1961 SMU Mustangs football team
American college football season
| 1961 SMU Mustangs football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southwest Conference |
| Record | 2–7–1 (1–5–1 SWC) |
| Head coach |
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| Captain | Bobby Hunt, Max Christian, Mike Rice |
| Home stadium | Cotton Bowl |
Seasons | |
| Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Texas + | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Arkansas + | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TCU | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baylor | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Tech | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 SMU Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Bill Meek, the Mustangs compiled a 2–7–1 record (1–5–1 in conference games), finished last out of eight teams in the SWC, and were outscored by a total of 191 to 92.[1]
The team's statistical leaders were Jerry Rhome (693 passing yards), Billy Gannon (187 rushing yards), and Buddy Nichols (161 receiving yards).[2]
A few hours after the final game of the season, SMU announced that Meek had been fired as the team's head coach.[3] In five seasons under Meek, SMU won only 10 SWC games and compiled an overall record of 17–29–4.
The team played its home games at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23 | Maryland* |
| L 6–14 | 17,000 | [4] |
| September 29 | at USC* | L 16–21 | 29,148 | [5] | |
| October 7 | Air Force* |
| W 9–7 | 28,000 | |
| October 21 | at Rice |
| L 0–10 | 37,000 | [6] |
| October 28 | Texas Tech |
| W 8–7 | 17,000 | [7] |
| November 4 | No. 3 Texas |
| L 0–27 | 41,000 | [8] |
| November 11 | at Texas A&M | L 12–25 | 18,000 | [9] | |
| November 18 | Arkansas |
| L 7–21 | 17,000 | [10] |
| November 25 | at Baylor | L 6–31 | 17,000 | [11] | |
| December 2 | at TCU | T 28–28 | 20,000 | [3] | |
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Roster
| 1961 SMU Mustangs football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||
Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
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References
- ^ "1961 SMU Mustangs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ "1961 SMU Mustangs Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Bill Van Fleet (December 3, 1961). "Ponies Fight Back, Tie TCU, 28-28: Big Rallies Mark Wild SWC Fray". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1, 4 (section 2).
- ^ "Terps stymie late SMU drives, post 14–6 victory". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 24, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Al Wolf (September 30, 1961). "Brown Runs 93 For TD; Trojans Win; 29,148 See SMU Bow, 21-16". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 4 (part II) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Paul Brookshire (October 22, 1961). "Owls Score in First Half To Beat Mustangs, 10-0". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 3 (section 2) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Galyn Wilkins (October 29, 1961). "Ponies Pin 8-7 Defeat On Raiders". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1, 4 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Saxton puts Texas by SMU". The Victoria Advocate. November 5, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ George Wallace (November 12, 1961). "Aggies Stop Pony Star, Win, 25-12: Cadets Control Ball In Fourth Quarter". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1, 4 (section 2) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Herb Owens (November 19, 1961). "Hogs Whip Ponies, 21-7, Pull Into Tie for Lead". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 2 (section 2) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dave Campbell (November 26, 1961). "Bruins Explode Early, Bury Mustangs; Stanley Sets Air Mark in 31-6 Romp". Waco Tribune-Herald. pp. 1B, 2B – via Newspapers.com.
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