| 1961 Furman Purple Hurricane football | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait | |
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Record | 7–3 (2–2 SoCon) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Tony Carmignani |
| Captain | Billy Canty John Tew |
| Home stadium | Sirrine Stadium |
| Seasons← 19601962 → | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 Furman Purple Hurricane football team was an American football team that represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth season under head coach Bob King, Furman compiled a 7–3 record (2–2 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the SoCon, and outscored opponents by a total of 174 to 132.
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Billy Canty (884 passing yards), fullback Tom Campbell (767 rushing yards), and halfback Tom Carmignani (247 passing yards). Carmignani was selected as the team's most valuable player.
The team played its home games at Sirrine Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | Presbyterian* | W 27–6 | 9,000 | ||
| September 23 | Davidson |
| W 45–19 | 8,500 | |
| September 30 | George Washington |
| W 13–9 | 9,500 | |
| October 7 | at William & Mary | L 6–19 | 4,000 | ||
| October 14 | Howard (AL)* |
| W 21–14 | 9,500 | |
| October 21 | at The Citadel | L 8–9 | 16,200 | ||
| October 28 | at Wofford* |
| W 12–7 | ||
| November 4 | at Memphis State* | W 7–6 | 6,036 | ||
| November 11 | East Carolina* |
| W 29–8 | 12,000 | |
| November 18 | at Clemson* | L 6–35 | 30,000 | ||
| |||||
Statistics
Billy Canty completed 85 of 168 passes (50.6%) for 884 yards with eight touchdowns, 12 touchdowns, and a 96.2 quarterback rating. He ranked as the fifth leading passer nationally.
Tom Campbell was the team's leading rusher with 767 yards on 152 carries for an average of 5.0 yards per carry. He ranked eighth nationally in rushing yardage.
Tony Carmignani was the team's leading receiver with 27 receptions for 247 yards. He also tallied 319 rushing yards, second behind Campbell.
Awards and honors
Quarterback Billy Canty and John Tew were the team's co-captains. Tony Carmignani was selected as the team's most valuable player.
Fullback Tom Campbell was named to the All-Southern Conference football team. Campbell finished second in voting for the Southern Conference Player of the Year. Billy Canty and Larry Jepson were named to the All-Southern Conference second team. Tony Carmignani and John Tew received honorable mention.
Personnel
Players
- David Abercrombie, guard, junor
- Elton Brunty, quarterback, junior
- Tom Campbell, fullback
- Billy Canty, quarterback and co-captain, senior
- Tony Carmignani, halfback, senior
- Jim Chapin, guard, senior
- John Cook, halfback, sophomore
- Walter Crosby, halfback, sophomore
- Claude Davis, guard, senior
- Don Donovan, quarterback, sophomore
- Danny Ferguson, halfback, sophomore
- Ed Flynn, guard, sophomore
- Carroll Hartley, tackle, junior
- Hayden Hayes, end, sophomore
- Olin Hill, tackle, junior
- Larry Jepson, center, senior
- Elliott Keller, fullback, sophomore
- Ted Loth, halfback, senior
- Al Martin, end, junior
- Joe Monti, tackle, junior
- Bill Newman, end, senior
- Sam Pickens, halfback, sophomore
- Ken Richey, guard, sophomore
- Roger Senter, end, junior
- Jack Sharp, center, senior
- John Tew, guard/tackle and co-captain, senior
- Tom Walter, end, senior
Coaching staff
- Head coach: Bob King
- Assistant coaches: Bob Jennings, Bob Gongola, Dixie Howell, Johnny Menger, Vince Perone
References
- "1961 Furman Paladins Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "1961 Furman Paladins Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- "Furman Paladins hand Presbyterian 27–6 loss". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 17, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Furman clobbers Davidson, 45–19". The Macon News. September 24, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "'Golden Goblins' drive Furman over Colonials, 13–9". The Greenville News. October 1, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Indians crush Furman's conference title hopes, 19–6". The Greenville News. October 8, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Furman bumps Howard, 21–14". The Times and Democrat. October 15, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Aroused Citadel strikes back late to topple Furman, 9–8". Florence Morning News. October 22, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Furman has tough time in 12–7 win". The State. October 29, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Montgomery Advertiser". November 5, 1961. p. 23. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Furman roars back in second half to defeat East Carolina, 29–8". The Greenville News. November 12, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Tigers rip Furman, 35–6". Durham Morning Herald. November 19, 1961. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Canty, Marsh Officially In Fifth Places". The Greenville News. December 25, 1961. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
- "1961 All-Southern Team: FU's Campbell Repeats; Gilgo And Eastern Named". The Greenville News. November 29, 1961. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1962 Bonhomie (Furman University yearbook), pp. 30-36.
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