1961 Panhandle A&M Aggies football team

Last updated
1961 Panhandle A&M Aggies football
All Sports Bowl, W 28–14 vs. Langston
Conference Oklahoma Collegiate Conference
Record9–2 (4–1 OCC)
Head coach
Seasons
← 1960
1962 →
1961 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Central State (OK) + 6 –1 –09 –1 –0
Langston + 6 –1 –08 –2 –0
No. 11 Panhandle A&M 4 –1 –09 –2 –0
East Central 3 –4 –05 –5 –0
SE Oklahoma State 2 –4 –04 –6 –0
Northeastern State 2 –4 –03 –6 –0
SW Oklahoma State 2 –5 –02 –8 –0
NW Oklahoma State 1 –6 –01 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll

The 1961 Panhandle A&M Aggies football team, sometimes also known as the Plainsmen, was an American football team that represented Panhandle A&M College (now known as Oklahoma Panhandle State University) as a member of the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference (OCC) during the 1961 college football season. In their 11th season under head coach Oscar Williams, the Aggies compiled a 9–2 record (4–1 in conference games), outscored opponents by a total of 315 to 178, and finished in third place in the OCC. [1]

Contents

After losing the first two games of the season, the Aggies won nine consecutive games. The winning streak included: (i) a victory over Langston in the inaugural All Sports Bowl; (ii) sa season-high 60 points against New Mexico Western, including 34 points in the second quarter; [2] (iii) a 56–0 victory over otherwise undefeated Peru State, the worste defeat suffered by a Peru State team since 1942. [3]

The team was inducted into the Oklahoma Panhandle State Hall of Fame in 2011. [4]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16at Langston Guthrie, OK L 14–335,000 [5] [6]
September 23at Morningside *
L 7–14 [7]
September 30 New Mexico Western * Goodwell, OK W 60–32 [8]
October 7 Adams State *Goodwell, OKW 30–7 [9]
October 14at Northwestern Oklahoma State Alva, OK W 17–7 [10]
October 21at East Central
W 33–32 [11]
October 26 Southwestern Oklahoma State Goodwell, OKW 40–04,000 [12]
November 4at Peru State *
W 56–0 [13]
November 11 New Mexico Highlands *Goodwell, OKW 31–27 [14]
November 17at Central State (OK)
W 27–268,000 [15]
December 9vs. Langston*
W 28–148,500 [16]
  • *Non-conference game

Statistics

Panhandle led the NAIA with 4,688 yards of total offense in ten regular-season games, an average of 468.8 yards per game. The Aggies also set an NAIA single-season record with 3,944 rushing yards in the regular season, an average of 394.4 yards per game. [17] On October 26, the Aggies tallied a season-high 532 rushing yards against Southwestern Oklahoma State. [12]

Tailback Jerry Linton led the nation with 1,356 rushing yards. [17] [18] Linton added another 173 rushing yards in the All Sports Bowl -- bringing his 11-game total to 1,529 yards. [19] He was also selected as a first-team player on the NAIA's 1961 All-America team. [20]

Fullback Tony Pontillo, sometimes referred to as Tony "the Tank", [3] ranked second on the team in rushing with 1,149 rushing yards. He also led the OCC in scoring with 90 points on 15 touchdowns in the regular season. [1] Pontillo added another 12 points in the All Sports Bowl to raise his season total to 102 points. [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 John A. Ferguson (November 22, 1961). "Panhandle Had to Earn Second Chance at Lions". Tulsa World. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Savages Climb To Top Spot In State Loop". The Daily Oklahoman. October 2, 1961. p. 45 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Powerful Sooners Spoil Peru's Homecoming; 7-1-1 Season". The Peru Pointer. November 9, 1961. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "1961 Football Team". Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  5. ↑ Frank Boggs (September 17, 1961). "Langston Lashes Panhandle". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 3 (Sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Panhandle Enters OCC Play, Finds Champ Langston Rough". Tulsa World. September 20, 1961. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Russ Ward (September 24, 1961). "Morningside Gets First Win, 14-7". The Sioux City Journal. pp. D1, D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Plainsmen Romp To Easy 60-32 Win Over NW Western". Guymon Daily Herald. October 3, 1961. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Adams Bows To Panhandle". The Daily Oklahoman. October 8, 1961. p. 6E – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Panhandle Gallops Past Northwestern". The Ada Evening News. October 15, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Panhandle Tips E.C. in Offensive Duel". The Ada Evening News. October 22, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 Fred Wortham Jr. (October 27, 1961). "Plainsmen Literally Squash Vaunted Bulldog Defense". Guymon Daily Herald. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Powerful Sooners Spoil Peru's Homecoming; 7-1-1 Season". The Peru Pointer. November 9, 1961. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Panhandle's Big Fourth Unseats Highlands, 31-27". Tulsa Daily World. November 12, 1961. p. 3 (Sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Frank Boggs (November 19, 1961). "Panhandle Edges Central, 27-26". The Daily Oklahoman. p. E2.
  16. 1 2 Frank Boggs (December 10, 1961). "Panhandle Stuns Lions, 28-14: Aggies Rally To Win Bowl Before 8,500". The Daily Oklahoman. pp. 1E, 3E – via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 "Panhandle Sets New NAIA Team Rushing Mark in '61 Season". Seminole Producer. December 7, 1961. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Bowlward Trek Starts Early, Teams US Tops". Guymon Daily Herald. December 7, 1961. pp. 1, 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Jack Wilkinson (December 10, 1961). "Panhandle Rambles Past Langston, 28 To 14". The Lawton Constitution. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Linton Elected All-American". Guymon Daily Herald. December 8, 1961. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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