1961 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

1961 The Citadel Bulldogs football
SoCon champion
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	7–3 (5–1 SoCon)
Head coach	Eddie Teague (5th season)
Home stadium	Johnson Hagood Stadium
Seasons ←  1960 1962  →

1961 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
The Citadel $	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Richmond	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
VMI	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
West Virginia	2	–	1	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Furman	2	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
George Washington	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Davidson	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
William & Mary	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1961 The Citadel Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, as a memberof the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Eddie Teague, the Bulldogs compiled a 7–3 record (5–1 in conference games, and won the program's first SoCon championship since joining the conference in 1936.

After the season, the Bulldogs declined two bowl invitations. The first to be offered was the Tangerine Bowl. The Citadel had appeared in the previous edition of this small-college bowl in 1960 and elected to decline the repeat trip. Later, the Bulldogs declined an invitation to the Aviation Bowl.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Bill Whaley (980 passing yards), halfback Earley Eastburn (307 rushing yards), and Charley Brendle (20 receptions, 303 receiving yards). ^[1] Eastburn and Bill Gilgo received first-team honors on the 1961 All-Southern Conference football team.

The team played its home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	at Memphis State *	Crump Stadium Memphis, TN	L 0–40	17,345	[2]
September 23	George Washington	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	L 13–17	11,200	[3]
September 30	Davidson	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	W 20–12		[4]
October 7	Richmond	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	W 24–6	17,250	[5]
October 14	at William & Mary	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA	W 10–8	6,200	[6]
October 21	Furman	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC (rivalry)	W 9–8	16,200	[7]
October 28	at Xavier *	Xavier Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio	W 7–6	9,789	[8]
November 4	at VMI	Alumni Field Lexington, VA (rivalry)	W 14–8	9,000	[9]
November 11	at Florida State *	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 8–44	14,600	[10]
November 18	Arkansas State *	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	W 28–6	13,100	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

^[12]

Statistics

The Bulldogs gained an average of 113.7 rushing yards and 135.4 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up an average of 220.9 rushing yards and 83.8 passing yards per game. ^[1]

Senior quarterback Bill Whaley completed 78 of 148 passes for 980 yards with four touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 103.7 quarterback rating. ^[1]

Halfback Earley Eastburn led the team in rushing with 307 yards on 83 carries for an average of 3.7 yards per carry. He also ranked second in receiving with 11 catches for 196 yards. ^[1]

Charley Brendle led the team in receiving with 20 catches for 303 yards and four touchdowns. ^[1]

Awards and honors

Quarterback Bill Whaley was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player. Senior tackle Jim Reiney was selected as the outstanding lineman, and guard Gene Dice was named outstanding defensive player. ^[13]

End Bill Gilgo and halfback Earley Eastburn were selected as first-team players on the 1961 All-Southern Conference football team. End Charles Brendle and guard Ed Herrington were named to the second team. ^[14]

Personnel

Players

• Bill Allen
• Charley Brendle
• John Clancy, halfback
• Bobby Crouch, halfback
• Gene Dice, guard
• Belton Dykes, fullback
• Earley Eastburn, halfback
• Tommy Edwards, halfback
• Bill Gilgo
• Ed Gould
• Bobby Jackson, fullback
• Sid Mitchell
• Vince Petno
• Jim Reiney, tackle
• Bill Whaley, quarterback

Coaching staff

• Head coach: Eddie Teague

References

1. "1961 The Citadel Bulldogs Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
2. "Power, trickery of Memphis State rips Citadel, 40–0". Tulsa World. September 17, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "George Washington stops late Citadel passes for 17–13 win". The Florence Morning News. September 24, 1961. Retrieved February 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Sid Mitchell sparks Citadel win, 20–12". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 1, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
5. "The Citadel crushes Richmond in SC game". The Times and Democrat. October 8, 1961. Retrieved August 23, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. "The Citadel whips W&M with goal". Durham Morning Herald. October 15, 1961. Retrieved October 24, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Aroused Citadel strikes back late to topple Furman, 9–8". Florence Morning News. October 22, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
8. "The Citadel nips Xavier". The Times and Democrat. October 29, 1963. Retrieved May 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Citadel downs VMI to clinch Southern Conference title". The Rocky Mount Telegram. November 5, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Feely's TD passes lead FSU by Citadel, 44–8". The Orlando Sentinel. November 12, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Whaley sets record in Citadel win". Durham Sunday Herald. November 19, 1961. Retrieved October 14, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
12. "The Citadel Football - 2011 Media Guide". Catalog.e-digitaleditions.com. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
13. "Whaley MV At Citadel". The Greenville News. December 13, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1961 All-Southern Team: FU's Campbell Repeats; Gilgo And Eastern Named". The Greenville News. November 29, 1961. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.