| 1961 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Top draft pick | Bob Ferguson |
| Champion | Ohio State |
| Runners-up | Minnesota |
| Season MVP | Sandy Stephens |
| 1961 Big Ten Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Ohio State $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Minnesota | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Michigan State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Purdue | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 Big Ten Conference football season was the 66th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1961 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, compiled an 8–0–1, won the Big Ten championship, and was recognized as the national champion by the Football Writers Association of America. Fullback Bob Ferguson was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Maxwell Award and the UPI and Sporting News College Football Player of the Year awards.
The 1961 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, under head coach Murray Warmath, compiled an 8–2, was ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll, and defeated UCLA in the 1962 Rose Bowl. Quarterback Sandy Stephens was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award as the Big Ten's most valuable player. As of 2017, Stephens is the most recent Minnesota player to win the award.
Ron Miller of Wisconsin received the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top collegiate passer.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | Woody Hayes | #2 | #2 | 8–0–1 | 4–2 | 24.6 | 9.2 | Bob Ferguson |
| 2 | Minnesota | Murray Warmath | #6 | #3 | 8–2 | 6–1 | 16.8 | 7.8 | Sandy Stephens |
| 3 | Michigan State | Duffy Daugherty | #8 | #1 | 7–2 | 5–2 | 21.3 | 5.6 | George Saimes |
| 4 | Purdue | Jack Mollenkopf | #12 | #7 | 6–3 | 4–2 | 16.2 | 9.7 | Jack Elwell |
| 5 | Wisconsin | Milt Bruhn | NR | NR | 6–4 | 4–3 | 19.9 | 17.6 | Ron Miller |
| 6 | Michigan | Bump Elliott | NR | #6 | 6–3 | 3–3 | 23.6 | 18.1 | John Walker |
| 7 (tie) | Iowa | Jerry Burns | NR | #1 | 5–4 | 2–4 | 23.9 | 18.0 | Al Hinton |
| 7 (tie) | Northwestern | Ara Parseghian | NR | NR | 4–5 | 2–4 | 14.6 | 11.7 | Boyd Melvin |
| 9 | Indiana | Phil Dickens | NR | NR | 2–7 | 0–6 | 10.7 | 18.0 | Byron Broome |
| 10 | Illinois | Pete Elliott | NR | NR | 0–9 | 0–7 | 5.9 | 32.1 | Tony Parrilli |
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1961 season [1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1961 season [1]
PPG = Average of points scored per game [1]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game [1]
MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold [2]
On November 20, 1960, hours after the final game of the 1960 season, Iowa announced that Forest Evashevski would be replaced as head football coach by Jerry Burns. Evashevski remained at Iowa as the athletic director. Burns, who signed a three-year contract, had been an assistant coach under Evashevski since 1954 and had played at Michigan from 1947 to 1950. [3]
In the preseason AP Poll, Iowa was ranked No. 1, and Ohio State was No. 2. [1]
There were no changes in the conference's head football coaches between the 1961 and 1962 seasons.
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders for the 1961 season include the following: [1]
| Rank | Name | Team | Yards [1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Miller | Wisconsin | 1,487 |
| 2 | Matt Szykowny | Iowa | 1,078 |
| 3 | Sandy Stephens | Minnesota | 869 |
| 4 | Ron DiGravio | Purdue | 861 |
| 5 | Pete Smith | Michigan State | 630 |
| Rank | Name | Team | Yards [1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Ferguson | Ohio State | 938 |
| 2 | Sandy Stephens | Minnesota | 533 |
| 3 | Dave Raimey | Michigan | 496 |
| 4 | Roy Walker | Purdue | 491 |
| 5 | Bill Swingle | Northwestern | 476 |
| Rank | Name | Team | Yards [1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pat Richter | Wisconsin | 817 |
| 2 | Cloyd Webb | Iowa | 425 |
| 3 | Jack Elwell | Purdue | 343 |
| 4 | Chuck Bryant | Ohio State | 270 |
| 5 | Lonnie Sanders | Michigan State | 247 |
| Rank | Name | Team | Yards [1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Miller | Wisconsin | 1,449 |
| 2 | Sandy Stephens | Minnesota | 1,402 |
| 3 | Ron DiGravio | Purdue | 980 |
| 4 | Matt Szykowny | Iowa | 956 |
| 5 | Bob Ferguson | Ohio State | 938 |
| Rank | Name | Team | Points [1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Ferguson | Ohio State | 66 |
| 2 | Sandy Stephens | Minnesota | 48 |
| 2 | Joe Williams | Iowa | 48 |
| 2 | George Saimes | Michigan State | 48 |
| 2 | Pat Richter | Wisconsin | 48 |
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1961 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Sandy Stephens | Minnesota | AP, UPI |
| Halfback | Bennie McRae | Michigan | AP, UPI |
| Halfback | George Saimes | Michigan State | AP, UPI |
| Fullback | Bob Ferguson | Ohio State | AP, UPI |
| End | Pat Richter | Wisconsin | AP, UPI |
| End | Jack Elwell | Purdue | AP |
| End | Tom Hall | Minnesota | UPI |
| Tackle | Bobby Bell | Minnesota | AP, UPI |
| Tackle | Dave Behrman | Michigan State | AP |
| Tackle | Fate Echols | Northwestern | UPI |
| Guard | Mike Ingram | Ohio State | AP, UPI |
| Guard | Stan Sezurek | Iowa | AP |
| Guard | Tony Parrilli | Illinois | UPI |
| Center | Larry Onesti | Northwestern | AP, UPI |
At the end of the 1961 season, Big Ten players secured two of the 11 consensus first-team picks for the 1961 College Football All-America Team. [4] The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fullback | Bob Ferguson | Ohio State | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, TSN, UPI, CP, Time, WCFF |
| Quarterback | Sandy Stephens | Minnesota | AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI, WCFF |
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Bobby Bell | Minnesota | AFCA, FWAA, TSN, CP |
| Guard | Dave Behrman | Michigan State | AP, FWAA |
| Center | Bill Van Buren | Iowa | TSN, CP |
| End | Pat Richter | Wisconsin | UPI |
| Tackle | Fate Echols | Northwestern | Time |
Ohio State fullback Bob Ferguson won the Maxwell Award and the UPI and Sporting News College Football Player of the Year awards. He finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Ernie Davis. [5]
Ron Miller of Wisconsin received the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top collegiate passer. He was the first Big Ten player to receive the award.
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1962 NFL Draft: [6]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Ferguson | Back | Ohio State | 1 | 5 |
| Fate Echols | Tackle | Northwestern | 1 | 6 |
| Bennie McRae | Back | Michigan | 2 | 21 |
| Sandy Stephens | Back | Minnesota | 2 | 25 |
| Chuck Bryant | End | Ohio State | 3 | 34 |
| Larry Ferguson | Back | Iowa | 4 | 52 |
| Stan Sczurek | Guard | Purdue | 4 | 53 |
| Bill Tunnicliff | Running back | Michigan | 5 | 63 |
| Jon Schopf | Guard | Michigan | 5 | 70 |
| Larry Bowie | Tackle | Purdue | 6 | 73 |
| John Elwell | End | Purdue | 6 | 75 |
| Sam Tidmore | End | Ohio State | 6 | 81 |
| Sherwyn Thorson | Guard | Iowa | 7 | 87 |
| Jim Bakken | Quarterback | Wisconsin | 7 | 88 |
| Ed O'Bradovich | End | Illinois | 7 | 91 |
| Tom Hall | End | Minnesota | 7 | 94 |
| John Havlicek | Wide receiver | Ohio State | 7 | 95 |
| Ron Hatcher | Running back | Michigan State | 8 | 99 |
The 1969 Big Ten Conference football season was the 74th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1969 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1970 Big Ten Conference football season was the 75th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1970 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1985 Big Ten Conference football season was the 90th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1940 Big Ten Conference football season was the 45th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1940 college football season. The University of Chicago terminated its football program after the 1939 season, leaving only nine conference members fielding football teams. However, Chicago remained a member of the conference and participated in other sports, and the conference remained known generally as the Big Ten.
The 1955 Big Ten Conference football season was the 60th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1955 college football season.
The 1957 Big Ten Conference football season was the 62nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1957 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1954 Big Ten Conference football season was the 59th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1954 college football season.
The 1967 Big Ten Conference football season was the 72nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1967 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1966 Big Ten Conference football season was the 71st season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1966 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1963 Big Ten Conference football season was the 68th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1963 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1962 Big Ten Conference football season was the 67th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1962 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1960 Big Ten Conference football season was the 65th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1960 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1959 Big Ten Conference football season was the 64th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1959 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1958 Big Ten Conference football season was the 63rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1958 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1953 Big Ten Conference football season was the 58th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1953 college football season.
The 1973 Big Ten Conference football season was the 78th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1973 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1975 Big Ten Conference football season was the 80th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1975 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1978 Big Ten Conference football season was the 83rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1979 Big Ten Conference football season was the 84th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1990 Big Ten Conference football season was the 95th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season.