1961 Cornell Big Red football team

1961 Cornell Big Red football
ConferenceIvy League
Record3–6 (2–5 Ivy)
Head coach
Captains
  • Dave McKelvey
  • George Telesh
Home stadiumSchoellkopf Field
Seasons
← 1960
1962 →
1961 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Columbia + 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Harvard + 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Dartmouth 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Princeton 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Yale 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Cornell 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Penn 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Brown 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions

The 1961 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University as a member of the Ivy League during the 1961 college football season. In its first season under head coach Tom Harp, the team compiled a 3–6 record (2–5 in conference games), finished in sixth place in the Ivy League, and outscored opponents by a total of 143 to 137 (102 to 106 in conference games). Dave McKelvey and George Telesh were the team captains.[1][2]

Quarterback Gary Wood led the team in passing (456 yards), rushing (449 yards), and total offense (905 yards).

Cornell played its home games at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, New York.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 30 Colgate*
  • Schoellkopf Field
  • Ithaca, NY (rivalry)
W 34–0 20,000 [3]
October 7 at Harvard
L 0–14 11,000 [4]
October 14 Navy*
  • Schoellkopf Field
  • Ithaca, NY
L 7–31 22,000 [5]
October 21 Yale
  • Schoellkopf Field
  • Ithaca, NY
L 0–12 20,000 [6]
October 28 at Princeton
L 25–30 28,000 [7]
November 4 Columbia
  • Schoellkopf Field
  • Ithaca, NY (rivalry)
L 7–35 8,000 [8]
November 11 Brown
  • Schoellkopf Field
  • Ithaca, NY
W 25–0 8,000 [9]
November 18 at Dartmouth
L 14–15 11,000 [10]
November 25 at Penn
W 31–0 12,204 [11]
  • *Non-conference game

Statistics

Cornell gained an average of 193.1 rushing yards and 67.0 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up an average of 192.2 rushing yards and 46.5 passing yards per game.[12]

Quarterback Gary Wood led the team in multiple categories. He completed 28 of 75 passes (37.3%) for 456 yards with six touchdowns, three interceptins, and a 106.8 quarterback rating. He also led the team in rushing, gaining 449 yards on 94 carries (4.8-yard average) with touchdowns.[12]

Ken Hoffman was the team's leading receiver with 10 catches for 159 passing yards, an average of 25.0 yards per catch.[12]

Other significant contributors included Jim Lampkins (293 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards); George Telesh (224 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards), Tony Pascal (165 rushing yards), Bob Palmisciano (158 rushing yards), and Al Aragona (87 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards).[12]

Awards and honors

Quarterback Gary Wood was selected as a first-team player on the 1961 All-Ivy League football team. Guard Dave Thomas and back George Telesh were named to the second team. End Ken Hoffman and guard Carmine DiGiacomo received honorable mention.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Football Record Book" (PDF). Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 23. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  3. ^ McGowen, Deane (October 1, 1961). "Cornell Crushes Colgate, 34 to 0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S5.
  4. ^ Strauss, Michael (October 8, 1961). "Harvard Blanks Cornell, 14-0, in Upset; Halaby Scores Twice for Crimson". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  5. ^ Danzig, Allison (October 15, 1961). "Navy Eleven Victor over Cornell, 31-7". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  6. ^ Danzig, Allison (October 22, 1961). "Yale's Runs Sink Cornell, 12 to 0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  7. ^ Danzig, Allison (October 29, 1961). "Tigers Outscore Cornell in a 30-to-25 Ivy Thriller". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  8. ^ Werden, Lincoln A. (November 5, 1961). "Columbia Downs Cornell; Lions Gain 35-7 Victory". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  9. ^ "Cornell Routs Brown, 25-0, and Gains First Victory of Ivy League Season". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. November 12, 1961. p. S4.
  10. ^ Strauss, Michael (November 19, 1961). "Dartmouth Turns Back Cornell, 15-14, with Fourth-Period Passing Attack". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S5.
  11. ^ White, Gordon S. Jr. (November 26, 1961). "Cornell Trims Penn, 31-0, with Telesh and Lampkins Scoring Twice Each". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S3.
  12. ^ a b c d "1961 Cornell Big Red Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  13. ^ "Columbia Lands 4 On Ivy Team". The Record. November 27, 1961. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.