1959 Bucknell Bison football team

1959 Bucknell Bison football
Conference	Middle Atlantic Conference
Division	University Division
Record	4–5 (3–3 MAC)
Head coach	Bob Odell (2nd season)
Captain	Larry Mathias
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1958 1960  →

1959 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
University Division
Delaware x	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Gettysburg	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Lafayette	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Bucknell	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Rutgers	2	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Lehigh	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Temple	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
Muhlenberg *	1	–	2	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Northern College Division
Albright x	6	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Juniata	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
Wagner	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Lebanon Valley	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Susquehanna	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Moravian	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Wilkes	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
Lycoming	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Scranton *	3	–	1	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Southern College Division
Johns Hopkins x	6	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
Pennsylvania Military	6	–	2	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Western Maryland	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	2	–	2
Ursinus	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
Dickinson	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Haverford	0	–	5	–	0			1	–	5	–	0
Drexel	0	–	5	–	0			1	–	6	–	0
Franklin & Marshall *	1	–	2	–	1			4	–	3	–	1
Swarthmore *	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
West Chester *	0	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games

The 1959 Bucknell Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bucknell University during the 1959 college football season. Bucknell finished fourth in the University Division of the Middle Atlantic Conference.

In its second season under head coach Bob Odell, the team compiled a 4–5 record, ^[1] 3–3 against division opponents. Larry Mathias was the team captain. ^[2]

Following their defeat of Rutgers, an NCAA University Division team, Bucknell earned a national No. 11 ranking in the UPI small college poll. The following week, the Bison lost to unranked Lafayette, and were pushed out of the top 20. Bucknell remained unranked through the end of the season.

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	vs. Gettysburg	Hershey Stadium Hershey, PA (Rotary Bowl)	W 21–0	8,500	[3]
October 3	at Harvard *	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 6–20	9,000	[4]
October 10	No. 5 Buffalo *	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 26–21	5,000	[5]
October 17	Rutgers	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 15–8	10,000	[6]
October 24	at Lafayette	Fisher Field Easton, PA	L 6–12	8,000–9,500	[7] [8]
October 31	at Lehigh	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	L 0–14	4,600	[9]
November 7	at Colgate *	Colgate Athletic Field Hamilton, NY	L 13–16	4,000	[10]
November 14	Temple	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 26–6	4,500	[1]
November 21	No. 4 Delaware	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	L 6–22	8,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from UPI Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

References

1. "Year-by-Year Results". 2019 Bucknell Football Media Guide. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University. p. 138. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Captains". 2019 Bucknell Football Media Guide. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University. p. 121. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
3. "Bisons Outclass Bullets Throughout to Capture 21-0 Rotary Bowl Game". The Gettysburg Times . Gettysburg, Pa. September 28, 1959. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Nelson, Boulris and Ravenel Score as Harvard Vanquishes Bucknell Team". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. October 4, 1959. p. S6.
5. "Bucknell Beats Buffalo in 26-to-21 Grid Upset". Democrat and Chronicle . Rochester, N.Y. Associated Press. October 11, 1959. p. 8C – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Bucknell Tops Buffalo, 26-21". The Pittsburgh Press . Pittsburgh, Pa. October 11, 1959. sect. 4, p. 5.
6. Fleming, Jimmie (October 18, 1959). "Bucknell Defeats Rutgers". The Sunday Home News . New Brunswick, N.J. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Leopards Upend Bucknell, 12-6, Before 8,000 Fans". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. October 26, 1959. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Lafayette)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 16, 2024.
9. May, Paul (November 1, 1959). "Lehigh Turns Back Bucknell, 14-0". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Allentown, Pa. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Colgate Wins; Bucknell at Both Ends of Streak". The Sunday Press . Binghamton, N.Y. Associated Press. November 8, 1959. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
11. Cartwright, Al (November 23, 1959). "Delaware 22, Bucknell 6: Somebody Stole My Gal, but Not the Ball Game". Journal–Every Evening . Wilmington, Del. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Bucknell)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 16, 2024.