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1961 Harvard Crimson football
Ivy League co-champion
ConferenceIvy League
Record6–3 (6–1 Ivy)
Head coach
CaptainAlex W. “Pete” Hart
Home stadiumHarvard Stadium
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 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University as a member of the Ivy League during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach John Yovicsin, the Crimson compiled a 6–3 record (6–1 in conference games) and outscored opponents by a total of 160 to 97 (143 to 60 in conference games). They tied with Columbia for the Ivy League championship even though Harvard lost to Columbia by a 26–14 score during the season.[1][2]

Alex W. "Pete" Hart was the team captain.[3] Three Harvard players receivd first-team all-conference honors: end Bob Boyds; tackle Darwin Wile; and guard Bill Swinford.

Harvard played its home games at Harvard Stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 30 Lehigh*
  • Harvard Stadium
  • Boston, MA
L 17–22 11,000 [4]
October 7 Cornell
  • Harvard Stadium
  • Boston, MA
W 14–0 11,000 [5]
October 14 Colgate*
  • Harvard Stadium
  • Boston, MA
L 0–15 12,000 [6]
October 21 Columbia
  • Harvard Stadium
  • Boston, MA
L 14–26 11,000 [7]
October 28 Dartmouth
  • Harvard Stadium
  • Boston, MA (rivalry)
W 21–15 32,500 [8]
November 4 at Penn
W 37–6 15,345 [9]
November 11 Princeton
  • Harvard Stadium
  • Boston, MA (rivalry)
W 9–7 30,000 [10]
November 18 Brown
  • Harvard Stadium
  • Boston, MA
W 21–6 10,000 [11]
November 25 at Yale
W 27–0 61,789 [12]
  • *Non-conference game

Statistics

The 1961 Crimson gained an average of 215.3 rushing yards and 32.7 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 152.2 rushing yards and 78.7 passing yards per game.[13]

In their run-oriented offense, Harvard had eight players who rushed for at least 100 yards. Bill Grana led the group with 431 yards on 94 carries for a 4.6-yard average. He was followed by Bill Taylor (350 yards, 79 carries, 4.4-yard average), Ted Halaby (288 yards, 51 carries, 5.6-yard average), Mike Bassett (174 yards, 44 carries, 4.0-yard average), and Chuck Reed (169 yards, 42 carries, 4.0-yard average).[13]

The team's passing leaders were Bill Humenuk (13-for-31, 195 yards) and Mike Bassett (13-for-40, 125 yards). The leading receivers were Pete Hart (five receptions, 64 yards) and Bill Taylor (seven receptions, 58 yards).[13]

Awards and honors

Three Harvard players received first-team honors on the 1961 All All-Ivy football team: end Bob Boyds; tackle Darwin Wile; and guard Bill Swinford.[14]

Players

  • Mike Bassett, quarterback, sophomore, 5'11", 175 pounds
  • Tom Boone, halfback, junior, 6'0", 190 pounds
  • Bob Boyds (#82), end, senior, 6'1", 203 pounds, Carnegie, PA
  • Tom Gaston (#65), guard, senior, 6'1", 205 pounds
  • Bill Grana, fullback, sophomore, 5'11", 195 pounds, St. Louis, MO
  • Ted Halaby, quarterback, senior, 5'10", 175 pounds, Rochester, NY
  • Alex W. "Pete" Hart, end and captain, senior, 6'2", 215 pounds
  • Bill Humenuk, quarterback, sophomore, 6'2", 185 pounds, Philadelphia, PA
  • Chuck Reed, halfback
  • Mike Sheridan, tackle
  • Ed Smith (#78), tackle, 6'3", 215 pounds
  • Bill Swinford (#61), guard, senior, 5'10", 180 pounds, Oklahoma City
  • Bill Taylor, halfback, junior, 6'0", 190 pounds
  • Tony Watters, center, senior, 6'2", 195 pounds
  • Darwin Wile (#76), tackle, senior, 6'0", 215 pounds, Middletown, PA

References

  1. ^ "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 23. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "1961 Harvard Crimson Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Football Record Book: Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "Lehigh Sets Back Harvard, 22 to 17, on 2 Late Passes". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. October 1, 1961. p. S7.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Tuckner, Howard M. (October 15, 1961). "Colgate's Rushing Tops Harvard, 15-0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  7. ^ Werden, Lincoln A. (October 22, 1961). "Columbia Wins; Lions Score, 26-14". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  8. ^ White, Gordon S. Jr. (October 29, 1961). "Harvard Halts Dartmouth, 21-15; 32,500 See Upset". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  9. ^ Effrat, Louis (November 5, 1961). "Harvard Running Trims Penn, 37-6, in 3d Ivy Victory". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  10. ^ Sheehan, Joseph M. (November 12, 1961). "Harvard Wins, 9-7; Princeton Loses". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  11. ^ White, Gordon S. Jr. (November 19, 1961). "Harvard Tops Brown, 21-6; Crimson Runners Excel". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  12. ^ Danzig, Allison (November 26, 1961). "Harvard Crushes Yale, 27-0, and Ties for Ivy Title; 61,789 at Bowl". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  13. ^ a b c "1961 Harvard Crimson Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Columbia Lands 4 On Ivy Team". The Record. November 27, 1961. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_Harvard_Crimson_football_team