1961 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

1961 West Virginia Mountaineers football
First row: Fred Adkins, Glenn Bennett, Dale Evans, Vearl Haynes, Roger Holdinsky Second row: Charles Martin, Dick Struck, Bob Timmerman, Bill Winter, Jay Yeardey
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	4–6 (2–1 SoCon)
Head coach	Gene Corum (2nd season)
Home stadium	Mountaineer Field

1961 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
The Citadel $	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Richmond	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
VMI	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
West Virginia	2	–	1	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Furman	2	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
George Washington	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Davidson	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
William & Mary	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1961 West Virginia Mountaineers football team was an American football team that represented West Virginia University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1961 college football season. In their second year under head coach Gene Corum, the Mountaineers compiled a 4–6 record (2–1 in conference games), tied for third place in the SoCon, and were outscored by a total of 145 to 134.^[1]

The team's statistical leaders included Fred Colvard (482 passing yards), Glenn Holton (372 rushing yards), and Steve Berzansky (116 receiving yards).^[2] Tackle Bill Winter and guard Keith Melenyzer were selected as first-team players on the 1961 All-Southern Conference football team.^[3]

The team played its home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	Richmond	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 26–35	12,000	[4]
September 23	at Vanderbilt*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 6–16	18,000	[5]
September 30	at No. 5 Syracuse*	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY (rivalry)	L 14–29	25,000	[6]
October 7	Virginia Tech	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	W 28–0	15,000	[7]
October 14	at Pittsburgh*	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	W 20–6	28,450	[8]
October 21	at Boston University*	Boston University Field Boston, MA	L 6–12	7,100	[9]
October 28	at Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 7–3	23,525	[10]
November 4	at George Washington	District of Columbia Stadium Washington, DC	W 12–7	9,395	[11]
November 11	Penn State*	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	L 6–20	30,000	[12]
November 18	Indiana*	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 9–17	15,000	[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[1]

Statistics

The Mountaineers gained an average of 175.8 rushing yards and 62.4 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up an average of 166.7 rushing yards per game and 83.8 passing yards per game.^[2]

Quarterback Fred Colvard completed 31 of 71 passes (43.7%) for 482 yards with three touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 106.2 quarterback rating. Backup Dale Evans completed only nine of 27 passes (33.3%) for 135 yards.^[2]

The team's leading rushers were Glenn Holton (372 yards, 79 carries, 4.7-yard average), Jim Moss (342 yards, 63 carries, 5.3-yard average), Tom Woodeshick (337 yards, 68 carries, 5.0-yard average), and Steve Berzansky (233 yards, 61 carries, 3.8-yard average).^[2]

The leading receivers were Steve Berzansky (10 receptions, 116 yards) and Dick Struck (five receptions, 112 yards).^[2]

Awards and honors

Two West Virginia players received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) on the 1961 All-Southern Conference football team: tackle Bill Winter and guard Keith Melenyzer. Back Glenn Holton was named to the second team. End Ken Herock, guard Bob De Lorenzo, center Pete Goimarac, and backs Fred Colvard, Jim Moss, and Roger Holdinsky received honorable mention.^[3]

Personnel

Players

• Fred Adkins
• Glenn Bennett
• Dale Evans
• Vearl Haynes
• Roger Holdinsky
• Charles Martin
• Dick Struck
• Bob Timmerman
• Bill Winter
• Jay Yeardley

Coaching staff

• Head coach: Gene Corum
• Assistant coach: Jimmy Walthall, Ray Watson, Dick Ware, Ed Shockey, Charles Donaldson, Russ Crane^[14]

References

1. "1961 West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC.
2. "1961 West Virginia Mountaineers Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
3. Ed Young (November 29, 1961). "Spiders' Earl Stoudt Is SC's Player Of Year". The Roanoke Times. p. 18.
4. "Spiders beat WVU, 35 to 26; Rideout throws 3 TD passes". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 17, 1961. Retrieved August 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Vanderbilt wins, 16–6, over W. Va". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 24, 1961. Retrieved October 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "SU takes to the air". Sunday Press. October 1, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "West Virginia winner first time in 18 games". The Tampa Tribune. October 8, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Pitt loses third game in a row". The Miami News. October 15, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Boston U. surprises West Virginia, 12–6". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 22, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Army bows to W. Va., 7–3". The Scrantonian. October 29, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "W. Virginia wins, 12–7". The Johnson City Press-Chronicle. November 5, 1961. Retrieved February 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Penn State mauls West Virginia to win by 20 to 6". Messenger-Inquirer. November 12, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Indiana gains 2nd victory, beats West Virginia, 17–9". The Kokomo Tribune. November 19, 1961. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. 1962 The Monticola (West Virginia University yearbook), p. 225.