1961 Stanford Indians football team

American college football season

1961 Stanford Indians football
Conference	Athletic Association of Western Universities
Record	4–6 (1–4 AAWU)
Head coach	Jack Curtice (4th season)
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium
Seasons← 1960 1962 →

1961 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 16 UCLA $	3	–	1	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
USC	2	–	1	–	1	4	–	5	–	1
Washington	2	–	1	–	1	5	–	4	–	1
Stanford	1	–	3	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
California	1	–	3	–	0	1	–	8	–	1

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 Stanford Indians football team was an American football team that represented Stanford University as a member of the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), commonly known at the time as the Big 5 Conference, during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jack Curtice, the Indians compiled a 4–6 record (1–4 in conference games), finished in a tie for last place in the AAWU, and were outscored by a total of 163 to 105.

Highlights of the season included a 34–0 victory over Tommy Prothro's Oregon State Beavers and a 20–7 victory over the California Bears in the Big Game – Stanford's first victory over Cal since 1957.

The team played home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 23	Tulane*	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 9–7	19,000
September 30	at Oregon State	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR	W 34–0	13,727
October 7	at No. 6 Michigan State*	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	L 3–31	61,367
October 14	San Jose State*	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	W 17–6	45,000
October 21	at Washington	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	L 0–13	53,200
October 28	UCLA	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 0–20	35,000
November 4	Oregon*	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 7–19	27,000
November 11	at USC	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	L 15–30	36,598
November 18	Washington State*	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 0–30	21,000
November 25	California	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	W 20–7	79,000
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Statistics

The 1961 Stanford team gained an average of 147.6 rushing yards and 90.1 passing yards per game. On defense, the team gave up 214.6 rushing yards and 77.0 passing guards per game.

The team had seven players who gained over 100 rushing yards but none who gained more than 200 yards. The leaders were Ken Babajian (189 yards, 55 carries, 3.4-yard average), Gary Craig (185 yards, 50 carries, 3.7-yard average), Stan Lindskog (178 yards, 42 carries, 4.2-yard average), and Danny Spence (134 yards, 28 carries, 4.8-yard average).

The team had four players who passed for over 100 yards: Rod Sears (37-for-82, 358 yards), Chuck Butler (21-for-46, 258 yards), Steve Turlow (15-for 34, 174 yards), and Jim Smith (12-for-21, 111 yards).

The leading receivers were George Honore (22 receptions for 225 yards), Steve Pursell (13 receptions for 132 yards), and Larry Royse (five receptions for 112 yards).

Awards and honors

Ed Cummings, who played fullback on offense and linebacker on defense, was selected as the team's most valuable player.

No Stanford players received All-America honors.

Three Stanford players received honors on the 1961 All-Pacific Coast football team selected by the Associated Press (AP), the All-West Coast team selected by the United Press International (UPI), or the All-Big 5 team announced by the AAWU.

End George Honore received first-team honors on the official Big 5 all-conference team and third-team honors on the UPI's All-West Coast team.

Guard Tom Walsh received second-team honors on the All-Pacific Coast team selected by the AP.

Fullback/linebacker Ed Cummings received second-team honors from the UPI and the AAWU and honorable mention from the AP.

Players receiving honorable mention were center John Butler (AP, AAWU); end Frank Patitucci (UPI, AAWU); tackle Al Heldebrand (AAWU); tackle C. B. Simons (AAWU); center Chris Cottle (UPI, AAWU); and halfback Gary Sargent (AAWU).

Roster

Frank Atkinson (#79), tackle
Ken Babajian (#44), fullback, sophomore
Mike Barnes (#29), halfback
Chuck Buehler (#78), tackle
Chuck Butler (#12), quarterback
John Butler (#69), end
Chris Cottle (#54), center
Gary Craig (#40), halfback
Ed Cummings (#46), fullback/linebacker
Frank Dubofsky (#64), guard
Al Heldebrand (#75), tackle
George Honore (#83), end
Stan Lindskog (#21), halfback/kicker, junior
Frank Patitucci (#82), end
Steve Pursell (#80), end
Larry Royse, halfback/linebacker
Gary Sargent (#34), halfback
Errol Scott (#66), guard
Rod Sears (#10), quarterback
C.B. Simons (#71), tackle
Danny Spence (#30), halfback
Hal Steuber (#36), fullback
Steve Thurlow (#18), quarterback
Randy Vahan (#76), tackle
Tom Walsh (#63), guard

References

"Tulane is 9–7 loser". The San Francisco Examiner. September 24, 1961. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
Don McLeod (October 1, 1961). "Indians Bushwhack Dazed Beavers, 34-0: 2nd Half Explosion Ruins OSU". Sunday Oregonian. pp. 1, 5 (section 2) – via Newspapers.com.
George S. Alderton (October 8, 1961). "Fumble-Plagued Michigan State Stifles Stubborn Stanford, 31-3". Lansing State Journal. pp. 53, 58 – via Newspapers.com.
Don Selby (October 15, 1961). "Stanford Stomps San Jose, 17-6". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 1, 3 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
Charlie Van Sickel (October 22, 1961). "Washington Bounces Into Big Five Win Column: Huskies Score On Stanford Miscues". Tri-City Herald. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
Jamie Curran (October 29, 1961). "'Sleeping' Bruins Strike Late, Fast for 20-0 Win". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 4 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
Dick Strite (November 5, 1961). "Renfro-Led Ducks Triumph Over Stanford, 19-7". Eugene Register-Guard. pp. 1B, 2B – via Newspapers.com.
Al Wolf (November 12, 1961). "USC Stays in Bowl Race, Whips Tribe: Stanford Fumbles Assist USC, 30-15: Homecoming Crowd of 36,598 Sees Troy Set Up Rose Bowl Bid Game With UCLA". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 2 (section H) – via Newspapers.com.
Don Selby (November 19, 1961). "Cal, Stanford Routed: Indians Inept, It's WSU, 30-0". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 1, 5 (section III) – via Newspapers.com.
Don Selby (November 26, 1961). "Muddy Day of Stanford 'Firsts': 79,000 See Tribe Topple Cal, 20-7". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 1, 8 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1961 Stanford Cardinal Stats". S/R College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
"Grid writers present awards". Daily Palo Alto Times. December 1, 1961. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "8 Schools on UPI All-Coast Team". Independent-Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA). December 3, 1961. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Five From SC Picked". Valley Times. December 7, 1961. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "AP West Coast All-Stars: Easbay Players Named". Oakland Tribune. December 7, 1961. p. 56 – via Newspapers.com.

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