The 1961 Wesleyan Cardinals football team, also known as the Wesleyan Methodists, was an American football that represented Wesleyan University as a member of the Little Three during the 1961 college football season. In their 17th season under head coach Norm Daniels, the Cardinals compiled a 1–7 record (0–2 in conference games) and were outscored by a total of 209 to 86.[1]
The 1961 Wesleyan Cardinals tallied 1,396 yards of total offense (178.5 per game), consisting of 877 rushing yards (110 per game) and 519 passing yards (65 per game). On defense, the Cardinals gave up 2,051 yards by opponents (257 per game), including 1,025 rushing yards (128 per game) and 1,032 passing yards (129 per game).[7]
The team's rushing leaders were fullback Dave Snyder with 218 rushing yards on 96 carries and halfback Jim Fergeson with 205 yards on 41 carries. Snyder also led the team in scoring with 18 points on three touchdowns.[7]
The team's passing leaders were quarterbacks John Driscoll (34-for-81, 318 yards, four touchdowns, six interceptions) and steve Humphrey (8-for-40, 166 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions). End John Buttles was the leading receiver with eight catches for 168 yards and one touchdown.[7]
Halfback Jim Matteson led the team in punting with 26 punts for 978 yards, an average of 37.6 yards per punt.[7]
