1961 Miami Hurricanes football team
American college football season
The 1961 Miami Hurricanes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Miami as an independent during the 1961 college football season . In their 14th year under head coach Andy Gustafson , the Hurricanes compiled a 7–4 record, outscored opponents by a total of 146 to 85, and were ranked No. 19 in the final UPI poll . They defeated Penn State (25–8), Georgia (32–7), and Florida (15–6) in the regular season and lost to Syracuse (14–15) in the 1961 Liberty Bowl .
The team was led on offense by quarterback George Mira (896 passing yards), end Bill Miller (637 receiving yards), and fullback Jim Vollenweider (472 yards). Miller was a consensus first-team pick on the 1961 All-America college football team .
The team played its home games at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida .
Schedule
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 16 Pittsburgh L 7–1033,292 [ 1]
September 23 at Kentucky W 14–735,000 [ 2]
September 29 No. 8 Penn State W 25–845,657 [ 3]
October 6 Navy L 6–17
October 13 Colorado L 7–940,393–40,397 [ 4] [ 5]
October 27 North Carolina W 10–029,671 [ 6] [ 7]
November 3 Georgia W 32–738,210 [ 8]
November 11 at Tulane W 6–015,000 [ 9]
November 24 Northwestern W 10–646,282 [ 10]
December 2 at Florida W 15–642,000 [ 11]
December 16 vs. No. 14 Syracuse L 14–1515,712 [ 12]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 13]
Statistics
Miami players led the State of Florida in passing, total offense, rushing, and receiving:
Quarterback George Mira led in passing, completing 74 of 151 passes for 896 yards. Mira also led the state in total offense with 1,075 yards.
Miami's ends took first and second place in the state in receiving: Bill Miller with 43 receptions for 637 yards and Larry Wilson with 18 receptions for 257 yards.
Fullback Jim Vollenweider led in rushing with 472 yards on 101 carries. Vollenweider's rushing yardage also qualified him for fifth place in the state in total offense. He also tied for fourth in the state with 18 points scored.
[ 14]
Awards and honors
End Bill Miller was a consensus first-team pick on the 1961 All-America college football team , receiving first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), among others.[ 15]
Miller and quarterback George Mira were unanimous picks on the 1961 all-state football team selected in a poll of 12 Florida sports writers. Guard Bob Eggert and halfback Nick Ryder were also named to the first team. Five Miami players were named to the second team: end Larry Wilson; tackle Billy Watts; guard Jerry Reynolds; center Charley Livingston; and fullback Jim Vollenweider.[ 16]
Personnel
Players
John Bahen (#30), halfback, 175 pounds
John Bennett (#12), quarterback, 202 pounds
James Bruno (#25), fullback, 188 pounds
Dan Conners (#74), tackle, 225 pounds
Bob Dentel (#56), center, 222 pounds
Bill Diamond (#61), guard, 225 pounds
Bob Eggert (#68), guard, 190 pounds
Sam Fernandez (#46), fullback, 195 pounds
Foster (#83), punter
Ron Fritzsche (#23), halfback, 193 pounds
Leo Lillimagi (#52), center, 212 pounds
Charles Livingston (#75), center and kicker, 231 pounds
Stan Maluty (#78), tackle, 218 pounds
Bill Miller (#82), end, 192 pounds
George Mira (#10), quarterback, sophomore, 176 pounds
Jim O'Mahoney (#64), guard, 202 pounds
Frank Reinhart (#89), end, 205 pounds
Jerry Reynolds (#63), guard, 196 pounds
Ben Rizzo (#81), end, 198 pounds
Nick Ryder (#36), halfback, 190 pounds
Joe Smerdel (#67), tackle, 215 pounds
Nick Spinelli (#20), halfback, 176 pounds
Jim Vollenweider (#33), fullback, 197 pounds
Bill Watts (#77), tackle, 231 pounds
Bobby Weaver, quarterback
B. Wilson (#86), kicker
Larry Wilson (#85), end, 198 pounds
Coaches
References
^ Tommy Fitzgerald (September 17, 1961). "Martha Strikes Hard, Soaks Hurricanes, 10-7" . The Miami News . pp. 1C, 7C – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Ailing passer turns Tide for Miami" . The Sunday Courier & Press . September 24, 1961. Retrieved October 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Luther Evans (September 30, 1961). "Roaring Hurricanes Chop Up Penn State With 25-8 Lacing" . The Miami Herald . p. 16A – via Newspapers.com .
^ Luther Evans (October 14, 1961). "Colorado Stands Off Hurricanes' Tardy Comeback Bid to Escape with 9-7 Verdict" . The Miami Herald . pp. 19A, 21A – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Colorado Football 2023 Record Book" (PDF) . University of Colorado Boulder . p. 30. Retrieved October 23, 2023 .
^ Luther Evans (October 28, 1961). "Hurricanes 'Rain' as Mira and Company Shower Tar Heels With 10 to 0 Soaking" . The Miami Herald . pp. 1D, 4D – via Newspapers.com .
^ Gene Warren (October 28, 1961). "Miami Defeats Carolina 10-0 In Rain-Swept Battle: Mira Sparks Hurricanes To Late TD" . Greensboro Daily News . pp. B2, B4 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Miami beats Georgia, 32–7; Mira scores two" . The Warren County Observer . November 4, 1961. Retrieved October 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Miami squeaks past fumbling Tulane, 6–0" . The Miami Herald . November 12, 1961. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Tommy Fitzgerald (November 25, 1961). "A Night Of Records For Mira And Miller" . The Miami News . pp. 1B, 4B – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Mira cranks up, Miami gets win" . The Nashville Tennessean . December 3, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ John Dell (December 17, 1961). "Syracuse Shades Miami in 2d Half, 15-14" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . pp. 1S, 8S – via Newspapers.com .
^ "1961 Football Schedule" . Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2016 .
^ "Mira Leads State" . The Miami Herald . December 7, 1961. p. 7D – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 9. Retrieved October 21, 2017 .
^ "Mira, Miller Top Team of All-State Gridders" . The Bradenton Herald . December 10, 1961. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com .
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