1958 college football season

Last updated

The 1958 college football season was the 90th season of intercollegiate football in the United States. LSU was the consensus national champion in college football.

Contents

Two other major college football teams also claim national championships:

Three small college teams also claimed national championships:

Army halfback Pete Dawkins won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award as the best player in college football. Pacific fullback Dick Bass led all major college football players with 1,448 yards of total offense, 1,361 rushing yards, and 116 points scored.

On January 13, 1958, the eleven-man NCAA Rules Committee unanimously approved a resolution to allow teams to choose between kicking an extra point after a touchdown, or running or passing from the three-yard line for a two-point conversion. [3] [4] University of Michigan athletic director Fritz Crisler said at the meeting in Fort Lauderdale, "It's a progressive step which will make football more interesting for the spectators," adding that the rule "will add drama to what has been the dullest, most stupid play in the game." [5] [6]

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

Membership changes

School1957 Conference1958 Conference
Washington and Lee Generals Southern Independent

Season chronology

September

In the preseason poll released on September 15, 1958, the Buckeyes of Ohio State University were the first place choice for 46 of 99 writers casting votes, followed by Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan State and 1957's champion, Auburn. [7] As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.

Most teams did not begin play until September 27. On September 13, Kentucky beat Hawaii 51–0 in a game in Louisville, and attempted the 2-point conversion, but without success. [8] One of the first successful 2-point conversions in an NCAA game happened when Iowa State Teachers College hosted Bradley University at Cedar Falls, Iowa on September 13. Max Huffman carried the ball over twice on conversion attempts to give the Panthers of Iowa Teachers a 29–12 win over the Braves. [9] On September 20, No. 6 Mississippi and No. 8 Texas Christian were among the winners, beating Memphis State (17–0) and Kansas (42–0) respectively, but the Top Five schools had not yet started play. The poll for the five 0–0 teams was No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2. Oklahoma, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Michigan State, and No. 5 Notre Dame.

September 27 No. 1 Ohio State narrowly beat No. 20 SMU at home, 23–20, and fell to third in the next poll. No. 2 Oklahoma, on the other hand, rolled over visiting No. 13 West Virginia 47–14, and rose to first place. No. 3 Auburn beat Tennessee in Birmingham, 13–0, and No. 4 Michigan State beat California 32–12. No. 5 Notre Dame beat Indiana 18–0, but fell to 7th, while No. 8 Army, which beat South Carolina 45–8, took the place of the Irish. The next poll: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan State, and No. 5 Army.

October

October 4 No. 1 Oklahoma got past visiting Oregon, 6–0, and dropped to second. No. 2 Auburn, which beat UT-Chattanooga 30–8 at home, moved up to the top spot. No. 3 Ohio State beat Washington at home, 12–7. No. 4 Michigan State played No. 16 Michigan to a 12–12 tie, and fell to 9th. No. 5 Army beat Penn State 26–0. No. 7 Notre Dame, which beat No. 17 SMU in Dallas, 14–6, returned to the Top Five. The next poll: No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Notre Dame, and No. 5 Ohio State.

October 11 No. 1 Auburn won at Kentucky, 8–0. No. 2 Oklahoma sustained a 15–14 loss at Dallas in their annual meeting with the No. 16 Texas Longhorns. In South Bend, Indiana, the visiting No. 3 Army Cadets beat No. 4 Notre Dame, 14–2, and were voted No. 1 in the next poll. No. 5 Ohio State won at Illinois, 19–13. No. 6 Wisconsin, which beat Purdue 31–6, and No. 9 Michigan State, which beat No. 10 Pittsburgh 22–8, rose in the polls, to put three Big Ten schools in the top five. The next poll: No. 1 Army, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Wisconsin, and No. 5 Michigan State.

On October 18 at West Point, New York, No. 1 Army beat Virginia 35–6. No. 2 Auburn tied with Georgia Tech 7–7 in Atlanta and fell in the polls. No. 3 Ohio State beat Indiana 49–8. No. 4 Wisconsin lost to No. 13 Iowa at home, 20–9, and No. 5 Michigan State began a five-game losing streak with a 14–6 defeat at Purdue. The Spartans would finish the season with a 3–5–1 record after starting 2–0–1. No. 7 Texas (24–6 over Arkansas) and No. 9 LSU (32–7 over Kentucky) rose in the polls. The next poll: No. 1 Army, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Auburn.

October 25 For the top-ranked teams, a tie was only slightly better than a loss. No. 1 Army played to a 14–14 tie against the Panthers at Pittsburgh, and No. 2 Ohio State tied with Wisconsin at home 7–7. No. 3 LSU beat Florida 10–7, and the win was enough to propel the Tigers to first place. No. 4 Texas lost to the Rice Owls in Houston, 34–7. No. 5 Auburn beat Maryland at home, 20–7. No. 7 Iowa, which beat Northwestern 26–20, rose to 2nd in the next poll: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Auburn, and No. 5 Ohio State.

November

November 1 No. 1 LSU beat No. 6 Ole Miss 14–0. No. 2 Iowa won at Michigan, 37–14. No. 3 Army crushed Colgate, 68–6. No. 4 Auburn won 6–5 at Florida. In Columbus, No. 5 Ohio State was upset by visiting No. 11 Northwestern, 21–0. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Northwestern, and No. 5 Auburn.

November 8 No. 1 LSU beat Duke 50–18. No. 2 Iowa won at Minnesota 28–6. No. 3 Army beat the No. 13 Rice Owls in Houston, 14–7. No. 4 Northwestern lost at Madison to No. 7 Wisconsin, 17–13. No. 5 Auburn beat Mississippi State 33–14 at home. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Auburn, and No. 5 Wisconsin.

November 15 No. 1 LSU beat Mississippi State at Jackson 7–6. No. 2 Iowa lost at home to No. 16 Ohio State 38–28. No. 3 Army beat Villanova 26–0. No. 4 Auburn met the Georgia Bulldogs halfway in Columbus, Georgia, and won 21–6. No. 5 Wisconsin won 31–12 at Illinois. No. 6 Oklahoma, which beat Missouri 39–0, rose to 4th. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 Wisconsin.

November 22 In New Orleans, the No. 1 LSU Tigers crushed Tulane 62–0, scoring 56 points in the second half, to close their season 10–0–0. They would face the Clemson Tigers in the Sugar Bowl. Behind them were the No. 2 Auburn Tigers, who beat Wake Forest at home 21–7. No. 3 Army was idle as it prepared for the annual Army-Navy game. No. 4 Oklahoma crushed Nebraska 40–7. No. 5 Wisconsin beat Minnesota to close its season at 7–1–1. No. 6 Iowa, which beat No. 15 Notre Dame 31–21, returned to the Top Five: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Iowa, and No. 5 Army.

On November 29 No. 2 Auburn defeated Alabama 14–8 in Birmingham to finish its season at 9–0–1, but they were on probation for recruiting violations and ineligible for a bowl game. [10] No. 3 Oklahoma won at Oklahoma State 7–0. The Sooners (who had not lost a conference game since 1946) won the Big 7 title and headed to the Orange Bowl. In Philadelphia, No. 5 Army beat Navy, 22–6, to finish its season 8–0–1.

The final AP Poll was released on December 1, and the No. 1 LSU Tigers, at 10–0–0, won the AP Trophy with 130 of the first place votes. The other 73 votes were spread among 12 schools, including No. 2 Iowa (17), No. 3 Army (13), No. 4 Auburn (9), No. 5 Oklahoma (10), No. 6 Air Force (2), No. 7 Wisconsin (13), No. 8 Ohio State (3), and No. 9 Syracuse (1). LSU finished the 1958 season as the only undefeated and untied team in college football. Army, Air Force, and Auburn were also undefeated but they each had one game that ended in a tie.[ citation needed ] The United States Air Force Academy football team, nicknamed the Falcons, had a 9–0–1 record in only their second year of playing college football, and accepted a bid to face No. 10 Texas Christian in the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma was the only team to beat a top 10 team in all of the bowl games when they defeated number 9 Syracuse in the Orange Bowl. [11]

Conference standings

Major conference standings

1958 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 12 Clemson $510830
No. 15 South Carolina 520730
Duke 320550
North Carolina 430640
Maryland 330460
Wake Forest 240370
NC State 250271
Virginia 150190
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP poll [12]
1958 Big Seven Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Oklahoma $6001010
Missouri 411541
Colorado 420640
Kansas 321451
Kansas State 240370
Nebraska 150370
Iowa State 060460
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Iowa $510811
No. 7 Wisconsin 511711
No. 8 Ohio State 412612
No. 13 Purdue 312612
Indiana 321531
Illinois 430450
Northwestern 340540
Michigan 151261
Minnesota 160180
Michigan State 051351
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Border Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Hardin–Simmons $400650
Arizona State 410730
Arizona 210370
New Mexico A&M 130460
Texas Western 140270
West Texas State 140190
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Ivy League football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Dartmouth $610720
Cornell 520630
Princeton 520630
Brown 430630
Penn 430450
Harvard 340450
Columbia 160180
Yale 070270
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
North Texas State $211721
Cincinnati 112622
Tulsa 220730
Houston 220540
Wichita 121451
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 16 California $610740
Washington State 620730
USC 421451
Oregon State 530640
Oregon 440460
UCLA 241361
Stanford 250280
Washington 160370
Idaho 030450
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP poll
1958 Skyline Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Wyoming $610830
New Mexico 510730
BYU 520640
Colorado State 430640
Utah 330470
Utah State 250370
Denver 250280
Montana 0700100
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 LSU $6001100
No. 4 Auburn 601901
No. 11 Ole Miss 420920
Vanderbilt 213523
Tennessee 430460
Alabama 341541
Kentucky 341541
No. 14 Florida 231641
Georgia Tech 231541
Georgia 240460
Tulane 150370
Mississippi State 160360
  • $ Conference champion
  • Ole Miss's game against Houston counted in the conference standings.
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Southern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
West Virginia $400451
VPI 310541
George Washington 320350
VMI 221622
Richmond 340370
The Citadel 230460
Davidson 230540
Furman 120270
William & Mary 141261
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 TCU $510821
No. 18 SMU 420640
Rice 420550
Texas 330730
Arkansas 240460
Texas A&M 240460
Baylor 150370
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Major independents

1958 Eastern major college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Army   801
No. 9 Syracuse   820
Boston College   730
Holy Cross   630
Penn State   631
Villanova   640
Pittsburgh   541
Boston University   450
Colgate   180
Rankings from AP poll
1958 Midwestern major college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 17 Notre Dame   640
Detroit   441
Marquette   271
Drake   270
Dayton   280
Rankings from AP poll
1958 Southern major college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 19 Oklahoma State   830
Florida State   740
Navy   630
Texas Tech   370
Miami (FL)   280
Rankings from AP poll
1958 Midwestern major college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Air Force   902
Pacific (CA)   640
San Jose State   450
Rankings from AP poll

Minor conference standings

1958 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Arkansas A&M +510720
Arkansas Tech +510720
Arkansas State Teachers 410720
Henderson State 230360
Ozarks 240350
Ouachita Baptist 041251
Hendrix 041161
  • + Conference co-champions
1958 Badger-Gopher Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Bethel (MN) $500530
Wisconsin Tech 311???
Northland 221???
Northwestern (WI) 230530
Lakeland 230260
Milton 050???
  • $ Conference champion
1958 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 15 Cal Poly +410910
Fresno State +410550
UC Santa Barbara 320441
San Diego State 230350
Long Beach State 131261
Los Angeles State 041441
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
North Carolina A&T $600720
North Carolina College 510720
Morgan State 520530
Shaw 630630
Bluefield State 420521
St. Augustine's 620620
Maryland State 430430
Howard 420521
Johnson C. Smith 520620
Hampton 630730
Delaware State 340350
Virginia State 360360
Winston-Salem State 350351
Elizabeth City State 250360
Fayetteville State 170170
Lincoln (PA) 150170
Virginia Union 160260
Saint Paul's (VA) 070080
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 St. Benedict's $^5001010
Pittsburg State 320451
Emporia State 221541
Fort Hays State 221441
Washburn 230450
Southwestern (KS) 050171
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 College Conference of Illinois football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Wheaton (IL) $700800
Carroll (WI) 520620
North Central (IL) 520630
Lake Forest 430530
Illinois Wesleyan 430440
Millikin 250260
Augustana (IL) 260170
Elmhurst 070080
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Evergreen Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Central Washington +410611
Western Washington +410620
Puget Sound 320450
Eastern Washington 230440
Whitworth 140370
Pacific Lutheran 140170
  • + Conference co-champions
1958 Far Western Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
San Francisco State $410730
Humboldt State 320721
Cal Aggies 320540
Chico State 230550
Nevada 230330
Sacramento State 140360
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Frontier Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Arizona State–Flagstaff $^3001110
New Mexico Western 210620
New Mexico Highlands 120521
Panhandle A&M 030460
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
1958 Gulf States Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Northwestern State +410820
Louisiana Tech +410730
Northeast Louisiana State 320630
McNeese State 230550
Southeastern Louisiana 230450
Southwestern Louisiana 050180
  • + Conference co-champions
1958 Hoosier Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Hanover $500540
Anderson (IN) 410810
Indiana Central 230360
Taylor 230360
Manchester (IN) 140360
Franklin (IN) 140260
  • + Conference co-champions
1958 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Butler $510810
Ball State 420620
Saint Joseph's (IN) 420540
Valparaiso 330630
Evansville 330450
DePauw 150270
Indiana State 150260
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Illinois $510611
Southern Illinois 420720
Central Michigan 420730
Eastern Michigan 330450
Northern Illinois 240450
Illinois State Normal 240360
Eastern Illinois 150260
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Iowa Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Wartburg $701801
Luther 611711
Iowa Wesleyan 620630
Buena Vista 440540
Dubuque 440540
Upper Iowa 350350
Simpson (IA) 251251
Parsons 260460
Central (IA) 071081
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Baker $700810
McPherson 610810
Ottawa 331351
Kansas Wesleyan 340441
College of Emporia 340450
Bethany (KS) 241341
Bethel (KS) 241351
Friends 061081
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Lone Star Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 East Texas State $6101010
Lamar Tech 520620
Sam Houston State 520720
Texas A&I 430740
Southwest Texas State 430550
Howard Payne 250270
Stephen F. Austin 160270
Sul Ross 160280
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Randolph–Macon $500540
Hampden–Sydney 310630
Western Maryland 220360
Bridgewater 130161
Johns Hopkins 030530
Gallaudet 020250
  • $ Conference champion
  • Conference standings were based on the Dickinson Scoring System.
1958 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Hope +510810
Hillsdale +510720
Albion +510620
Alma 330530
Adrian 240350
Olivet 150180
Kalamazoo 060080
  • + Conference co-champions
1958 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Miami (OH) $500630
Kent State 510720
No. 14 Bowling Green 420720
Ohio 240540
Western Michigan 240450
Toledo 140450
Marshall 150360
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Mid-Ohio League football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Bluffton $500810
Findlay 410441
Defiance 320440
Ohio Northern 140160
Wilmington (OH) 140160
Ashland 140180
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
University Division
No. 20 Rutgers x400810
Lafayette 511531
Gettysburg 311711
Lehigh 212333
Delaware 230530
Bucknell 150180
Temple 050080
Muhlenberg *120440
Northern College Division
Juniata x600701
Lycoming 410710
Lebanon Valley 311431
Susquehanna 320340
Moravian 330440
Wagner 330350
Dickinson 340440
Albright 241261
Wilkes 170180
Scranton *220530
Southern College Division
Pennsylvania Military x710720
Johns Hopkins 510530
Haverford 420430
Western Maryland 140360
Swarthmore 140170
Drexel 150170
Ursinus 080080
West Chester *100910
Franklin & Marshall *310540
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Midwest Athletic Association football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Lincoln (MO) $300710
No. 8 Jackson State 200621
No. 14 Tennessee A&I 210440
Central State (OH) 120520
Kentucky State 030071
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from Pittsburgh Courier [13]
1958 Midwest Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Coe $710710
Carleton 611611
Ripon 620620
St. Olaf 440440
Cornell (IA) 341341
Grinnell 242242
Knox 251251
Monmouth (IL) 251251
Lawrence 170170
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 Gustavus Adolphus $^700810
Concordia (MN) 610720
Saint John's (MN) 520620
Minnesota–Duluth 430440
St. Thomas (MN) 340440
Macalester 250360
Hamline 250260
Augsburg 070080
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $300810
William Jewell 210730
Culver–Stockton 220550
Tarkio 130450
Central (MO) 020160
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
SE Missouri State $500711
Missouri–Rolla 410540
NE Missouri State 320540
SW Missouri State 230450
Central Missouri State 140261
NW Missouri State 050080
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Eastern Montana $500520
Western Montana 410530
Rocky Mountain 320330
Northern Montana 230330
Carroll (MT) 140260
Montana Mines 050???
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Nebraska College Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Kearney State +700900
Chadron State +700800
Peru State 610710
Nebraska Wesleyan 530540
Hastings 430440
Wayne State (NE) 440450
Doane 360360
Concordia (NE) 170270
Midland 170170
Dana 070080
  • + Conference co-champions
1958 North Central Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
North Dakota $510530
South Dakota 420540
Augustana (SD) 330530
Morningside 330440
South Dakota State 330450
North Dakota State 240360
Iowa State Teachers 150450
  • $ Conference champion
1958 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Valley City State +610610
Dickinson State +610610
Jamestown 520530
Mayville State 430430
Minot State 331331
Wahpeton Science 250250
Ellendale 151151
Bismarck JC 070070
  • + Conference co-champions
1958 North State Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Lenoir Rhyne $600910
Appalachian State 420640
East Carolina 420640
Catawba 231532
Elon 240360
Western Carolina 141181
Guilford 150360
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Northern State College Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Mankato State $500720
Bemidji State 410710
Michigan Tech 220440
Winona State 131341
Moorhead State 140170
St. Cloud State 031161
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Northwest Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Willamette $500810
Linfield 311711
Lewis & Clark 221441
Whitman 230440
College of Idaho 131361
Pacific (OR) 041171
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. T–16 Wittenberg $600810
Muskingum 610810
Akron 620621
Wooster 420630
Capital 431431
Heidelberg 330630
Ohio Wesleyan 330630
Marietta 340540
Kenyon 340340
Denison 350450
Otterbein 241342
Mount Union 360360
Oberlin 150350
Hiram 160170
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 11 Middle Tennessee +510820
Tennessee Tech +510730
East Tennessee State 420540
Eastern Kentucky 330360
Western Kentucky 240450
Murray State 240370
Morehead State 060081
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Northeastern State $^6001100
Central State (OK) 420540
NW Oklahoma State 330630
Langston 330440
SE Oklahoma State 240350
SW Oklahoma State 240261
East Central 150270
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
1958 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Oregon College $400540
Southern Oregon 310550
Portland State 220450
Eastern Oregon 130180
Oregon Tech *040260
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Oregon Tech forfeited wins over Eastern Oregon, Oregon College, and Portland State due to ineligible players.
1958 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
California (PA) $600800
No. T–16 West Chester 600910
Indiana (PA) 410530
Lock Haven 520530
Bloomsburg 321521
Slippery Rock 231261
Millersville 330630
Shippensburg 340440
Edinboro 241441
Clarion 240360
East Stroudsburg 131252
Kutztown 120331
Mansfield 160260
Cheyney 050070
  • $ Conference champion
  • Conference standings were based on the Saylor system of ratings.
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Reserve $400430
Allegheny 311341
Wayne State (MI) 211241
Thiel *111241
John Carroll 340340
Case Tech 231241
Bethany (WV) 130161
Washington & Jefferson 140170
  • $ Conference champion
  • * Ineligible for conference title
1958 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Colorado Mines +410730
Colorado College +410630
Idaho State 320450
Colorado State–Greeley 320531
Adams State140180
Western State (CO)050180
  • + Conference co-champions
1958 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Huron $701901
Northern State710820
Southern State (SD)611621
Yankton530630
Sioux Falls341341
South Dakota Mines143143
General Beadle260260
Dakota Wesleyan161171
Black Hills071071
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Whittier $400810
Redlands310730
Occidental220351
Pomona130351
Caltech040251
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Florida A&M $500720
South Carolina State710720
Alabama State610620
Tuskegee521631
Fort Valley State321521
Xavier (LA)321331
Clark (GA)340440
Benedict330550
Morehouse330341
Morris Brown240450
Alabama A&M171171
Knoxville160260
Fisk170170
Bethune–Cookman160170
Allen420530
Lane310441
  • $ Conference champion
  • Conference standings were by Dickinson System; Allen was ineligible and Lane did not play a sufficient number of conference game to be rated.
1958 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Prairie View A&M $5001001
Southern 320820
Texas College 320540
Texas Southern 230550
Wiley 230550
Arkansas AM&N 050360
  • $ Conference champion
1958 Virginia Little Eight Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Randolph–Macon $200540
Emory and Henry100720
Hampden–Sydney 120630
Bridgewater 020340
  • $ Conference champion
1958 West Penn Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Westminster (PA) $310611
Geneva211531
Saint Vincent111421
Carnegie Tech *110620
Waynesburg030351
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – ineligible for conference title
1958 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Glenville State $601601
Shepherd401521
West Virginia Tech420531
Fairmont State521521
West Virginia State211341
West Virginia Wesleyan231242
Potomac State121441
Concord240350
Davis & Elkins250250
West Liberty State260270
Salem170170
Bluefield State *101521
Bethany (WV) *001161
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Did not qualify for conference standings
    Conference standings based on power ratings
1958 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
River Falls State $600720
Stevens Point State501701
Oshkosh State420620
Whitewater State420530
La Crosse State330530
Eau Claire State330350
Platteville State141141
Milwaukee150350
Superior State150360
Stout State150170
  • $ Conference champion
  • Stevens Point State beat River Falls State on September 18, but the game was not counted in the conference standings.
1958 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 12 Connecticut $400730
Maine 310620
Rhode Island 220440
UMass 130260
Vermont 010241
New Hampshire 040260
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 NAIA independents football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Southern Connecticut State  720
Georgetown (KY)  620
Austin  630
La Verne  531
McMurry  640
Carson–Newman  450
Oklahoma Panhandle State  460
Eastern New Mexico  361
Earlham  070

Non-major independents

1958 Eastern non-major college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Rochester   800
Hamilton   601
No. 10 Buffalo   810
Southern Connecticut State  720
Carnegie Tech  620
Northeastern  620
Hofstra  640
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Midwestern non-major college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Rose Poly  800
North Park  710
Carthage  720
Baldwin–Wallace  441
Northern Michigan  550
Xavier   550
Washington University  440
St. Norbert  360
Wabash  360
1958 Southern non-major college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Mississippi Southern   900
Sewanee   800
Trinity (TX)  630
Tampa   640
Abilene Christian  550
No. 8 Chattanooga   550
Louisville   440
Arkansas State   450
No. 18 Memphis State   450
Howard (AL)   151
Washington and Lee  170
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Western non-major college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Montana State   810
Cal Poly Pomona   730
UC Riverside   232
Hawaii   570
Pepperdine   170
Rankings from UPI small college poll

Bowl games

Major bowls

Thursday, January 1, 1959

Bowl
Orange No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners 21No. 9 Syracuse Orangemen 6
Sugar No. 1 LSU Tigers 7No. 12 Clemson Tigers 0
Cotton No. 10 TCU Horned Frogs (tie)0No. 6 Air Force Falcons (tie)0
Rose No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 38No. 16 California Golden Bears 12

Other bowls

BowlLocationDateWinnerScoreLoser
Sun El Paso, TXDecember 31 Wyoming 14–6 Hardin–Simmons
Gator Jacksonville, FLDecember 27No. 11 Ole Miss   7–3No. 14 Florida
Tangerine Orlando, FLDecember 27 East Texas State 26–7 Missouri Valley
Bluegrass Louisville, KYDecember 13 Oklahoma State 15–6 Florida State

Notably, the Tangerine Bowl initially extended a bid to Buffalo. However, when the bowl organizers told the school that its two black players would not be allowed to play, the team unanimously voted to turn down the bid. [14] The Bulls did not appear in a bowl game until a half century later, in 2008.

NAIA postseason

Semifinals
December 8, 1958
Championship
December 20, 1958
Holiday Bowl [15]
      
St. Benedict's 14
Northeastern State 19
Northeastern State19
Arizona State–Flagstaff 13
Gustavus Adolphus 12
Arizona State–Flagstaff 41

Rankings

Major college

Final polls were released in the first week of December.

Small college

In 1958, United Press International (UPI) conducted a "small college" coaches' poll for the first time. Mississippi Southern, which had beaten NC State and VPI en route to a 9–0 record, [16] was ranked first from start to finish. [17]

United Press International (coaches) final poll
Published on December 4 [18]

RankSchoolRecordNo. 1
votes
Total
points
1 Mississippi Southern 9–036403
2 Miami (OH) 6–3215
3 Arizona State–Flagstaff 10–02209
4 Northeastern State 9–01205
5 East Texas State 9–1172
6 Montana State 8–1148
7 Wheaton (IL) 8–01107
8 Chattanooga 5–5105
9 St. Benedict's 10–092
10 Buffalo 8–191

NAIA rankings

The top teams in the NAIA football rankings were as follows:

  1. Northeastern State, 11-0, 180 points
  2. Arizona State–Flagstaff, 11-1, 162 points
  3. Willamette, 8-1, 116 points
  4. St. Benedict's, 10-1, 112 points
  5. Missouri Valley, 8-1, 104 points
  6. Gustavus Adolphus, 8-1, 100 points
  7. East Texas State, 7-1, 98 points
  8. Kearney, 9-0, 85 points
  9. Middle Tennessee, 8-2, 42 points
  10. Lenoir Rhyne, 9-1, 41 points
  11. Cal Poly, 9-1
  12. Tampa, 6-4
  13. Lamar Tech, 6-2
  14. Westminster (PA), 6-1-1
  15. California (PA), 8-0
  16. Chadron State, 8-0
  17. Louisiana College, 7-2
  18. Stevens Point State, 7-0-1
  19. Southern Illinois, 7-2
  20. Northwestern State, 5-2

[19]

Award season

Heisman Trophy voting

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

PlayerSchoolPosition1st2nd3rdTotal
Pete Dawkins Army HB2961951161,394
Randy Duncan Iowa QB1941571251,021
Billy Cannon LSU HB198140101975
Bob White Ohio State FB408869365
Joe Kapp California QB472732227
Bill Austin Rutgers FB264137197
Bob Harrison Oklahoma OL263735187
Dick Bass Pacific HB14172096
Don Meredith SMU QB10122175
Nick Pietrosante Notre Dame FB8141870

Source: [20] [21]

All-Americans

For the year 1958, 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.

NamePositionSchoolNumberOfficialOther
Billy Cannon Halfback LSU 6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WC
Randy Duncan Quarterback Iowa 6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, WC
Pete Dawkins Halfback Army 6/6AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, WC
Buddy Dial End Rice 5/6AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPITime, WC
Ted Bates Tackle Oregon State 5/6AFCA, AP, NEA, SN, UPICP, WC
Bob Harrison Center Oklahoma 5/6AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, WC
Bob White Fullback Ohio State 4/6FWAA, NEA, SN, UPICP, Time, WC
John Guzik Guard Pittsburgh 4/6FWAA, NEA, SN, UPITime, WC
Zeke Smith Guard Auburn 3/6AP, FWAA, NEACP, Time, WC
George Deiderich Guard Vanderbilt 3/6AP, AFCA, FWAA--
Sam Williams End Michigan State 2/6AFCA, UPITime, WC
Brock Strom Tackle Air Force 2/6AP, UPIWC

Other awards

Statistical leaders

Individual

Total offense

The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankPlayerTeamGamesPlaysTotal YdsPtR [22]
1 Dick Bass Pacific 102181440128
2 Randy Duncan Iowa9207140692
3 Buddy Humphrey Baylor10247139170
4 Charlie Milstead Texas A&M10279133272
5 Joe Kapp California 10239123160
6 Bill Holsclaw Virginia Tech10230122792
7Dick LongfellowWest Virginia10242120282
8 Don Meredith SMU10190119296
9 Dwight Nichols Iowa State10277117218
10Jack CummingsNorth Carolina10154114872

[23]

Minor college

RankPlayerTeamGamesPlaysTotal Yds
1 Stan Jackson Cal Poly Pomona103242478
2 Gary Campbell Whittier92241659
3WebbSt. Ambrose82641592
4BradyBaldwin-Wallace92481534
5GideonTrinity92091520

[24]

Passing

The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankPlayerTeamGamesCompl.Att.Pct.
Compl.
Yds.Int.TDs
1 Buddy Humphrey Baylor10112195.574131687
2 Ralph Hunsaker Arizona 10106191.5551129135
3 Randy Duncan Iowa9101172.5871347911
4Rich MayoAir Force1098174.5631019611
5 Charlie Milstead Texas A&M1088167.5271135115
6Dick LongfellowWest Virginia1079156.506943126
7Bob NicoletStanford1077146.52772453
8Dick NormanStanford1076133.57171773
9Arnold DempseyVirginia1074152.487697112
10Jack LeeCincinnati1071130.546951115

[23]

Minor college

RankPlayerTeamGamesCompl.Att.Pct.
Compl.
Yds.Int.TDs
1 Stan Jackson Cal Poly Pomona10123256.48019941416
2AlvaroCollege of Idaho10112225.4981485179
3NewhouseSt. Norbert9104211.49313101813
4WebbSt. Ambrose8100202.4951494710
5JohnsonNew Mexico A&M1097179.5421184119
6BradyBaldwin-Wallace989183.48614901516
9CampbellWhittier987139.6261237713

Rushing

The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1958 season:
Major college

RankPlayerTeamGamesYdsRushesAvg
1 Dick Bass Pacific 1013612056.63
2 Bob White Ohio State98592183.94
3 Dwight Nichols Iowa State108152203.70
4 Pete Hart Hardin-Simmons107851634.81
5 Bill Austin Rutgers97471455.15
6 Jake Crouthamel Dartmouth97221235.86
7 Weldon Jackson BYU106981016.91
8 Billy Cannon LSU106861155.96
9 Larry Hickman Baylor106701514.43
10Johnny SaundersSouth Carolina106531285.10

[23]

Minor college

RankPlayerTeamGamesYdsRushesAvg
1 Dale Mills Northeast Missouri State918613587.30
2 Brad Hustad Luther920613546.57
3 Elbert Dubenion Bluffton915112908.54
4 George Dixon Bridgeport915511067.14
5 Ed Meador Arkansas Tech913510968.12
14FinderSt. Benedict's101009179.17

[24]

Scoring

The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankPlayerTeamPtsTDPATFG
1 Dick Bass Pacific 1161880
2 Bill Austin Rutgers10616100
3 Ron Burton Northwestern761240
4 Billy Cannon LSU741180
5Frank FinneyBrown7410140
6 Pete Dawkins Army741220
7 Bob White Ohio State721200
8 Leon Burton Arizona State701140
9 Calvin Bird Kentucky651050
10 Bob Simms Rutgers649100

[23]

Minor college

RankPlayerTeamPtsTDPATFG
1 Carl Herakovich Rose Poly16825180
2Corky BridgesCentral Washington14821220
3 Bill Shockley West Chester13215420
4 Dale Mills Northeast Missouri1222020
5Claire BoroffKearney State12114370

Team

Total offense

The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamGames
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1 Iowa 96493653405.9
2 Pacific 106573804380.4
3 Arizona State 106943795379.5
4 Army 96303380375.6
5 Notre Dame 107103697369.7
6 Air Force 107323605360.5
7 Oklahoma 107623517351.7
8 Baylor 107153356335.6
9 Brown 96223019335.4
10 West Virginia 107203319331.9

[25]

Rushing offense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamYards
per game
1 Pacific 259.6
2 Oklahoma 257.4
3 Arizona State 253.9
4 BYU 249.7
5 Colorado 249.5

[25]

Passing offense

The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamYards
per game
1 Army 172.2
2 Iowa 170.0
3 San Jose State 169.8
4 Baylor 168.7
5 SMU 165.2

[25]

Total defense

The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamGames
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1 Auburn 105211575157.5
2 Purdue 94851590176.7
3 Army 95611643182.6
4 Harvard 95121720191.1
5 LSU 106241934193.4
6 Boston College 105581942194.2
7 Pittsburgh 105691961196.1
8 North Texas State 105422017201.7
9 Georgia Tech 105522018201.8
10 Tulsa 105952030203.0

[25]

Rushing defense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamYards
per game
1 Auburn 79.6
2 Tulsa 82.5
3 Pittsburgh 91.3
4 Army 93.0
5 Syracuse 94.3

[25]

Passing defense

The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamYards
per game
1 Iowa State 39.0
2 Brown 44.8
3 Georgia Tech 57.1
4 Harvard 58.4
5 Colorado 59.0

[25]

See also

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Houlgate, Deke (1954). The Football Thesaurus: 85 Years on the American Gridiron. Los Angeles, California: Houlgate House. In the Huddle with Deke Houlgate: College Football from 1869 through 1953; Annual Supplements for 1954–1958
  3. "NCAA announces new point-after scoring". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. January 13, 1958. p. 2B.
  4. "Colleges get PAT bonus for run or pass". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. INS. January 13, 1958. p. B3.
  5. Down, Fred (January 13, 1958). "New two-point rule to kill kick attempts". Bend Bulletin. Oregon. United Press. p. 2.
  6. "Pass or Run Conversion Worth Two Points Now," San Antonio Express, January 13, 1958, p9-A
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Kentucky Rips Hawaii 51–0," The Lima News, September 14, 1958, p37.
  9. "Damron Directs T Teachers to 29–12 Win Before 6,800," Waterloo Sunday Courier, September 14, 1958, p37
  10. "AUBURN ON PROBATION; Southeastern Conference Bars College from Bowl Games". The New York Times. May 23, 1958.
  11. "Orange Bowl - Syracuse vs Oklahoma Box Score, January 1, 1959".
  12. "1958 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  13. "Prairie View '58 Nat'l Champs". The Pittsburgh Courier . December 20, 1958. p. 27 via Newspapers.com.
  14. "OTL: All or Nothing".
  15. "1958 NAIA Football Playoffs". JonFMorse.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  16. "Welcome cfbdatawarehouse.com - BlueHost.com". Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  17. "Southern Small College Champ; Axers Third," Yuma Daily Sun, Dec. 4, 1958, p9
  18. UPI (December 4, 1958). "Miss. Southern Tops Final Poll Of Grid Powers" . Brownwood Bulletin . Brownwood, Texas . Retrieved February 26, 2017 via newspapers.com.
  19. "Kearney, Chadron Listed: Antelopes 8th, Eagles 16th". The Lincoln Star. November 12, 1958. p. 13 via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Dawkins completes double; named to Heisman award". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. UPI. December 3, 1958. p. 2C.
  21. "Pete Dawkins". Heisman Trophy. 1958. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  22. Points-for-which-responsible is player's total of points scored and points passes for
  23. 1 2 3 4 Official Collegiate Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1959. p. 65.
  24. 1 2 Official Collegiate Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1959. p. 72.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Official Collegiate Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1959. p. 69.