1961 Texas Longhorns football team

Last updated

1961 Texas Longhorns football
Darrell Royal with 1961 captains Talbert and Cotten.png
Darrell Royal (center) with co-captains Don Talbert (left) and Mike Cotten (right)
SWC co-champion
Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Conference Southwest Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 3
Record10–1 (6–1 SWC)
Head coach
Home stadium Memorial Stadium
Seasons
←  1960
1962  →
1961 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Texas + 6 –1 –010 –1 –0
No. 9 Arkansas + 6 –1 –08 –3 –0
Rice 5 –2 –07 –4 –0
Texas A&M 3 –4 –04 –5 –1
TCU 2 –4 –13 –5 –2
Baylor 2 –5 –06 –5 –0
Texas Tech 2 –5 –04 –6 –0
SMU 1 –5 –12 –7 –1
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas (now known as the University of Texas at Austin) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled a 10–1 record (6–1 in conference games) and tied with Arkansas for the SWC championship. The Longhorns defeated Arkansas (33–7) and Oklahoma (28–7), and were ranked No. 1 until they lost, 6–0, to unranked TCU on November 18. At the end of the regular season, the Longhorns were ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll and No. 4 in the final UPI poll. They concluded their season with a victory over No. 5 Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl Classic. [1]

Contents

Texas outscored all opponents by a total of 291 to 59. They were ranked fourth nationally in total offense (383.1 yards per game) and seventh nationally in total defense (176.1 yards per game). Consensus All-American Jimmy Saxton led the team with 846 rushing yards (7.9 yards per carry) and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. Tackle Don Talbert also received first-team All-American honors, and Darrell Royal was selected by the Football Writers Association of America as the 1961 "Coach of the Year".

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 233:30 p.m.at California *No. 4
W 28–341,500 [2]
September 307:30 p.m. Texas Tech No. 6
W 42–1443,500 [3]
October 77:30 p.m. Washington State *No. 5
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Austin, TX
W 41–840,000 [4]
October 142:00 p.m.vs. Oklahoma *No. 4
 ABC W 28–775,504 [5]
October 212:00 p.m.at No. 10 Arkansas No. 3
W 33–733,000 [6]
October 287:30 p.m. Rice No. 3
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Austin, TX (rivalry)
W 34–762,310 [7]
November 42:00 p.m.at SMU No. 3
  • Cotton Bowl
  • Dallas, TX
W 27–041,000 [8]
November 112:00 p.m. Baylor No. 1
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Austin, TX
W 33–762,000 [9]
November 182:00 p.m. TCU No. 1
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Austin, TX (rivalry)
L 0–650,000 [10]
November 231:30 p.m.at Texas A&M No. 4
ABCW 25–042,000 [11]
January 11:30 p.m.vs. No. 5 Ole Miss *No. 3
 CBS W 12–775,000 [12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

Season summary

TCU

TCU Horned Frogs (2–5–1) at #1 Texas Longhorns (8–0)
Period1234Total
TCU 06006
Texas 00000

at Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas

  • Date: November 18, 1961
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 50,000
  • Box Score
Game information

It's not what they eat and tote off, it's what they fall into and mess up that hurts.

Darrell Royal, postgame comparing TCU to cockroaches

Statistics

All-American halfback Jimmy Saxton Jimmy Saxton 345.png
All-American halfback Jimmy Saxton

Texas ranked fourth nationally in total offense, tallying 3,821 yards in ten regular-season games, an average of 383.1 yards per game. On defense, the Longhorns ranked seventh nationally, giving up 1,761 yards, an average of 176.1 yards per game. [13]

Texas had four of the top ten rushers in the Southwest Conference during the 1961 season. Jimmy Saxton led the conference with 846 yards on 107 carries for an average of 7.9 yards per carry. Jerry Cook ranked second in the conference with 527 yards on 96 carries (5.5-yard average). Tommy Ford ranked seventh with 415 yards on 83 carries (5.0-yard average). Ray Poage ranked ninth with 383 yards on 77 carries (5.1-yard average). [14]

Jimmy Saxton was also the team's total offense leader. Adding 46 passing yards to his 8846 rushing yards, he finished the regular season with 892 yards of total offense. [14]

Quarterback Mike Cotten led the Longhorns in passing, completing 44 of 77 passes (.574 completion percentage) for 500 yards with two interceptions and seven touchdowns passes. [14]

End Bob Moses was the team's leading receiver, tallying 14 catches for 177 yards (12.6 yards per catch) and five touchdowns. [14]

Awards and honors

Coach of the Year Darrell Royal Darrell Royal (1962 Cactus).png
Coach of the Year Darrell Royal

Head coach Darrell Royal was selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) as the 1961 "Coach of the Year". [15]

Halfback Jimmy Saxton received numerous honors and awards following the 1961 season, including

Tackle Don Talbert was selected by the FWAA as a first-team All-American. [18]

Six Texas players received first-team honors from the AP or the UPI on the 1961 All-Southwest Conference football team: Saxton (AP-1, UPI-1); Talbert (AP-1, UPI-1); quarterback Mike Cotten (AP-1, UPI-1); end Bob Moses (AP-1, UPI-1); guard Johnny Treadwell (AP-1, UPI-2); and center David Kristynik (UPI-1). Fullback Ray Poage received second-team honors from the UPI. [22] [23]

Mike Cotten and Bob Moses were named the most valubale players of the Cotton Bowl.

Personnel

Players

The following 37 players received varsity letters for their roles on the 1961 Texas team:

  • Scott Appleton (#70), tackle, sophomore
  • George Bass (#68), guard, sophomore
  • Clarence V. Bray (#53), sophomore
  • George Brucks (#66), guard, sophomore
  • Duke Carlisle (#11), quarterback, sophomore
  • Jack Collins (#49), wingback, senior, 195 pounds
  • Jerry Cook (#38), junior
  • John Allen Cook (#38), junior
  • Mike Cotten (#12), quarterback and co-captain, senior, 189 pounds
  • Pat Culpepper (#31), linebacker, junior
  • Staley Faulkner (#77), tackle, sophomore
  • Ken Ferguson (#78), tackle, sophomore
  • Tommy Ford (#24), sophomore, fullback, 185 pounds
  • Bobby Gamblin (#65), guard, sophomore
  • Johnny Genung (#14), quarterback, junior
  • Deene Gott (#87), end, senior
  • James Hejl, center, senior
  • Ben House (#83), end, sophomore
  • David Kristynik (#64), center, senior, 203 pounds
  • Marvin Kubin (#55), guard, junior, 198 pounds
  • Tommy Ray Lucas (#80), end, junior, 195 pounds
  • David McWilliams (#50), center/linebacker, sophomore
  • Perry McWilliams (#61), center, junior
  • Eldon Moritz (#23), kicking specialist, senior
  • Bob Moses (#88), end, senior, 195 pounds
  • Bobby Nunis (#36), wingback, junior
  • Derrell M. Oliver (#25), fullback, sophomore
  • Eddie Padgett (#74), tackle, senior, 205 pounds
  • Ray Poage (#33), fullback, junior, 201 pounds
  • Gordon Roberts (#76), tackle, sophomore
  • David Russell (#40), wingback, senior
  • Walter Cayce Sands (#85), end, sophomore
  • Jimmy Saxton (#10), halfback, senior, 5'11", 164 pounds
  • Charles Talbert (#89), end, sophomore
  • Don Talbert (#72), tackle and co-captain, senior, 220 pounds
  • Johnny Treadwell (#60), guard, junior, 200 pounds
  • Tommy York (#84), end, junior

[24] [25]

Coaches and administration

Related Research Articles

Raymond Coy Poage Jr. was an American football tight end, wide receiver and fullback who played for the Texas Longhorns in college and for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.

The 1961 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Minnesota in the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth year under head coach Murray Warmath, the Golden Gophers compiled an 8–2 record, outscored opponents by a total of 140 to 75, and were ranked No. 6 in the final final AP and UPI polls. They defeated UCLA, 21–3, in the 1962 Rose Bowl.

The 1964 Arkansas Razorbacks football team was an American football team that represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1964 NCAA University Division football season. In their seventh year under head coach Frank Broyles, the Razorbacks compiled an undefeated 11–0 record, won the SWC championship, closed the regular season with five consecutive shutouts, outscored all opponents by a combined total of 231 to 64, and defeated Nebraska 10–7 in the Cotton Bowl.

The 1961 Arkansas Razorbacks football team was an American football team that represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Frank Broyles, the Razorbacks compiled an 8–3 record, finished in a tie with Texas for the SWC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 183 to 97. The Razorbacks' only losses during the regular season came against Ole Miss by a 16–0 score and to Texas by a 33–7 score. The team was ranked No. 9 in the final Associated Press (AP) writers poll and No. 8 in the final United Press International (UPI) coaches poll and went on to lose to the undefeated national champion Alabama in the 1962 Sugar Bowl by a 10–3 score.

The 1963 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In their seventh year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 11–0, with a mark of 7–0 in conference play, and finished as SWC champion. Texas concluded their season with a victory over Navy in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

The 1961 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1961. The six selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1961 season are (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), (2) the Associated Press (AP), (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), (4) the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), (5) the Sporting News, and (6) the United Press International (UPI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1978 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1978 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 10th season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–2 record, tied for the Big Ten championship, outscored opponents by a total of 372 to 105, and were ranked No. 5 in the final AP and UPI polls. The defense allowed only 94.6 passing yards per game and ranked second in the country in scoring defense, allowing an average of only 8.75 points per game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1977 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1977 Big Ten Conference football season. In its ninth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the team compiled a 10–2 record, tied with Ohio State for the Big Ten Conference championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 353 to 124. The Wolverines were ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll midway through the season but were upset by the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers. In the final game of the regular season, Michigan beat No. 4 Ohio State but lost to No. 13 Washington in the 1978 Rose Bowl. In the final AP and UPI polls, Michigan was ranked No. 9 and No. 8, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1967 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1967 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1967 Big Ten Conference football season. In its ninth year under head coach Bump Elliott, Michigan compiled a 4–6 record, tied for fifth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 179 to 144.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1966 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1966 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1966 Big Ten Conference football season. In its eighth year under head coach Bump Elliott, Michigan compiled a 6–4 record, tied for third place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 236 to 138.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1961 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. In its third year under head coach Bump Elliott, Michigan compiled a 6–3 record, finished in sixth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 212 to 163.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1959 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1959 Big Ten Conference football season. In its first year under head coach Bump Elliott, Michigan compiled a 4–5 record, finished in seventh place in the Big Ten, and was outscored by a combined total of 161 to 122.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1951 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1951 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1951 Big Ten Conference football season. In its fourth year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan compiled a 4–5 record, finished in fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 135 to 122. For the first time since 1937, Michigan was not ranked in the final AP Poll. It was ranked at No. 29 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961 Purdue Boilermakers football team</span> American college football season

The 1961 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Jack Mollenkopf, the Boilermakers compiled a 6–3 record, finished fourth in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 146 to 87. They were ranked No. 11 in the final UPI poll and No. 12 in the final AP poll.

The 1966 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. In their tenth year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 7–4, with a mark of 5–2 in conference play, and finished tied for second in the SWC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961 Iowa Hawkeyes football team</span> American college football season

The 1961 Iowa Hawkeyes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Iowa in the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Jerry Burns, the Hawkeyes compiled a 5–4 record, tied for seventh place in the Big Ten Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 215 to 162. The team was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll at the start of the season but dropped out of the polls after losing four consecutive games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 Cotton Bowl Classic</span> College football game

The 1962 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 26th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, January 1. Part of the 1961–62 bowl game season, the game featured the No. 3 Texas Longhorns of the Southwest Conference (SWC) and the No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Ole Miss was slightly favored, but Texas won, 12–7.

The 1961 All-Southwest Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Southwest Conference teams for the 1961 college football season. The selectors for the 1961 season included the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). Players selected as first-team players by both the AP and UPI are designated in bold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

The 1961 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University as an independent during the 1961 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Jim Sutherland, the Cougars compiled a 3–7 record and were outscored 213 to 163.

The 1961 Missouri Tigers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Missouri in the Big Eight Conference during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Dan Devine, the Tigers compiled a 7–2–1 record, finished in a tie for second place in the Big 8, and outscored opponents by a total of 124 to 57.

References

  1. ↑ "1961 Texas Longhorns Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Bears ripped; Texas halts Cal 28 to 3 in opener". Oakland Tribune. September 24, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Longhorns slaughter Tech in opener, 42–14". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 1, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Saxton spurs Longhorns past Washington State". The Vernon Daily Record. October 8, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Stampeding Steers lower boom on Sooners, 28–7". The Marshall News Messenger. October 15, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Texas socks Hogs, takes SWC lead". The Nashville Tennessean. October 22, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Texas smears Rice, 34–7". The Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph. October 29, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Saxton puts Texas by SMU". The Victoria Advocate. November 5, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Top-ranked Longhorns hand Baylor 33–7 spanking". The Marshall News Messenger. November 12, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Inspired TCU stuns powerful Texas, 6–0". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. November 19, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Texas whips Aggies, 25–0; In Cotton Bowl". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. November 24, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Longhorn interceptions help kill Rebels, 12–7". The Clarion-Ledger. January 2, 1962. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "'Bama Eyes Triple Crown As Top Defensive Team". The Waso Times-Herald. November 29, 1961. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "SWC Statistics". The Waso Times-Herald. November 29, 1961. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Longhorns' Darrell Royal Writers 'Coach of Year'". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. December 10, 1961. p. 2 (section 5) – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 9. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Saxton Named On AP's Team". The Austin American. December 8, 1961. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. 1 2 "FWAA Selections: Saxton and Talbert Among Look Stars". The Austin American. December 5, 1961. p. A21 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "1961 Heisman Trophy Voting". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  20. ↑ Rebecca Annette Wood, ed. (1962). "Cactus 1962 (University of Texas yearbook)". Texas Student Publications. p. 343.
  21. ↑ "James Saxton". National Football Foundation. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Five Steers All-SWC". The Austin American. December 4, 1961. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ "Five Longhorns Make UPI Team: Saxton Unanimous". The Austin American. December 1, 1961. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ Cactus 1962, p. 341.
  25. ↑ "Starting Lineups". The Austin American. September 30, 1961. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Cactus 1962, p. 342.
  27. ↑ Cactus 1962, p. 338.
  28. 1 2 Cactus 1962, p. 339.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.