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1961 Panhandle A&M Aggies football team

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American college football season

1961 Panhandle A&M Aggies football
All Sports Bowl, W 28–14 vs. Langston
ConferenceOklahoma Collegiate Conference
Record9–2 (4–1 OCC)
Head coach
Seasons← 19601962 →
1961 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 9 Central State (OK) + 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Langston + 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 11 Panhandle A&M 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
East Central 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
SE Oklahoma State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Northeastern State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
SW Oklahoma State 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
NW Oklahoma State 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll

The 1961 Panhandle A&M Aggies football team, sometimes also known as the Plainsmen, was an American football team that represented Panhandle A&M College (now known as Oklahoma Panhandle State University) as a member of the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference (OCC) during the 1961 college football season. In their 11th season under head coach Oscar Williams, the Aggies compiled a 9–2 record (4–1 in conference games), outscored opponents by a total of 315 to 178, and finished in third place in the OCC.

After losing the first two games of the season, the Aggies won nine consecutive games. The winning streak included: (i) a victory over Langston in the inaugural All Sports Bowl; (ii) sa season-high 60 points against New Mexico Western, including 34 points in the second quarter; (iii) a 56–0 victory over otherwise undefeated Peru State, the worste defeat suffered by a Peru State team since 1942.

The team was inducted into the Oklahoma Panhandle State Hall of Fame in 2011.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16at LangstonGuthrie, OKL 14–335,000
September 23at Morningside*L 7–14
September 30New Mexico Western*Goodwell, OKW 60–32
October 7Adams State*Goodwell, OKW 30–7
October 14at Northwestern Oklahoma StateAlva, OKW 17–7
October 21at East CentralW 33–32
October 26Southwestern Oklahoma StateGoodwell, OKW 40–04,000
November 4at Peru State*W 56–0
November 11New Mexico Highlands*Goodwell, OKW 31–27
November 17at Central State (OK)W 27–268,000
December 9vs. Langston*W 28–148,500
  • *Non-conference game

Statistics

Panhandle led the NAIA with 4,688 yards of total offense in ten regular-season games, an average of 468.8 yards per game. The Aggies also set an NAIA single-season record with 3,944 rushing yards in the regular season, an average of 394.4 yards per game. On October 26, the Aggies tallied a season-high 532 rushing yards against Southwestern Oklahoma State.

Tailback Jerry Linton led the nation with 1,356 rushing yards. Linton added another 173 rushing yards in the All Sports Bowl—bringing his 11-game total to 1,529 yards. He was also selected as a first-team player on the NAIA's 1961 All-America team.

Fullback Tony Pontillo, sometimes referred to as Tony "the Tank", ranked second on the team in rushing with 1,149 rushing yards. He also led the OCC in scoring with 90 points on 15 touchdowns in the regular season. Pontillo added another 12 points in the All Sports Bowl to raise his season total to 102 points.

References

  1. ^ John A. Ferguson (November 22, 1961). "Panhandle Had to Earn Second Chance at Lions". Tulsa World. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Savages Climb To Top Spot In State Loop". The Daily Oklahoman. October 2, 1961. p. 45 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Powerful Sooners Spoil Peru's Homecoming; 7-1-1 Season". The Peru Pointer. November 9, 1961. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "1961 Football Team". Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  5. Frank Boggs (September 17, 1961). "Langston Lashes Panhandle". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 3 (Sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Panhandle Enters OCC Play, Finds Champ Langston Rough". Tulsa World. September 20, 1961. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Russ Ward (September 24, 1961). "Morningside Gets First Win, 14-7". The Sioux City Journal. pp. D1, D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Plainsmen Romp To Easy 60-32 Win Over NW Western". Guymon Daily Herald. October 3, 1961. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Adams Bows To Panhandle". The Daily Oklahoman. October 8, 1961. p. 6E – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Panhandle Gallops Past Northwestern". The Ada Evening News. October 15, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Panhandle Tips E.C. in Offensive Duel". The Ada Evening News. October 22, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Fred Wortham Jr. (October 27, 1961). "Plainsmen Literally Squash Vaunted Bulldog Defense". Guymon Daily Herald. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Powerful Sooners Spoil Peru's Homecoming; 7-1-1 Season". The Peru Pointer. November 9, 1961. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Panhandle's Big Fourth Unseats Highlands, 31-27". Tulsa Daily World. November 12, 1961. p. 3 (Sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Frank Boggs (November 19, 1961). "Panhandle Edges Central, 27-26". The Daily Oklahoman. p. E2 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Frank Boggs (December 10, 1961). "Panhandle Stuns Lions, 28-14: Aggies Rally To Win Bowl Before 8,500". The Daily Oklahoman. pp. 1E, 3E – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Panhandle Sets New NAIA Team Rushing Mark in '61 Season". Seminole Producer. December 7, 1961. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Bowlward Trek Starts Early, Teams US Tops". Guymon Daily Herald. December 7, 1961. pp. 1, 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. Jack Wilkinson (December 10, 1961). "Panhandle Rambles Past Langston, 28 To 14". The Lawton Constitution. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Linton Elected All-American". Guymon Daily Herald. December 8, 1961. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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