PROFILBARU.COM

1961 Yale Bulldogs football
1961 Yale Bulldogs football
Conference	Ivy League
Record	4–5 (3–4 Ivy)
Head coach	Jordan Olivar (10th season);
Captain	Paul Bursiek
Home stadium	Yale Bowl
	Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

1961 Ivy League football standings
v t e	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 Yale Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Yale University as a member of the Ivy League during the 1961 college football season. In their tenth year under head coach Jordan Olivar, the Bulldogs compiled a 4–5 record (3–4 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Ivy League, and were outscored by at total of 105 to 99.^[2]

The team included only one returning starter, guard Paul Bursiek, from the undefeated 1960 team that won the Ivy League championship.^[3] Yale's statistical leaders for 1961 included fullback Dick Niglio with 330 rushing yards, quarterback Bill Leckonby with 411 passing yards, and halfback Randy Egloff with 133 receiving yards.^[4]

Center Matt Black was selected as the first-team center on the 1961 All-Ivy League football team. Guard Paul Bursiek was named to the second team.^[5]

The team played its home games at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 30	Connecticut*	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	W 18–0	34,786	^[6]
October 7	Brown	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	W 14–3	23,605	^[7]
October 14	Columbia	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 0–11	22,188	^[8]
October 21	at Cornell	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	W 12–0	20,000	^[9]
October 28	Colgate*	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 8–14	32,936	^[10]
November 4	Dartmouth	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 8–24	41,974	^[11]
November 11	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	W 23–0	14,093	^[12]
November 18	at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	L 16–26	42,000	^[13]
November 25	Harvard	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT (The Game)	L 0–27	61,789	^[14]
*Non-conference game

Statistics

Quarterback Bill Leckonby was the team's leading passer. He completed 32 of 80 passes (40.0%) for 411 yards with three touchdowns, six interceptions, and an 80.5 quarterback rating. He also tallied 140 rushing yards for 551 yards of total offense.^[4] Leckonby was the son of long-time Lehigh head coach and athletic director Bill Leckonby.

Fullback Dick Niglio was the team's leading rusher. He tallied 330 yards on 91 carries for an average of 3.6 yards per carry. Ted Hard ranked second on the team with 306 rushing yards on 81 carries for a 3.8-yard average. Lee Marsh had 176 yards on 35 yards for 5.0 yards per carry.^[4]

Halback Randy Egloff was the team's leading receiver. He talied 10 catches for 133 yards, an average of 13.3 yards per reception.^[4]

Players

Matt Black, center, 185 pounds
Jim Brewster, guard, 190 pounds
Paul Bursiek, guard and captain, 185 pounds
Jud Calkins, halfback
Rudy Carpenter, end, 184 pounds
Chris Clark, halfback, 170 pounds
Wolf Dietrick, guard
Randy Egloff, halfback
Ted Hard, fullback, 185 pounds
Henry Higdon, halfback, 165 pounds
Lyn Hinojosa
Erick Jensen, tackle
Bill Leckonby, quarterback, senior, 185 pounds
Lee Marsh, halfback
Dave Mawicke, tackle, 220 pounds
Dick Niglio, fullback
Brian Rapp, quarterback, sophomore
Stan Riveles, guard, junior
Connie Shimer, end, 195 pounds
Perry Wickstrom, tackle
Dick Williams, tackle, 200 pounds

^[15]

References

^ "Year By Year Scores: 1961". Yale Football Media Guide. 1964. p. 73. Retrieved November 26, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
^ "1961 Yale Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
^ Jack Clary (September 7, 1961). "Yale Bulldogs, Despite Heavy Losses, No. 1 Ivy League Team". The Register (Danville, VA). Associated Press. p. 2D.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "1961 Yale Bulldogs Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
^ "Columbia Lands 4 On Ivy Team". The Record. November 27, 1961. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Newell, Bill (October 1, 1961). "Yale Pummels Connecticut by 18-0". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
^ Werden, Lincoln A. (October 8, 1961). "Yale Trips Brown for 11th in Row, 14-3; Eli Streak Is Longest Since 1909-10". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ Sheehan, Joseph M. (October 15, 1961). "Columbia Blanks Yale; Lions Score, 11-0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ Danzig, Allison (October 22, 1961). "Yale's Runs Sink Cornell, 12 to 0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ Effrat, Louis (October 29, 1961). "Colgate Is Victor over Yale, 14 to 8". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ Danzig, Allison (November 5, 1961). "Dartmouth Crushes Yale; Indians Triumph by 24-8". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ White, Gordon S. Jr. (November 12, 1961). "Running of Yale Beats Penn, 23-0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ Sheehan, Joseph M. (November 19, 1961). "Princeton Conquers Yale; Tigers Triumph by 26-16". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ 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.
^ Bill Newell (September 27, 1961). "Rebuilding Yale Eleven Will Be Nobody's Patsy". The Hartford Courant. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.