1961 Jackson State Tigers football team

1961 Jackson State Tigers football
SWAC champion
Orange Blossom Classic, L 8–14 vs. Florida A&M
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Record	9–2 (6–1 SWAC)
Head coach	John Merritt (10th season)
Home stadium	Alumni Stadium
Seasons ←  1960 1962  →

1961 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	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

The 1961 Jackson State Tigers football team represented Jackson College for Negro Teachers (now known as Jackson State University) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1961 college football season. Led by tenth-year head coach John Merritt, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 9–2, with a conference record of 6–1, and finished as SWAC champion.

Back Roy Curry received third-team honors on the 1961 Little All-America college football team. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	at Prairie View A&M	Blackshear Field Prairie View, TX	W 20–14		[2]
September 30	at Mississippi Vocational *	Magnolia Stadium Itta Bena, MS	W 39–0		[3]
October 7	at Arkansas AM&N	Pumphrey Stadium Pine Bluff, AR	W 19–6		[4]
October 14	Alcorn A&M	Alumni Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	W 28–20		[5]
October 21	vs. Southern	Ladd Stadium Mobile, AL (Claver Classic/rivalry)	L 7–17	8,000	[6]
October 28	Grambling	Alumni Stadium Jackson, MS	W 14–13	6,000	[7]
November 4	Wiley	Alumni Stadium Jackson, MS	W 20–0	3,500	[8]
November 11	at Texas Southern	Jeppesen Stadium Houston, TX	W 12–7		[9]
November 18	at Texas College	Steer Stadium Tyler, TX	W 78–0		[10]
November 23	at Tennessee A&I *	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 12–6		[11]
December 9	vs. No. 4 Florida A&M *	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	L 8–14	47,791	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

References

1. Harold Claassen (December 6, 1961). "Annual Little All-Americans -- Small College Stars Selected". The Shreveport Journal. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Jackson takes grid victory". The Daily Advertiser. September 24, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Power-laden JSC Tigers swamps MVC". Jackson Advocate. October 7, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Jackson State Tigers win, 19–6 over Arkansas". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 14, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
5. "JSC Tigers have rough time in 28–20 win over Alcorn Braves". Jackson Advocate. October 21, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Southern knocks Jackson State from unbeaten ranks, 17–7". Alabama Tribune. October 27, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Jackson St. nudges past Grambling". The Clarion-Ledger. October 29, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Jackson State victor". The Courier-Journal. November 5, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Jackson State leads the Pack". The Clarion-Ledger. November 15, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Jackson Staters win SWAC title". The Clarion-Ledger. November 19, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Hopes high for stronger team at A&I in '62". Nashville Banner. November 24, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
12. "A&M sneaks by Jackson State, 14–8". Tallahassee Democrat. December 10, 1961. Retrieved August 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Cumulative Football Statistics Report (1961 Jackson State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 10, 2023.