Wikipedia

1961 Panhandle A&M Aggies football team

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.[1]

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
← 1960
1962 →
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

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;[2] (iii) a 56–0 victory over otherwise undefeated Peru State, the worste defeat suffered by a Peru State team since 1942.[3]

The team was inducted into the Oklahoma Panhandle State Hall of Fame in 2011.[4]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16at LangstonGuthrie, OKL 14–335,000[5][6]
September 23at Morningside*
L 7–14[7]
September 30New Mexico Western*Goodwell, OKW 60–32[8]
October 7Adams State*Goodwell, OKW 30–7[9]
October 14at Northwestern Oklahoma StateAlva, OKW 17–7[10]
October 21at East Central
W 33–32[11]
October 26Southwestern Oklahoma StateGoodwell, OKW 40–04,000[12]
November 4at Peru State*
W 56–0[13]
November 11New Mexico Highlands*Goodwell, OKW 31–27[14]
November 17at Central State (OK)
W 27–268,000[15]
December 9vs. Langston*
W 28–148,500[16]
  • *Non-conference game

Statistics

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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.[17] On October 26, the Aggies tallied a season-high 532 rushing yards against Southwestern Oklahoma State.[12]

Tailback Jerry Linton led the nation with 1,356 rushing yards.[17][18] Linton added another 173 rushing yards in the All Sports Bowl -- bringing his 11-game total to 1,529 yards.[19] He was also selected as a first-team player on the NAIA's 1961 All-America team.[20]

Fullback Tony Pontillo, sometimes referred to as Tony "the Tank",[3] 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.[1] Pontillo added another 12 points in the All Sports Bowl to raise his season total to 102 points.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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.
  16. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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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