1961 Cortland State Red Dragons football team

1961 Cortland Red Dragons football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–3
Head coach	Carl A. Davis (30th season)
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

1961 Eastern college football independents records

v t e	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

The 1961 Cortland State Red Dragons football team was an American football team that represented Cortland State Teachers College (now known as State University of New York at Cortland as an independent during the 1961 college football season. In their 30th year under head coach Carl A. Davis, the Red Dragons compiled a 4–3 record and outscored opponents by a total of 209 to 118. ^{[1] [2]} Quarterback Michael "Mickey" Nugent led the team with 552 yards of total offense.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	at Alfred	Alfred, NY	W 13–6	4,000	[3]
September 30	C. W. Post	Greenvale, NY	L 7–13	3,000	[4] [5]
October 7	Bloomsburg	Cortland, NY	W 16–8	3,000	[6]
October 14	at Ithaca	South Hill Field Ithaca, NY	L 0–34	1,000–2,000	[7]
October 21	King's (PA)	Cortland, NY	W 27–8	2,000
October 28	Brockport	Cortland, NY	W 39–0	6,000	[8]
November 4	at East Stroudsburg	East Stroudsburg, PA	L 0–24	1,500	[9]
Homecoming

^{[1] [2]}

Statistics

The Red Dragons tallied 1,756 yards of total offense (250.9 yards per game), consisting of 9929 rushing yards (131.4 yards per game) and 836 passing yards (119.4 yards per game). On defense, they gave up 1,724 yards by opponents (247.7 yards per game), including 1,018 rushing yards (145.4 yards per game) and 706 passing yards (100.9 yards per game). ^[2]

The team's passing leaders were junior quarterback Michael "Mickey" Nugent (41 of 87 for 573 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions) and quarterback George Tucci (21 of 50 for 261 yards with two touchdowns and nine interceptions). Nugent lost 21 rushing yards but still led the team with 552 yards of total offense. ^{[2] [10]}

The team's rushing leaders were junior fullback John O'Connor (245 yards, 61 carries) and junior halfback Bill Yelverton (194 yards, 47 carries). ^{[2] [10]}

The team's receiving leaders were junior end Jerry Hill (11 receptions, 222 yards) and senior Bob Hudak (15 receptions, 203 yards). ^{[2] [10]}

The leading scorers were end Robert Hudak (four touchdowns, 24 points) and halfback Bill Yelverton (two touchdowns, 12 points). ^{[2] [10]}

Sophomore guard Dominick Copozzi handled the punting, having 29 punts for 1,082 yards, an average of 37.3 yards per punt. He also kicked two field goals and converted one of two extra points conversions. ^{[2] [10]}

References

1. Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1962, p. 105.
2. "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics (Cortland State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 18, 2024.
3. "Cortland Trips Alfred, 13-6". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. September 25, 1961. p. 10C – via Newspapers.com.
4. "C.W. Post Edges Cortland, 13-7". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. October 1, 1961. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (C. W. Post)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 1, 2024.
6. "Cortland Trips Bloomsburg". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. October 8, 1961. p. 8C – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics (Ithaca)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 18, 2024.
8. "Brockport State Drops 5th Straight Game". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. October 29, 1961. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
9. "E. Stroudsburg Wins, Closes 'Best' Season". Sunday Call-Chronicle. November 5, 1961. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "TCers 'Figure' On Cortland Grid". Binghamton Press. November 17, 1961. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.