1961 UCLA Bruins football team

Last updated

1961 UCLA Bruins football
1961 UCLA (Haffner, Barnes, Smith) .jpg
Mike Haffner, Bill Barnes, Bobby Smith, 1961
AAWU champion
Rose Bowl, L 3–21 vs. Minnesota
Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities
Ranking
APNo. 16
Record7–4 (3–1 AAWU)
Head coach
Captain Ron Hull
Home stadium Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons
←  1960
1962  →
1961 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 16 UCLA $ 3 –1 –07 –4 –0
USC 2 –1 –14 –5 –1
Washington 2 –1 –15 –4 –1
Stanford 1 –3 –04 –6 –0
California 1 –3 –01 –8 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 UCLA Bruins football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a member of the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), commonly known at the time as the Big 5 Conference, during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Bill Barnes, the Bruins compiled a 7–4 record (3–1 in conference games), won the AAWU championship, outscored opponents by a total of 182 to 121, and were ranked No. 16 in the final Associated Press writers poll. They closed the season with a 21–3 loss to Minnesota in the 1962 Rose Bowl. [1]

Contents

Ron Hull, who played at center on offense and linebacker on defense, was the team captain and a first-team All-American. The team's offensive leaders were Bobby Smith with 305 passing yards and 60 points scored; Mike Haffner with 696 rushing yards; and Kermit Alexander with 271 receiving yards. [2]

The team played its home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23at Air Force *
W 19–627,500 [3]
September 30at Michigan *No. 9
L 6–2973,019 [4]
October 7at No. 8 Ohio State *
L 3–1382,992
October 14 Vanderbilt *
W 28–2123,704 [5]
October 21 Pittsburgh *
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
W 20–627,688 [6]
October 28at Stanford
W 20–035,000 [7]
November 4 California
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)
W 35–1533,792 [8]
November 10 TCU *
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
W 28–729,236
November 18 Washington
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
L 13–1733,969 [9]
November 25at USC
W 10–757,580 [10]
January 1vs. No. 6 Minnesota *
L 3–2198,214
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[11]

Awards

Ron Hull was on the field for 350 of 600 minutes during the 1961 regular season, playing at center on offense and at linebacker on defense. [12] He was selected by the Football Writers Association of America (for Look magazine) as the first-team center on the 1961 All-America team. [13] Hull also received second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press (AP).

At the end of the season, the AP released a 1961 All-Pacific Coast football team, and the AAWU released its own all-conference list limited to AAWU teams. Nine UCLA players received honors one or both: Hull (AP-1, AAWU-1); halfback Bobby Smith (AP-1, AAWU-1); quarterback/halfback Mike Haffner (AP-2, AAWU-2); tackle Foster Andersen (AP-2, AAWU-2); end Kermit Alexander (AAWU-2); end Don Vena (AAWU-2); guard Frank Macri (AAWU-2); guard Tom Paton (AAWU-2); and tackle Marshall Shirk (AAWU-2). [14] [15]

Statistics

The Bruins gained an average of 218.5 rushing yards and 68 passing yards per game and scored an average of 16.5 points a game. On defense, the team held opponents to 144.2 rushing yards and 78.9 passing yards and 11.0 points per game. [16]

The team's individual statistical leaders were:

Roster

[19]

Coaching staff

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References

  1. ↑ "1961 UCLA Bruins Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  2. ↑ "1961 UCLA Bruins Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  3. ↑ Curran, J. (September 24, 1961). "Bruins' bobby smith (3 TDs) ruins air force, 19-6". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest   167989404.
  4. ↑ Lyall Smith (October 1, 1961). "U-M, MSU Open with Bang: UCLA Ripped, 29 to 6". Detroit Free Press. pp. D1, D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Fighting Uclans edge still Vanderbilt 11". The Idaho Statesman. October 15, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Jamie Curran (October 22, 1961). "Bruins' Defense Rescues Offense, Beats Pitt, 20-6". The Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 2 (section H) – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Jamie Curran (October 29, 1961). "'Sleeping' Bruins Strike Late, Fast for 20-0 Win". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 4 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Jamie Curran (November 5, 1961). "Smith Stars as Bruins 'Fight' to Win". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 4 (section H) – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Paul Zimmerman (November 19, 1961). "Bruins Lose in 'Give-Away' Duel, 17-13: Mitchell Ignites Huskies". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 4 (section H) – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Paul Zimmerman (November 26, 1961). "UCLA Sloshes To Bowl Over USC, 10-7: Rain Pelts 57,580 at Big Battle". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 5 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "2015 UCLA Bruins Football Media Guide Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Hull Key Figure As Bruin Center". Progress-Bulletin. December 19, 1961. p. 2 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "UCLA's Hull Named on Look All-America". Los Angeles Times. December 4, 1961. p. IV-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "3 Repeat on AP All-Coast". Long Beach Independent. December 7, 1961. p. E3 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Smith, Beathard Top All-Big Five". Evening Vanguard. December 7, 1961. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "UCLA Bruins Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  17. ↑ Jamie Curran. "Stardom Comes as Surprise to UCLA Soph". Los Angeles Times. p. H5 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Jerome Hall (December 29, 1951). "Injured Profit Most Important Bruin". Long Beach Independent. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Trojans, Bruins Lineups". Los Angeles Evening Citizen. November 24, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Bruin Assistant In Line For Head Coach's Job". Valley Times. December 25, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
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