Wikipedia

1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team

The 1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team was an American football team that represented Syracuse University as an independent during the 1961 college football season. In their 13th year underhead coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the Orangemen compiled an 8–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 253 to 117, and defeated Miami (FL) in the 1961 Liberty Bowl. They were ranked No. 14 in the final AP poll and No. 16 in the final UPI poll.[2]

1961 Syracuse Orangemen football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 15–14 vs. Miami (FL)
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 16
APNo. 14
Record8–3
Head coach
CaptainDick Easterly[1]
Home stadiumArchbold Stadium
Seasons
← 1960
1962 →
1961 Eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Middlebury   –   5 – 1 – 1
Villanova   –   8 – 2 – 0
Southern Connecticut State   –   7 – 2 – 0
Alfred   –   6 – 2 – 0
Montclair State   –   6 – 2 – 0
Delaware Valley   –   6 – 2 – 0
No. 17 Penn State   –   8 – 3 – 0
No. 14 Syracuse   –   8 – 3 – 0
Trinity (CT)   –   5 – 2 – 1
Holy Cross   –   7 – 3 – 0
C. W. Post   –   6 – 3 – 0
Army   –   6 – 4 – 0
Merchant Marine   –   6 – 4 – 0
Tufts   –   5 – 3 – 0
Rochester   –   5 – 3 – 0
Hamilton   –   4 – 3 – 0
Cortland State   –   4 – 3 – 0
American International   –   5 – 4 – 0
Colgate   –   5 – 4 – 0
Northeastern   –   4 – 4 – 0
Coast Guard   –   4 – 4 – 0
Ithaca   –   4 – 4 – 0
Boston University   –   4 – 5 – 0
Buffalo   –   4 – 5 – 0
Bridgeport   –   4 – 5 – 0
Norwich   –   3 – 4 – 1
Worcester Tech   –   3 – 4 – 0
Boston College   –   4 – 6 – 0
Union (NY)   –   3 – 5 – 0
Pittsburgh   –   3 – 7 – 0
Nichols   –   2 – 3 – 0
Trenton State   –   1 – 6 – 0
King's (PA)   –   1 – 8 – 0
Springfield   –   0 – 7 – 1
Brockport   –   0 – 7 – 0
RPI   –   0 – 7 – 0
Hobart   –   0 – 8 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

Running back Ernie Davis rushed for 823 yards and 12 touchdowns, was selected as a consensus All-American, and became the first African-American player to win the Heisman Trophy.

The team played its home games at Archbold Stadium in Syracuse, New York.

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23at Oregon StateNo. 10
W 19–835,729
September 30West VirginiaNo. 5
W 29–1425,000[3]
October 7at MarylandNo. 7
L 21–2235,000[4]
October 14at Nebraska
W 28–635,387
October 21at Penn State
L 0–1444,390[5]
October 28Holy Cross
  • Archbold Stadium
  • Syracuse, NY
W 34–631,000[6]
November 4Pittsburgh
  • Archbold Stadium
  • Syracuse, NY (rivalry)
W 28–940,000[7]
November 11Colgate
  • Archbold Stadium
  • Syracuse, NY (rivalry)
W 51–825,000[8]
November 18at Notre DameNo. 10
L 15–1749,246[9]
November 25at Boston College
W 28–1317,600
December 16vs. Miami (FL)No. 14
W 15–1415,712[10]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[1]

Statistics

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Quarterback Dave Sarette was the team's passing leader. He completed 56 of 106 passes (51.9%) for 813 yards for nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.[11]

Ernie Davis led the team in rushing with 823 yards on 150 carries for an average gain of 5.5 yards per attempt. Davis also caught 16 passes for 157 yards. He also led the team in scoring with 84 points on 14 touchdowns.[11]

Davis was followed by Gary Fallon (299 yards, 66 carries, 4.5-yard average) and Bill Meyers (163 yards, 23 carries, 7.1-yard average).[11]

The team's leading receivers were John Mackey (15 receptions, 321 yards) and Dick Easterly (12 receptions, 207 yards).[11] Mackey later played tight end for the Baltimore Colts and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Awards and honors

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Halfback Ernie Davis received numerous awards at the end of the 1961 season including the following:

Davis was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 1962 NFL draft, but he was diagnosed with leukemia, never played professional football, and died in May 1963. He was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979.[15][14]

Four Syracuse players received honors from the AP or UPI on the 1961 All-Eastern football team: halfback Ernie Davis (AP-1, UPI-1), tackle John Brown, end John Mackey (AP-2, UPI-3), and center Bob Stern (UPI-2).[16][17]

1962 NFL draft

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Player Round Pick Position Club
Ernie Davis 1 1 Running back Washington Redskins
Pete Brokaw 8 107 Back Baltimore Colts
George Francovitch 10 131 Guard St. Louis Cardinals
Gary Fallon 12 157 Halfback Minnesota Vikings
Dick Easterly 14 190 Back San Francisco 49ers
Bob Stem 19 265 Center New York Giants

[18]

Ernie Davis was the first black player to be chosen first overall in the NFL Draft.[19][20] Davis was drafted by the Washington Redskins then traded to the Clevand Browns in the first round of the 1962 American Football League draft.[21][22] However, he never played in the NFL; he was diagnosed with leukemia shortly before he was to enter the league, and he died in May 1963, less than a year after his diagnosis.

References

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  1. ^ a b "2017 Syracuse football media guide" (PDF).. pg. 148
  2. ^ "1961 Syracuse Orange Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "SU takes to the air". Sunday Press. October 1, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Maryland nips Orange". Sunday Call-Chronicle. October 8, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Syracuse Ailing, Hall Operating: State, 14-0, Holds Ernie To 36 Yards". The Sunday Press (Binghamton, NY). October 22, 1961. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Syracuse Crushes H.C., 34-6". The Boston Globe. October 29, 1961. p. 63 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Syracuse Rolls, 28-9; Davis Eclipses Brown". New York Daily News. November 5, 1961. p. 35C – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Werden, Lincoln A. (November 12, 1961). "Syracuse Routs Colgate, 51 to 8". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  9. ^ Joe Doyle (November 19, 1961). "Irish Stun Orange, 17-15: Second-Shot Field Goal Electrifying; Perkowski Boots 41-Yarder After Time Runs Out". The South Bend Tribune. pp. 1, 39 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ John Dell (December 17, 1961). "Syracuse Shades Miami in 2d Half, 15-14". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. 1S, 8S – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d "1961 Syracuse Orange Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Syracuse Back Enrie Davis Captures Heisman Trophy". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. November 29, 1961. p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 9. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Ernie Davis Dies Of Leukemia". The Ithaca Journal. May 18, 1963. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Ernie Davis". National Football Foundation. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  16. ^ "Kroll and Simms Are Voted To AP All-East First Team". The Daily Home News. December 1, 1961. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Penn State Puts Three on All-Eastern Team". The Beaver County Times. December 7, 1961. p. 18.
  18. ^ "Reference at www.pro-football-reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  19. ^ "Washington Picks 1st Negro on Team". Petaluma Argus-Courier. AP. December 4, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved December 18, 2020.  
  20. ^ Sports Illustrated, October 13, 2008, p.24
  21. ^ "Ernie Davis Joins Cleveland Browns". Syracuse Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. December 23, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved December 18, 2020.  
  22. ^ Rockin’ the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, p.564, Jeffrey J. Miller, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1-55022-797-0
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