sep 23) IOWA Did not play
2 (Sep 30) Iowa Iowa 28, California 7
3 (Oct 7) Iowa Iowa 35, USC 34
4 (Oct 14) Ole Miss Ole Miss 47, Houston 7
5 (Oct 21) Michigan State MSU 17, Notre Dame 7
6 (Oct 28) Michigan State MSU 35, Indiana 0
7 (Nov 4) Michigan State Minnesota 13, MSU 0
8 (Nov 11) Texas Texas 33, Baylor 7
9 (Nov 18) Texas TCU 6, Texas 0
10 (Nov 25) Alabama (Idle)
11 (Dec 2) Alabama Alabama 34, Auburn 0

Final polls

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Small college polls

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In 1961, both United Press International (UPI) and the Associated Press (AP) conducted "small college" polls. The number one selection of both wire services was the Pittsburg State Gorillas,[8][9] who compiled a regular season record of 9–0 while outscoring opponents 299–25 and registering seven shutouts.[10] The Gorillas went on to win two NAIA postseason games and finished 11–0 for the season.

Postseason

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Major bowls

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Monday, January 1, 1962

Bowl
Sugar No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 10 No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks 3
Cotton No. 3 Texas Longhorns 12 No. 5 Mississippi Rebels 7
Orange No. 4 LSU Tigers 25 No. 7 Colorado Buffaloes 7
Rose No. 6 Minnesota Golden Gophers 21 No. 16 UCLA Bruins 3

Other bowls

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Bowl Location Date Winner Score Loser
Sun El Paso, TX December 30 Villanova 17–9 Wichita State
Gator Jacksonville, FL December 30 No. 17 Penn State 30–15 No. 13 Georgia Tech
Tangerine Orlando, FL December 29 Lamar Tech 21–14 Middle Tennessee
Bluebonnet Houston, TX December 16 Kansas 33–7 No. 17 Rice
Liberty Philadelphia, PA December 16 No. 14 Syracuse 15–14 Miami (FL)
Aviation Dayton, OH December 9 New Mexico 28–12 Western Michigan
Gotham New York, NY December 9 Baylor 24–9 No. 10 Utah State
Mercy Los Angeles, CA November 23 Fresno State 36–6 Bowling Green
Mineral Water Excelsior Springs, MO November 25 Kirksville State 22–8 Parsons
All-Sports Oklahoma City, OK December 9 Panhandle A&M 28–14 Langston
West Virginia West Virginia Wesleyan 12–0 Salem
Missile Orlando, FL December 9 Fort Eustis 25–24 Quantico Marines
Orange Blossom Miami, FL December 9 Florida A&M 14–8 Jackson State
  • Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and AAWU (later Pac-8) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.

NAIA postseason

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The 1961 NAIA season culminated in the sixth annual NAIA Football National Championship, played at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. During its three years in Sacramento, the game was called the Camellia Bowl (separate from the later Camellia Bowl played in Montgomery, Alabama).

Pittsburg State defeated Linfield in the championship game, 12–7, to win their second NAIA national title and first since 1957.[14]

Semifinals
December 2, 1961
Championship
December 9, 1961
Camellia Bowl[15]
      
Whittier 7
Linfield* 18
Linfield 7
Pittsburg State 12
Northern State 14
Pittsburg State* 28

Award season

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Heisman Trophy

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The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

Player School Position 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Ernie Davis Syracuse HB 179 103 81 824
Bob Ferguson Ohio State FB 122 156 93 771
Jimmy Saxton Texas HB 81 105 98 551
Sandy Stephens Minnesota QB 104 78 68 543
Pat Trammell Alabama QB 76 45 44 362
Joe Romig Colorado G 55 40 34 279
John Hadl Kansas QB 33 25 23 172
Gary Collins Maryland E 28 31 21 167
Roman Gabriel NC State QB 23 27 32 155
Merlin Olsen Utah State DT 13 19 16 93

Source: [16][17]

All-Americans

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For the year 1961, the NCAA recognizes six published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.

Name Position School Number Official Other
Roy Winston Guard LSU 6/6 AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI CP, Time, WC
Ernie Davis Halfback Syracuse 6/6 AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI CP, Time, WC
Bob Ferguson Fullback Ohio State 6/6 AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI CP, Time, WC
Billy Neighbors Tackle Alabama 6/6 AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI CP, WC
Jimmy Saxton Halfback Texas 6/6 AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI CP, WC
Gary Collins End Maryland 5/6 AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI CP, Time, WC
Joe Romig Guard Colorado 5/6 AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI WC
Alex Kroll Center Rutgers 5/6 AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI WC
Sandy Stephens Quarterback Minnesota 5/6 AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI WC
Bill Miller End Miami (Fla.) 4/6 AP, FWAA, NEA, SN Time, WC
Merlin Olsen Tackle Utah State 4/6 AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI Time, WC

Other awards

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Statistical leaders

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Individual

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Total offense

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The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Player Team Games Plays Total Yds PtR[20]
1 Dave Hoppmann Iowa State 10 320 1638 80
2 Pat McCarthy Holy Cross 10 283 1509 128
3 Ron Miller Wisconsin 9 234 1449 86
4 Chon Gallegos San Jose State 10 237 1388 100
5 Eddie Wilson Arizona 10 181 1377 120
6 John Furman Texas Western 10 255 1334 89
7 Pat Trammell Alabama 10 208 1314 108
8 Sandy Stephens Minnesota 9 252 1281 96
9 Preacher Pilot New Mexico State 10 191 1278 138
10 Jerry Gross Detroit 9 189 1250 69

Small college

Rank Player Team Games Plays Total Yds
1 Denny Spurlock Whitworth 10 224 1760
2 Jan Lloyd Occidental 9 264 1750
3 Tom Gryzwinski Defiance 8 314 1749
4 Roy Curry Jackson State 10 258 1511
5 Doug Olsen Southern Oregon 9 259 1464
6 Halsey Carthage 9 181 1379
7 Cavalli Wagner 9 229 1354
8 Giles Louisville 9 208 1346
9 Nunes Slippery Rock 9 221 1345
10 Connors Salem (WV) 9 163 1333

[21]

Passing

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The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Player Team Games Compl. Att. Pct.
Compl.
Yds. Int. TDs
1 Chon Gallegos San Jose State 10 117 197 .594 1480 13 14
2 Ron Miller Wisconsin 9 104 198 .525 1487 11 11
3 Roman Gabriel NC State 10 99 186 .532 987 6 8
4 Ron Klemick Navy 10 86 183 .470 1045 13 6
5 Bill Canty Furman 10 84 168 .500 884 12 8
6 John Furman Texas Western 10 84 180 .467 1026 10 10
7 Matt Szykowny Iowa 9 79 139 .568 1078 15 7
8 Eddie Wilson Arizona 10 79 154 .513 1294 7 10
9 Pat McCarthy Holy Cross 10 76 165 .461 1081 11 11
10 Pat Trammell Alabama 10 75 133 .564 1035 2 8

Small college

Rank Player Team Games Compl. Att. Pct.
Compl.
Yds. Int. TDs
1 Tom Gryzwinski Defiance 8 127 258 .492 1684 17 14
2 Jan Lloyd Occidental 9 122 234 .521 1748 8 11
3 Denny Spurlock Whitworth 10 115 189 .608 1708 16 26
4 Bill Thorp Cornell (IA) 9 108 199 .543 1231 10 15
5 Doug McClary Pacific Lutheran 105 208 .505 966 19 4
6 Hermann Bradley 10 104 201 .517 1372 12 15
7 Doug Olsen Southern Oregon 9 103 195 .528 1379 16 10
8 Jim Kuplic Beloit 8 95 178 .534 827 8 6
9 Norm McKinley Los Angeles Pacific 9 93 156 .596 1220 4 11
10 Earl Little Gettysburg 9 90 172 .523 797 10 4

[22]

Rushing

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The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1961 season:
Major college

Rank Player Team Games Yds Rushes Avg
1 Preacher Pilot New Mexico State 10 191 1278 6.69
2 Pete Pedro West Texas State 10 137 976 7.12
3 Bob Ferguson Ohio State 9 202 938 4.64
4 Dave Hoppmann Iowa State 10 229 920 4.02
5 Jimmy Saxton Texas 10 107 846 7.91
6 Ernie Davis Syracuse 10 150 823 5.49
7 Tommy Larscheid Utah State 10 121 773 6.39
8 Tom Campbell Furman 10 157 767 4.89
9 Bobby Lee Thompson Arizona 10 103 752 7.30
10 Earl Stoudt Richmond 10 162 704 4.35

Small college

Rank Player Team Games Yds Rushes Avg
1 Bob Lisa St. Mary's (KS) 9 156 1082 6.94
2 Nelson Guthrie Winston-Salem 9 194 1077 5.55
3 Joe Iacone West Chester 9 170 1059 6.23
4 Steve Beguin Linfield 9 163 1058 6.49
5 Bob Roma Wofford 11 130 1054 8.11
6 Dan Boals Iowa State College 9 162 1003
7 John Knight Valparaiso 9 158 998
8 Grill Lewis & Clark 9 162 960
9 Thorne South Dakota State 10 174 958
10 Hauser Westminster (UT) 9 139 943

[21]

Receiving

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The following players were the individual leaders in receptions during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Player Team Games Receptions Receiving
Yards
Touchdowns
1 Hugh Campbell Washington State 10 53 723 5
2 Pat Richter Wisconsin 9 47 817 8
3 Bill Miller Miami (FL) 10 43 640 2
4 Al Snyder Holy Cross 10 38 558 5
5 Oscar Donahue San Jose State 10 35 527 5
6 Larry Vargo Detroit 9 32 601 8
7 Tom Hutchinson Kentucky 10 32 543 4
8 Buddy Iles TCU 10 479 2
9 Gary Collins Maryland 10 30 428 4
10 Royce Cassell New Mexico State 10 29 519 7
10 Joe Borich Utah 10 29 486 5

Small college

Rank Player Team Games Receptions Receiving
Yards
Touchdowns
1 Martin Baumhower Defiance 8 57 708 4
2 Howard Hartman Southern Oregon 9 51 611 6
3 Ken Fisher Cornell (IA) 8 46 402 6
4 John Murio Whitworth 10 45 811 13
5 Jerry Griffin Louisiana Tech 9 45 435 3
6 Dean Mack Beloit 8 44 311 2
7 Dave Bottemiller Pacific Lutheran 9 43 381 2
8 Karl Finch Cal Poly Pomona 9 41 767 8
9 Davis Bethune-Cookman 8 40 670 9
9 Houtz Pepperdine 10 40 590 4
9 Ed Burton Chico State 10 40 566 5

[22]

Scoring

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The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Player Team Pts TD PAT FG
1 Preacher Pilot New Mexico State 138 21 12 0
2 Pete Pedro West Texas State 132 22 0 0
3 Tom Larscheid Utah State 96 15 6 0
4 Ernie Davis Syracuse 94 15 4 0
4 Wendell Harris LSU 94 8 28 6
6 Bobby Smith UCLA 85 10 16 3
7 Bobby Thompson Arizona 82 13 4 0
8 Nolan Jones Arizona State 77 8 20 3
9 Butch Blume Rice 74 6 20 6
10 Sam Mudie Rutgers 70 10 10 0
11 Bob Ferguson Ohio State 68 11 2 0
12 Earl Stoudt Richmond 67 9 10 1
13 Carter Memphis State 65 4 38 1
14 Tom Haggerty Columbia 62 10 2 0
15 Greg Mather Navy 61 1 22 11
16 Billy Ray Adams Ole Miss 60 10 0 0
17 Paul Allen BYU 58 9 4 0
17 Jim Turner Utah State 58 3 34 2

Small college

Rank Player Team Pts TD PAT FG
1 John Murlo Whitworth 129 15 33 2
2 Jerry Domescik Millikin 120 20 0 0
3 John Nachtsheim Minnesota Duluth 112 17 10 0
4 Steve Beguin Linfield 108 18 0 0
5 Bobby Lisa St. Mary's (KS) 98 15 8
6 Frank Melos Wagner 96 14 12 0
7 Fred Fugazzi Missouri Valley 92 15 2 0
7 Bill Winter St. Olaf 92 14 8 0
9 Jim Pribula West Chester 91 8 28 5
10 Toby Barkman East Stroudsburg 90 15 0 0
10 Dave Arends Cornell (IA) 90 15 0 0

Team

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Total offense

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The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Team Games
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1 Ole Miss 10 674 4187 418.7
2 New Mexico State 10 631 4009 400.9
3 Utah State 10 669 3911 391.1
4 Texas 10 700 3831 383.1
5 Arizona 10 588 3782 378.2
6 Penn State 10 706 3691 369.1
7 Memphis State 10 610 3690 369.0
8 Ohio State 9 612 3142 349.1
9 Arizona State 10 658 3353 335.3
10 West Texas State 10 575 3290 329.0

Small college

Rank Team Games
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1 Florida A&M 9 531 3722 413.6
2 Whitworth 10 659 4078 407.8
3 South Dakota State 10 676 4061 406.1
4 Wittenberg 9 669 3608 400.9
5 Linfield 9 607 3549 394.3
6 Cal Poly Pomona 9 562 3528 392.0
7 St. Mary's (KS) 9 572 3504 389.3
8 Lewis & Clark 9 640 3484 387.1
9 Carthage 9 501 3482 386.9
10 West Chester 9 572 3409 378.8

Scoring offense

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The following teams were the leaders in scoring offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Team Points
per game
1 Utah State 38.7
2 New Mexico State 34.1
3 Memphis State 33.2
4 Ole Miss 32.6
5 West Texas State 30.9
6 Texas 29.1
7 Arizona 28.8
8 Arizona State 28.7
8 Alabama 28.7
10 Rutgers 27.3

Rushing offense

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The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Team Yards
per game
1 New Mexico State 299.1
2 Texas 285.8
3 Utah State 281.8
4 Ohio State 271.9
5 West Texas State 247.5
6 Wyoming 245.0
7 Michigan State 237.2
8 Bowling Green 236.9
9 Ole Miss 236.0
10 Memphis State 234.1

Small college

Rank Team Yards
per game
1 Huron 313.1
2 Lewis & Clark 287.9
3 St. Mary's (KS) 282.4
4 Central State (OH) 280.7
5 Carthage 278.4

Passing offense

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The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Team Yards
per game
1 Wisconsin 188.4
2 Ole Miss 182.7
3 Detroit 182.1
4 Holy Cross 162.5
5 Washington State 156.1
5 San Jose State 156.1
7 Navy 154.5
8 Iowa 146.6
9 Maryland 146.4
10 Arizona 145.6

Small college

Rank Team Yards
per game
1 Cal Poly Pomona 244.1
2 Defiance 227.9
3 Occidental 202.9
4 Bethune-Cookman 185.0
5 Whitworth 174.2

Total defense

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The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Team Games
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1 Alabama 10 524 1326 132.6
2 Utah State 10 512 1393 139.3
3 Ole Miss 10 527 1453 145.3
4 Bowling Green 9 460 1456 161.8
5 Wyoming 9 438 1511 167.9
6 LSU 10 564 1703 170.3
7 Villanova 9 470 1559 173.2
8 Texas 10 577 1761 176.1
9 Missouri 10 560 1769 176.9
10 Arkansas 10 548 1774 177.4

Small college

Rank Team Games
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1 Florida A&M 9 429 768 85.3
2 East Stroudsburg 8 405 863 107.9
3 John Carroll 7 342 766 109.4
4 Washington & Lee 8 428 927 115.9
5 Wittenberg 9 479 1065 118.3
6 Edward Waters 9 438 1117 124.1
7 Delta State 10 514 1282 128.2
8 J.C. Smith 9 536 1157 128.6
9 Washington & Lee 9 482 1163 129.2
10 Winona State 8 405 1086 135.8

Scoring defense

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The following teams were the leaders in scoring defense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Team Points
per game
1 Alabama 2.2
2 Ole Miss 4.0
3 Bowling Green 4.7
4 LSU 5.0
4 Georgia Tech 5.0
6 Michigan State 5.6
7 Missouri 5.7
8 Texas 5.9
9 Miami (FL) 7.0
10 Memphis State 7.5

Rushing defense

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The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Team Yards
per game
1 Utah State 50.8
2 Alabama 55.0
3 Villanova 71.1
4 LSU 79.4
5 Ole Miss 80.4
6 Minnesota 84.3
7 Bowling Green 86.7
8 Wyoming 89.2
9 Texas 90.2
10 Georgia Tech 94.9

Small college

Rank Team Yards
per game
1 Florida A&M 20.1
2 John Carroll 37.4
3 Washington & Lee 37.4
4 Hampton Institute 58.3
5 Parsons 58.4

Passing defense

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The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1961 season:

Major college

Rank Team Yards
per game
1 Penn 56.9
2 Yale 58.1
3 Arkansas 62.9
4 Ole Miss 64.9
5 Dartmouth 65.7
6 Columbia 65.8
7 USC 66.6
8 Brown 66.7
9 Oregon 67.2
10 Kansas State 68.7

Small college

Rank Team Yards
per game
1 Westminster 24.8
2 Principia 31.8
3 Ursinus 37.6
4 Western Maryland 40.3
5 Middlebury 43.3

References

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  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Faculty Nips Ohio State Roses In Bud," The Fresno Bee-Republican November 29, 1961, pD-1
  4. ^ "1961 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  5. ^ "The Parade". Pittsburgh Courier (p. 43). December 2, 1961.
  6. ^ "Bryant's Tide Realizes Goal; Wildcats 18th". Tucson Daily Citizen. December 5, 1961. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Ohio State Second In Final UPI Grid Poll". Troy Daily News. December 5, 1961. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Kansas Team Ranked First," Holland Evening Sentinel, November 24, 1961, p13
  9. ^ "Pittsburg Best in AP Poll, Too" The Lima News, Nov. 22, 1961, p15
  10. ^ "Welcome cfbdatawarehouse.com - BlueHost.com". Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  11. ^ UPI (November 22, 1961). "Butler 9th Best Small College". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ AP (November 19, 1961). "Go, You Baldwin". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ AP (November 22, 1961). "Pittsburg 1st in Final AP Small College Poll". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. Retrieved February 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  15. ^ "1961 NAIA Football Playoffs". JonFMorse.com. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  16. ^ "Ernie Davis wins Heisman football poll". Chicago Tribune. UPI. November 29, 1961. p. 2, sec. 4.
  17. ^ "Ernie Davis". Heisman Trophy. 1961. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  18. ^ "Ferguson Gets Maxwell Award". The Pittsburgh Press. December 12, 1961. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Aggies' Olsen Wins Outland Award". The Salt Lake Tribune. December 5, 1961. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Points-for-which-responsible is player's total of points scored and points passed for
  21. ^ a b Offficial Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1962. p. 88.
  22. ^ a b Offficial Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1962. p. 89.