Wikipedia

1961 Davidson Wildcats football team

The 1961 Davidson Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Davidson College as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1961 college football season. In their tenth year under head coach Bill Dole, the Wildcats compiled a 4–4 record (1–4 in conference game), finished in eighth place in the SoCon, and were outscored by a total of 163 to 138.[1]

1961 Davidson Wildcats football
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record4–4 (1–4 SoCon)
Head coach
Home stadiumRichardson Stadium
Seasons
← 1960
1962 →
1961 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
The Citadel $ 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Richmond 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
VMI 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
West Virginia 2 – 1 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Furman 2 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
George Washington 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Virginia Tech 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Davidson 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0
William & Mary 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion

Quarterback Earl Cole led the team with 759 passing yards and nine touchdown passes.[2]

The team played its home games at Richardson Stadium in Davidson, North Carolina.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16vs. Catawba*
W 21–15[3]
September 23at Furman
L 19–458,500[4]
September 30at The Citadel
L 12–20[5]
October 14Presbyterian*
W 21–76,500[6]
October 21VMI
  • Richardson Stadium
  • Davidson, NC
L 0–13[7]
October 28at Richmond
L 0–203,000[8]
November 4at William & Mary
W 31–30[9]
November 11Wofford*
  • Richardson Stadium
  • Davidson, NC
W 34–135,500[10]
  • *Non-conference game

Statistics

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The Wildcats tallied an average of 157.0 rushing yards and 114.5 passing yards per game. On defense, they gained 149.1 rushing yards and 127.5 passing yards per game.[2]

Quarterback Earl Cole completed 56 of 136 passes (41.2%) for 758 yards with nine touchdowns, five interceptions and a 102.5 quarterback rating. Backup quarterback Ben Coxton completed seven of 16 passes for 119 yards.[2]

The team had five backs with at least 100 rushing yards: Alex Gibbs (259 yards, 58 carries, 4.5-yard average), Jim Fuller (204 yards, 55 carries, 3.7-yard average), Jerry Sheffield (165 yards, 16 carries, 10.3-yard average), Joe Jones (126 yards, 39 carries, 3.2-yard average), and Dave Lopp (116 yards, 21 carries, 5.5-yard average).[2]

The team's passing leaders were Jerry Sheffield (11 receptions, 194 yards), Alex Gibbs (14 receptions, 176 yards), Lou Zirkle (13 receptions, 167 yards), and Booker Clarke (nine receptions, 139 yards).[2]

Awards and honors

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End Booker Clark received honorable mention on the 1961 All-Southern Conference football team.[11]

Personnel

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Players

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  • Booker Clark, end, senior, 6'1", 164 pounds, Statesville, NC
  • Earl Cole, quarterback, sophomore, 5'11", 166 pounds, Wilmington, NC
  • Ben Coxton, quarterback, sophomore, 6'0", 190 pounds, Garden, VA,
  • Jim Fuller, halfback, junior, 6'0", 205 pounds, Thomasville, NC
  • Alex Gibbs, halfback, sophomore, 5'9", 170 pounds, High Point, NC
  • Joe Jones, halfback, sophomore, 5'9", 168 pounds, High Point, NC
  • Dave Lopp, halfback, sophomore, 5'9", 164 pounds, Lexington, NC
  • Lynwood Mallard, fullback, senior, 5'10", 184 pounds, Charlotte, NC
  • Bob McAllister, fullback, senior, 6'0", 195 pounds, Staunton, VA
  • Duncan Morgan/Morton, halfback, senior, 6'0", 162 pounds, Charlotte, NC
  • Jerry Sheffield, end, sophomore, 6'1", 190 pounds, Winston-Salem, NC
  • Lou Zirkle, end, sophomore, 6'2", 164 pounds, Conway, SC

[2][12]

Coaching staff

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  • Head coach: Bill Dole
  • Assistant coaches: Thrift, Stevens, Shue

References

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  1. ^ "1961 Davidson Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "1961 Davidson Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "Davidson gains 21–15 victory over Catawba". Durham Sunday Herald. September 17, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Furman clobbers Davidson, 45–19". The Macon News. September 24, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Sid Mitchell sparks Citadel win, 20–12". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 1, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Davidson tops Presbyterian". The Times and Democrat. October 15, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Keydets score late for 13–0 conference win over 'Cats". The Progress-Index. October 22, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Richmond rips Davidson, 20–0". The Charlotte Observer. October 29, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Davidson wins, 31–30, as W&M heroics fail". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 5, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Sheffield, Cole spark Wildcats in 34–13 win against Wofford". The Greenville News. November 12, 1961. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "1961 All-Southern Team: FU's Campbell Repeats; Gilgo And Eastern Named". The Greenville News. November 29, 1961. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Davidson College Roster". Winston-Salem Journal. September 10, 1961. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
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