The 1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Fresno State College (now known as California State University, Fresno) as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1961 college football season. In their third year head coach Cecil Coleman, the Bulldogs compiled a perfect 10–0 record (5–0 in conference games), won the CCAA championship for the fourth consecutive year, and outscored opponents by a total of 256 to 119.
| 1961 Fresno State Bulldogs football | |
|---|---|
CCAA champion | |
Mercy Bowl, W 36–6 vs. Bowling Green | |
| Conference | California Collegiate Athletic Association |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 5 (UPI small college) |
| AP | No. 3 (AP small college) |
| Record | 10–0 (5–0 CCAA) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Ratcliffe Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3/5 Fresno State $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles State | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Long Beach State | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UC Santa Barbara | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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At the end of the season, Fresno State took part in a charity bowl game, the Mercy Bowl, against Bowling Green. The game was played as a fundraiser in memory of 16 Cal Poly Mustangs football players killed in a plane crash following a game against Bowling Green a year earlier.[1]
The team played its home games at Ratcliffe Stadium on the campus of Fresno City College in Fresno, California.
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23 | vs. Montana State* |
| W 16–13 | 6,000–6,800 | [2][3] | |
| September 30 | UC Santa Barbara | W 22–14 | 9,066–10,500 | |||
| October 7 | at Pacific (CA)* | W 20–19 | 9,500–10,000 | |||
| October 14 | at Cal Poly | W 42–13 | 6,000–7,250 | [4] | ||
| October 21 | Los Angeles State | No. 10 |
| W 35–6 | 11,151–13,000 | |
| October 28 | San Diego State | No. 6 |
| W 27–6 | 6,595–8,000 | [5] |
| November 3 | at Long Beach State | No. 6 | W 37–14 | 4,800–5,000 | ||
| November 11 | Abilene Christian* | No. 5 |
| W 21–7 | 9,960–11,500 | |
| November 18 | San Jose State* | No. 3 |
| W 36–27 | 14,141–15,000 | |
| November 23 | vs. Bowling Green* | No. 3 | W 36–6 | 33,146 | [6] | |
| ||||||
Statistics
editThe team tallied 2,825 yards of total offense (313.9 yards per game), consisting of 1,798 rushing yards and 1,027 passing yards. On defense, the Bulldogs gave up 1,938 yards to opponents, including 1,069 rushing yards and 869 passing yards.[7]
Quarterback Beau Carter led the team in passing, completing 43 of 86 passes (50%) for 557 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He ranked second on the team in rushing with 480 yards on 59 carries. He also led the team in total offense with 981 yards ans scoring with 43 yards on six touchdowns, three extra point kicks, and a pair of two-point conversion runs.[7]
Halfback Bill Kendrick led the team in rushing with 468 yards on 84 carries. End Gerald Houser led the team in receiving with 20 catches for 245 yards.[7]
Awards and seasons
editFive Fresno State players were selected by the conference coaches as first-team players on the 1961 All-CCAA football team: back Bill Kendrick; tackles Montie Day and Sonny Biship; guard Doug Brown; and center J. R. Williams.[9]
Professional football
editThe following were selected in the 1962 NFL draft.[10][11]
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL Team |
| Jesse Williams | Center | 10 | 138 | New York Giants |
| Bill Knocke | Halfback | 17 | 233 | Baltimore Colts |
| Sonny Bishop | Guard | 18 | 249 | Cleveland Browns |
| John Anabo | Quarterback | 19 | 263 | Cleveland Browns |
The following were selected in the 1962 AFL Draft.[10]
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | AFL Team |
| Sonny Bishop | Guard | 11 | 88 | San Diego Chargers |
| Jesse Williams | Center | 21 | 168 | San Diego Chargers |
References
edit- ^ "L.A.'s Last Bowl? 1961 Mercy Bowl". January 5, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "Bulldogs Squeeze Out 16-13 Win Over MSC". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. September 24, 1961. p. 15. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ Howard Hagen (October 29, 1961). "Fresno's Barrage Rips Aztecs". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. B-1.
- ^ "'Perfect' Bulldogs Leave Coliseum Imprint: FSC Puts On Dazzler In 36-6 Victory". The Fresno Bee. November 24, 1961. pp. 1B, 7B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics". NCAA. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Fresno State Puts Five on All-Stars In All-Cal Circuit". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. December 2, 1961. p. A21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "1962 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ "Fresno St. Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
