1961 small college football rankings
The 1961 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1961 college football season, including the 1961 NCAA College Division football season and the 1961 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of experts, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches from throughout the country.
In its final rankings, the AP selected the 1961 Pittsburg State Gorillas football team as the small-college national champion. The Gorillas finished the season with a perfect 11–0 record, shut out seven opponents, and defeated Linfield in the Camellia Bowl. For its second through fifth spots, the AP selected four other undefeated teams: Baldwin–Wallace (9–0); Fresno State (10–0); Florida A&M (10–0); and Whittier (8–0).
The UPI board of coaches also selected Pittsburg as the small-college champion with first-place votes from 14 of the participating coaches and 250 total points. The UPI rated Baldwin–Wallace second, Mississippi Southern (8–2) third, and Southeastern Louisiana (9–1) fourth.[1]
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) also conducted a poll of coaches at the end of the 1961 season. Pittsburg was selected as the national champion in the NAIA poll.
Legend[edit]
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
(#–#)
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Win–loss record | |
(Italics)
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Number of first place votes | |
т
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Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
The AP poll[edit]
| Week 1 Oct 5[2] | Week 2 Oct 12[3] | Week 3 Oct 19[4] | Week 4 Oct 26[5] | Week 5 Nov 2[6] | Week 6 Nov 9[7] | Week 7 Nov 16[8] | Week 8 Nov 23[9] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Texas A&I | Texas A&I (3–0) (5) | Pittsburg State (5–0) (3) | Pittsburg State (6–0) (4) | Pittsburg State (7–0) (6) | Pittsburg State (8–0) (3) | Pittsburg State (9–0) (5) | Pittsburg State (9–0) (5) | 1. |
| 2. | Hillsdale (1) | Humboldt State (3–0) (2) | Baldwin–Wallace (4–0) | Northern Michigan (5–1) | Baldwin–Wallace (5–0) | Baldwin–Wallace (6–0) (1) | Baldwin–Wallace (8–0) | Baldwin–Wallace (9–0) | 2. |
| 3. | Southeastern Louisiana (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (4–0) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (4–0) | Baldwin–Wallace (4–0) (2) | Southeastern Louisiana (7–0) | Southeastern Louisiana (6–0) (2) | Fresno State (8–0) | Fresno State (9–0) | 3. |
| 4. | Southern Illinois | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Northern Michigan (4–1) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (6–0) | Northern Michigan (5–1) | Northern Michigan (6–1) | Whittier (8–0) | Florida A&M (8–0) | 4. |
| 5. | Humboldt State | Southern Illinois | Whittier (5–0) | Whittier | Whittier | Fresno State (7–0) | Florida A&M (7–0) | Whittier (9–0) | 5. |
| 6. | Mississippi Southern | Northern Michigan (3–1) | Hofstra (3–0) | Fresno State (5–0) | Fresno State (6–0) | Florida A&M (6–0) | Lehigh (6–2) | Lehigh (7–2) | 6. |
| 7. | Pittsburg State | Baldwin–Wallace (3–0) | Texas A&I (3–1) (1) | Hofstra (4–0) т | Florida A&M (5–0) | Whittier (7–0) | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1–1) (1) | Linfield (9–0) (1) | 7. |
| 8. | Northern Michigan | Delaware (3–0) | Lamar Tech (4–0) | Northwestern State (6–0) (1) т [note 1] | Mississippi Southern (5–1) | Lehigh | Linfield (8–0) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (9–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Lehigh (1) | Whittier (4–0) (1) | West Chester (4–0) (1) | West Chester | Lenoir–Rhyne | Linfield (7–0) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (6–1) | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1–1) (1) | 9. |
| 10. | Newberry (1) т | West Chester (3–0) (1) | Fresno State (5–0) | Mississippi Southern (5–1) | Lamar Tech (1) т | Lenoir–Rhyne (6–1–1) (1) | Amherst (9–0) (1) | Butler (9–0) т | 10. |
| 11. | Southern (1) т | Linfield т | Mississippi Southern (7–2) т | 11. | |||||
| Week 1 Oct 5[2] | Week 2 Oct 12[3] | Week 3 Oct 19[4] | Week 4 Oct 26[5] | Week 5 Nov 2[6] | Week 6 Nov 9[7] | Week 7 Nov 16[8] | Week 8 Nov 23[9] | ||
Dropped:
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| Dropped:
| Dropped: 4 Northern Michigan | Dropped: 10 Amherst |
The UPI Coaches poll[edit]
| Week 1 Oct 4[10] | Week 2 Oct 11[11] | Week 3 Oct 18[12] | Week 4 Oct 25[13] | Week 5 Nov 1[14] | Week 6 Nov 8[15] | Week 7 Nov 15[16] | Week 8 Nov 22[17] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mississippi Southern (7) | Mississippi Southern (3–0) | Northern Michigan (4–1) (5) | Northern Michigan (5–1) (14) | Mississippi Southern (5–1) (14) | Pittsburg State (8–0) (9) | Pittsburg State (9–0) (13) | Pittsburg State (9–0) (14) | 1. |
| 2. | Hillsdale (7) т | Northern Michigan (3–1) | Mississippi Southern (3–1) (9) | Mississippi Southern (4–1) (10) | Pittsburg State (7–0) (3) | Northern Michigan (6–1) (4) | Baldwin–Wallace (8–0) (3) | Baldwin–Wallace (9–0) (1) | 2. |
| 3. | Kent State (2) т | Louisiana Tech (3–0) | Louisiana Tech (3–1) (2) | Pittsburg State (6–0) (3) | Northern Michigan (5–1) (3) | Southeastern Louisiana (6–0) (8) | Mississippi Southern (6–2) (5) | Mississippi Southern (7–2) (4) | 3. |
| 4. | Humboldt State (4) т | Texas A&I (3–0) | Texas A&I (3–1) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (6–0) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (7–0) (5) | Mississippi Southern (5–2) (6) | Southeastern Louisiana (6–1) (4) | Southeastern Louisiana (9–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Louisiana Tech (2) т | Delaware (3–0) | Fresno State (4–0) (3) | Fresno State (5–0) (1) | Fresno State (6–0) (2) | Baldwin–Wallace (6–0) (1) | Fresno State (8–0) (5) | Fresno State (9–0) (8) | 5. |
| 6. | Northern Michigan | Humboldt State (3–0) | Southeastern Louisiana (5–0) (2) | Baldwin–Wallace (4–0) (3) | Baldwin–Wallace (5–0) (2) | Fresno State (7–0) (4) | Florida A&M (7–0) (1) | Florida A&M (8–0) | 6. |
| 7. | Texas A&I (3) | Fresno State (3–0) | Pittsburg State (5–0) (3) | Hofstra (4–0) (1) | Idaho State (5–0) (2) | Wheaton (IL) (8–0) | Northern Michigan (6–2) (1) | Wheaton (IL) (8–0) | 7. |
| 8. | Delaware (1) | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Hofstra (3–0) (2) | Louisiana Tech (3–2) | Wheaton (IL) (7–0) | Florida A&M (6–0) (1) | Wheaton (IL) (8–0) | Whittier (9–0) | 8. |
| 9. | Arkansas State (3) | Southeastern Louisiana (4–0) | Humboldt State (3–1) | Wheaton (IL) (6–0) (1) | Florida A&M (5–0) (1) | Idaho State (5–1) | Butler (8–0) | Butler (9–0) | 9. |
| 10. | Chattanooga (1) т | Kent State (2–2) | Baldwin–Wallace (3–0) (1) | Idaho State (4–0) | West Chester (5–1) | Butler (7–0) | Whittier (8–0) | Northern Michigan (6–2) | 10. |
| 11. | Pittsburg State (1) т | Baldwin–Wallace | Idaho State (1) | Texas A&I | Butler | Lehigh (1) | Idaho State | Lehigh (7–2) т | 11. |
| 12. | Fresno State (1) | Arkansas State | Wheaton (IL) (1) | West Chester | Louisiana Tech | Delaware т | Central State (OK) | Linfield (9–0) т | 12. |
| 13. | Lenoir–Rhyne | Hillsdale т | Kent State | Butler | Texas A&I | Lenoir–Rhyne (6–1–1) т | Linfield (8–0) | Idaho State | 13. |
| 14. | Louisville (1) | Southern Illinois т | Butler | Humboldt State | Whittier | Northwestern State | Amherst (7–0) т | Central State (OK) | 14. |
| 15. | Southeastern Louisiana (1) | Idaho State | Florida A&M | Northwestern State (6–0) (1) | Humboldt State | Amherst | Lehigh (6–2) т | Northern State | 15. |
| 16. | Lamar Tech | Lenoir–Rhyne | Hillsdale (1) | Florida A&M | Northwestern State | Humboldt State | Tampa | Humboldt State т | 16. |
| 17. | Baldwin–Wallace т | Louisville | Lamar Tech (4–0) (2) | Lamar Tech | Lenoir–Rhyne | Whittier (7–0) | Humboldt State т | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1–1) т | 17. |
| 18. | Butler т | Wheaton (IL) | Lenoir–Rhyne | Montana State | Lamar Tech | Texas A&I | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1–1) т | Tampa | 18. |
| 19. | East Texas State т | Butler т | Lehigh | Albright (4–0) т | Southern Illinois | Northern State (7–0) | Louisiana Tech | Chattanooga | 19. |
| 20. | Florida A&M т | Lehigh т | Montana State | Lenoir–Rhyne т | Hofstra | Central State (OK) т | Southern Illinois | Ottawa | 20. |
| 21. | Idaho State т | Chattanooga т | 21. | ||||||
| Week 1 Oct 4[10] | Week 2 Oct 11[11] | Week 3 Oct 18[12] | Week 4 Oct 25[13] | Week 5 Nov 1[14] | Week 6 Nov 8[15] | Week 7 Nov 15[16] | Week 8 Nov 22[17] | ||
Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
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NAIA coaches poll[edit]
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) also conducted a poll of coaches at the end of the 1961 season. The NAIA coaches poll ranked the top 20 teams as follows:[18]
1. Pittsburg
2. Baldwin-Wallace
3. Linfield
4. Whittier
5. Florida A&M
6. Northern State (South Dakota)
7. Southeastern Louisiana
8. Tampa
9. Central State (OK)
10. McNeese State
11. Panhandle A&M
12. Parsons
13. Humboldt State
14. Millikin
15. Lenoir-Rhyne
16. Ollgwa
17. Arkansas Tech
18. University of Minnesota-Duluth
19. Missouri Valley
20. Westchester
Pittsburgh Courier rankings[edit]
The Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1961 teams from historically black colleges and universities in an era when college football was often racially segregated.
The rankings were published on December 2:[19]
- 1. Florida A&M (10–0)
- 2. Jackson State (9–1)
- 3. North Carolina College (7–0–2)
- 4. Grambling (8–2)
- 5. Southern (7–3)
- 6. Texas Southern (6–3)
- 7. North Carolina A&T (5–4)
- 8. Winston-Salem State (6–1–1)
- 9. Johnson C. Smith (8–1)
- 10. Morris Brown (6–4)
- 11. Maryland State (4–2–1)
- 12. Prairie View A&M (5–4–1)
- 13. Tennessee A&I (4–4–1)
- 14. Central State (7–1)
- 15. Alabama A&M (7–1)
Notes[edit]
- ^ In the actual printed polls, Northwestern State was listed as Northwestern Louisiana
References[edit]
- ^ "HSC 16th In Final UPI Small College Grid Poll". Humboldt Standard. November 22, 1961. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Newberry 10th In Grid Poll". The Index-Journal. Greenwood, South Carolina. October 5, 1961. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Texas A&I Leads Poll". Ironwood Daily Globe. Ironwood, Michigan. October 13, 1961. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kansas Pitt Tops Poll". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. October 20, 1961. p. 2-D. Retrieved January 25, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gorillas Lead Small College Football Poll". Alton Evening Telegraph. Alton, Illinois. October 26, 1961. p. 15. Retrieved January 25, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pittsburg State Has Wide Lead In AP Poll". The Salina Journal. Salina, Kansas. November 2, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pittsburg Tops Small Colleges". Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. November 9, 1961. p. 6. Retrieved January 25, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Major Shakeup In Small College Top 10". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. November 16, 1961. p. 4-C. Retrieved January 25, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kansas School Nabs Small College Honor". The Lawton Constitution. Lawton, Oklahoma. November 23, 1961. p. 26. Retrieved January 25, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mississippians Small College Poll Leaders". Medford Mail Tribune. Medford, Oregon. October 4, 1961. p. B 3. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mississippi Southern Top Small College In UPI Poll". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. October 12, 1961. p. 18. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Louisiana Tech 3rd On UPI List". The Monroe News-Star. Monroe, Louisiana. October 18, 1961. p. 4B. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "No. Michigan Leads UPI Poll, But May Forfeit". The Yuma Daily Sun. Yuma, Arizona. October 26, 1961. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mississippi Southern Takes Lead In Small College Poll". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. November 2, 1961. p. 2-D. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Idaho State ninth in poll". The Bend Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. November 9, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Butler rated 9th in class". The Alexandria Times-Tribune. Alexandria, Indiana. November 15, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "HSC 16th In Final UPI Small College Grid Poll". Eureka Humboldt Standard. Eureka, California. November 22, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved February 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Linfield Third As Whittier Fourth; Pittsburg Top Team". Humboldt Standard. November 22, 1961. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Parade". Pittsburgh Courier (p. 43). December 2, 1961.
