1961 College Football All-America Team

Official list of the best college football players of 1961

1961 College Football All-America Team
College Football All-America Team
1961 NCAA University Division football season
1959 1960 ← → 1962 1963

The 1961 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1961. The six selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1961 season are (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), (2) the Associated Press (AP), (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), (4) the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), (5) the Sporting News, and (6) the United Press International (UPI).

Consensus All-Americans

For the year 1961, the NCAA recognizes six published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.

Name	Position	School	Number	Official	Other
Roy Winston	Guard	LSU	6/6	AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI	CP, Time, WC
Ernie Davis	Halfback	Syracuse	6/6	AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI	CP, Time, WC
Bob Ferguson	Fullback	Ohio State	6/6	AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI	CP, Time, WC
Billy Neighbors	Tackle	Alabama	6/6	AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI	CP, WC
Jimmy Saxton	Halfback	Texas	6/6	AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI	CP, WC
Gary Collins	End	Maryland	5/6	AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI	CP, Time, WC
Joe Romig	Guard	Colorado	5/6	AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI	WC
Alex Kroll	Center	Rutgers	5/6	AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI	WC
Sandy Stephens	Quarterback	Minnesota	5/6	AP, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI	WC
Bill Miller	End	Miami (Fla.)	4/6	AP, FWAA, NEA, SN	Time, WC
Merlin Olsen	Tackle	Utah State	4/6	AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI	Time, WC

All-American selections for 1961

Ends

Gary Collins, Maryland (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI-1, CP, Time, WC)
Bill Miller, Miami (Fla.) (AP-1, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI-2, Time, WC)
Greg Mather, Navy (AP-3, FWAA, UPI-2, CP)
Jerry Hillebrand, Colorado (AP-1, FWAA)
Pat Richter, Wisconsin (AP-2, UPI-1)
Robert Mitinger, Penn State (AFCA, UPI-3)
Hugh Campbell, Washington State (AP-3, UPI-3)

Tackles

Billy Neighbors, Alabama (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA [guard], NEA, SN, UPI-1, CP, WC)
Merlin Olsen, Utah State (AP-1, FWAA, NEA, UPI-1, Time, WC)
Bobby Bell, Minnesota (AFCA, AP-3, FWAA, SN, UPI-2, CP)
Ed Blaine, Missouri (AP-2, FWAA)
Don Talbert, Texas (FWAA, UPI-3)
Fate Echols, Northwestern (Time)
Steve Barnett, Oregon (AP-2)
Jim Dunaway, Ole Miss (UPI-2)
Art Gregory, Duke (AP-3)

Guards

Roy Winston, LSU (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI-1, CP, Time, WC)
Joe Romig, Colorado (AFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI-1, WC)
Dave Behrman, Michigan State (AP-1, FWAA, UPI-3 [tackle])
Nick Buoniconti, Notre Dame (UPI-2, CP)
Bookie Bolin, Mississippi (Time)
Mike Ingram, Ohio State (AP-2, UPI-2)
Dave Watson, Georgia Tech (AP-2)
Stan Sczurek, Purdue (AP-3, UPI-3)
Larry Vignali, Pitt (AP-3, UPI-3)

Centers

Alex Kroll, Rutgers (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, NEA, UPI-1, WC)
Bill Van Buren, Iowa (SN, CP)
Ron Hull, UCLA (AP-2, FWAA, UPI-3)
Irv Goode, Kentucky (Time)
Larry Onesti, Northwestern (AP-3, UPI-2)

Quarterbacks

Sandy Stephens, Minnesota (AP-1, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI-1, WC)
Roman Gabriel, North Carolina State (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, UPI-2, Time)
John Hadl, Kansas (FWAA-1, AP-3, UPI-2)
Doug Elmore, Mississippi (CP)
Eddie Wilson, Arizona (AP-3)

Halfbacks

Ernie Davis, Syracuse (AFCA, AP-1,FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI-1, CP, Time, WC)
Jimmy Saxton, Texas (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI-1, CP, WC)
Lance Alworth, Arkansas (AP-2, FWAA, UPI-2)
Ronnie Bull, Baylor (UPI-3, Time)
Pat Trammell, Alabama (AP-2, UPI-2)
Bennie McRae, Michigan (AP-3)
Dave Hoppman, Iowa State (AP-3, UPI-3)

Fullbacks

Bob Ferguson, Ohio State (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, NEA, SN, UPI-1, CP, Time, WC)
Billy Ray Adams, Mississippi (AP-2, FWAA, UPI-3)
George Saimes, Michigan State (UPI-3)

Key

Bold – Consensus All-American^[1]
-1 – First-team selection
-2 – Second-team selection
-3 – Third-team selection

Official selectors

AFCA = American Football Coaches Association^[2]
AP = Associated Press^[3]^[4]^[5]
FWAA = Football Writers Association of America^[6]
NEA = Newspaper Enterprise Association^[7]
SN = Sporting News^[8]
UPI = United Press International^[9]^[10]^[11]

Other selectors

CP = Central Press Association^[12]
Time = Time magazine^[13]
WC = Walter Camp Football Foundation^[14]

References

^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 9. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
^ "Coaches' All-America". AFCA.
^ "Big Line Tops Classy AP All-America Team". AP.
^ "Miami's Bill Miller Chosen As All-American". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. December 8, 1961. p. 36.
^ "Giant line, brilliant backs mark AP All-America team". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 8, 1961. p. 18.
^ Ted Gangi (ed.). "FWAA All-America Since 1944: The All-Time Team" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
^ "Collins on NEA All-America Team". Gastonia Gazette. Gastonia, NC.
^ "The Sporting News: College Football TSN All America Teams". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
^ "UPI Selects 1961 All-America Club". Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake, Utah.
^ "Ferguson, Davis, Romig Are Repeats On All-America Team". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. December 7, 1961. p. 8.
^ "Ferguson, Davis head UPI squad". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. December 7, 1961. p. 3D.
^ "Captains All-America Teams". Central Press.
^ "The Sporting News: 1961 All-America Teams". Time.
^ "All-America Teams". Walter Camp Football Foundation. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2009.

1961 College Football All-America Team consensus selections

Backfield

QB Sandy Stephens
HB Ernie Davis
HB Jimmy Saxton
FB Bob Ferguson

Line

E Gary Collins
E Bill Miller
T Billy Neighbors
T Merlin Olsen
G Joe Romig
G Roy Winston
C Alex Kroll

v t e College Football All-America Teams
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College Football All-America Teams