1961 Ithaca Bombers football team

The 1961 Ithaca Bombers football team was an American football team that represented Ithaca College as an independent during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth season under head coach Richard S. Lyon, the Bombers compiled a 4–4 record and outscored opponents by a total of 176 to 101.[1]

1961 Ithaca Bombers football
ConferenceIndependent
Record4–4
Head coach
Home stadiumSouth Hill Field
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

Quarterback Larry Karas tallied 785 passing yards to break the school's single-season passing record, and right halfback Bill O'Dell scored 10 touchdowns to break the school's single-season scoring record.

The team played its home games at South Hill Field in Ithaca, New York.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23West Chester
L 7–13700–3,000[2][3]
September 30at HobartGeneva, NYW 19–61,600
October 7at King's (PA)Wilkes-Barre, PAW 40–131,700
October 14Cortland State
  • South Hill Field
  • Ithaca, NY
W 34–01,000–2,000[4]
October 21Southern Connecticut State
  • South Hill Field
  • Ithaca, NY
L 0–211,000–2,000[5][6]
October 28at C. W. PostBrookville, NYL 20–263,000[7]
November 4Alfred
  • South Hill Field
  • Ithaca, NY
L 7–14600[8]
November 11at BrockportBrockport, NYW 49–81,100

[9]

Statistics

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The 1961 Bombers gained 2,263 yards of total offense (282.8 yards per game), consisting of 1,317 rushing yards (164 yards per game) and 1,107 passing yards (138.3 yards per game). On defense, they gave up 2,064 yards to their opponents (258 yards per game), including 1,114 rushing yards (148 yards per game) and 950 passing yards (118.7 yards per game).[9]

Junior quarterback Larry Karas led the team in both passing (40-for-76 for 785 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions) and total offense (784 yards).[9] Karas's tally of 785 passing yards broke Ithaca's prior single-season record of 600 yards set one year earlier by Charles Brady[10]

Junior right halfback Bill O'Dell led the team in rushing (521 yards, 84 carries, 6.2 yards per carry), receiving (17 receptions, 382 yards), and scoring (10 touchdowns, 60 points).[9][10] His 10 touchdowns broke Ithaca's single-season record of nine touchdowns set in 1958 by Dick Carmean.[10]

End Jack Yengo handled punting, tallying 24 punts for 977 yards, an average of 40.7 yards per punt.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "2010 Media Guide" (PDF). Ithaca college. 2010. p. 33.
  2. ^ Kenny Van Sickle (September 25, 1961). "College's Strong Second Half Drive Falls Short". The Ithaca Journal. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics (Cortland State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "College Blanked By Owl Eleven". The Ithaca Journal. October 23, 1961. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Southern Connecticut State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  7. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (C. W. Post)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  8. ^ "IC Footballers Rest Today; Fumbles Costly in Setback". The Ithaca Journal. November 6, 1961. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics (Ithaca)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "IC Gridders Break Records". the Ithaca Journal. November 29, 1961. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.