# 1963 small college football rankings

The 1963 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1963 college football season, including the 1963 NCAA College Division football season and the 1963 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.
In the final AP poll, the 1963 Northern Illinois Huskies football team (10–0) was rated as the small-college champion. The Huskies were led by the record-setting passing of quarterback George Bork.
In the final UPI poll, the 1963 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team (8–0) was rated as the small-college champion. Delaware was ranked No. 2 in the AP poll.

## Legend

| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| (#–#) | Win–loss record |
| (Italics) | Number of first place votes |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |

## AP poll

| | Week 1 Oct 17 | Week 2 Oct 24 | Week 3 Oct 31 | Week 4 Nov 7 | Week 5 Nov 14 | Week 6 Nov 21 | Week 7 Nov 28 | |
| 1. | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois (6–0) | Northern Illinois (7–0) (3) | Northern Illinois (8–0) (3) | Delaware (7–0) (3) | Delaware (8–0) (5) | Northern Illinois (9–0) (3) | 1. |
| 2. | Florida A&M | Florida A&M (3–0) | Delaware (5–0) (3) | Delaware (6–0) (4) | Northern Illinois (9–0) (4) | Northern Illinois (9–0) (2) | Delaware (8–0) (3) | 2. |
| 3. | Texas A&I | Delaware (4–0) | Florida A&M (3–1) | Florida A&M (4–1) | Wittenberg (7–0–1) | Wittenberg (8–0–1) | Wittenberg (8–0–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Delaware | Wittenberg (4–0–1) | Wittenberg (5–0–1) | Wittenberg (6–0–1) | UMass (6–0–1) т | UMass (7–0–1) | UMass (7–0–1) | 4. |
| 5. | San Diego State | Texas A&I (4–0) | South Dakota State (6–1) | South Dakota State (7–1) | Saint John's (MN) (8–0) т | Florida A&M (6–1) | Saint John's (MN) (8–0) | 5. |
| 6. | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) (7–0) | Saint John's (MN) (8–0) | South Dakota State (6–1) т | Saint John's (MN) (8–0) | South Dakota State (7–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Kearney State | South Dakota State (5–1) | Texas A&I (4–1) | UMass (5–0–1) | Florida A&M (5–1) | South Dakota State (7–1) | Florida A&M (7–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Clarion State | Kearney State | UMass (5–0–1) | San Diego State (5–1) | San Diego State (6–1) | McNeese State (7–0) | Abilene Christian (7–1) | 8. |
| 9. | College of Emporia | McNeese State | Kearney State (7–0) | McNeese State (5–0) | McNeese State (6–0) | San Diego State (7–1) | Southwest Texas (10–0) | 9. |
| 10. | McNeese State | San Diego State (3–0) | San Diego State (4–1) | Kearney State (8–0) т | Slippery Rock (6–1) | Abilene Christian (8–0) | McNeese State (8–0) | 10. |
| 11. | | | | Slippery Rock (6–0) т | | | | 11. |
| | Week 1 Oct 17 | Week 2 Oct 24 | Week 3 Oct 31 | Week 4 Nov 7 | Week 5 Nov 14 | Week 6 Nov 21 | Week 7 Nov 28 | |
| | | Dropped: 8 Clarion State9 College of Emporia | Dropped: 9 McNeese State | Dropped: 7 Texas A&I | Dropped: 10 Kearney State | Dropped: 10 Slippery Rock | Dropped: 9 San Diego State | |

## UPI coaches poll

| | Week 1 Oct 2 | Week 2 Oct 9 | Week 3 Oct 16 | Week 4 Oct 23 | Week 5 Oct 30 | Week 6 Nov 6 | Week 7 Nov 13 | Week 8 Nov 20 | Week 9 Nov 27 | Week 10 Dec 4 | |
| 1. | Florida A&M (1–0) (7) | Florida A&M (2–0) (5) | Northern Illinois (5–0) (5) | Northern Illinois (6–0) (12) | Northern Illinois (7–0) (14) | Delaware (6–0) (16) | Delaware (7–0) (15) | Delaware (8–0) (18) | Delaware (8–0) (18) | Delaware (8–0) (18) | 1. |
| 2. | Delaware (1–0) (2) | Northern Illinois (4–0) (6) | Florida A&M (2–0) (8) | Delaware (4–0) (12) | Delaware (5–0) (15) | Northern Illinois (8–0) (12) | Northern Illinois (9–0) (14) | Northern Illinois (9–0) (9) | Northern Illinois (9–0) (9) | Northern Illinois (10–0) (8) | 2. |
| 3. | Northern Illinois (3–0) (3) | Delaware (2–0) (9) | Delaware (3–0) (9) | Florida A&M (3–0) (4) | Florida A&M (4–1) (3) | Florida A&M (5–1) (2) | UMass (7–0–1) (1) | Florida A&M (7–1) (1) | Florida A&M (8–1) (1) | UMass (8–0–1) (1) | 3. |
| 4. | Lenoir–Rhyne (2–0) (2) | Texas A&I (3–0) (5) | Texas A&I (4–0) (4) | Texas A&I (4–0) (2) | Wittenberg (5–0–1) (1) | Wittenberg (6–0–1) | Florida A&M (6–1) (1) | Wittenberg (8–0–1) | Wittenberg (8–0–1) | Saint John's (MN) (9–0) (1) | 4. |
| 5. | Central Oklahoma (1–1) (1) | Montana State (2–2) (2) | San Diego State (3–0) (3) | San Diego State (3–0) | Texas A&I (4–1) | UMass (6–0–1) | Wittenberg (7–0–1) | UMass (8–0–1) (1) | UMass (8–0–1) (1) | Wittenberg (8–0–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Montana State (1–2) (1) | San Diego State (2–0) (4) | Montana State (3–0) (3) | Wittenberg (4–0–1) (1) | UMass (5–0–1) (1) | San Diego State (5–1) (1) | San Diego State (6–1) (1) | San Diego State (7–1) (1) | San Diego State (7–1) (1) | Florida A&M (8–2) (1) | 6. |
| 7. | San Diego State (1–0) (2) | Wittenberg (2–0–1) (1) | Wittenberg (3–0) (1) | Montana State (4–2) (2) | San Diego State (4–1) | Western Kentucky (6–0–1) (1) т | Saint John's (MN) (8–0) | Saint John's (MN) (8–0) | Saint John's (MN) (8–0) (1) | San Diego State (7–2) (1) | 7. |
| 8. | Texas A&I (2–0) (1) т | Lenoir–Rhyne (2–1) | Central Oklahoma (2–2) | UMass (4–0–1) | Western Kentucky (5–0–1) | Texas A&I (4–2) (1) т | Western Kentucky (7–0–1) (1) | Southwest Missouri State (9–0) (1) | Western Kentucky (8–0–1) (1) | Western Kentucky (8–0–1) (2) | 8. |
| 9. | Wittenberg (1–0–1) т | Central Oklahoma (2–1) | UMass (3–0–1) | Western Kentucky (4–0–1) | South Dakota State (6–1) | Saint John's (MN) (8–0) | Texas A&I (4–3) | Western Kentucky (7–0–1) (1) | Southwest Missouri State (9–0) (1) | Northeast Oklahoma State (10–0) | 9. |
| 10. | East Carolina (2–0) (1) | East Carolina (3–1) | Western Kentucky (3–0–1) | South Dakota State (5–1) | Saint John's (MN) (7–0) | South Dakota State (6–1) | Southwest Missouri State (8–0) | Texas A&I (5–3) | Northeast Oklahoma State (10–0) (1) | Southwest Missouri State (9–1) | 10. |
| 11. | Pittsburg State | Tennessee Tech | East Carolina | McNeese State (1) | Washington University | Washington University т | McNeese State (6–0) (1) т | Abilene Christian (7–1) (1) | Abilene Christian (7–1) | Abilene Christian (1) | 11. |
| 12. | Omaha | East Central Oklahoma | McNeese State (1) т | Western State (CO) | Lewis and Clark | Southwest Missouri State т | South Dakota State (6–1) т | Northeast Oklahoma State | South Dakota State (7–1) | McNeese State | 12. |
| 13. | Tennessee Tech (1) | South Dakota State | Fresno State т | Lewis and Clark | Western State (CO) | East Carolina | Lewis and Clark (1) | East Carolina | East Carolina | South Dakota State | 13. |
| 14. | South Dakota State | UMass | South Dakota State т | Fresno State | Fresno State | Western State (CO) | Abilene Christian | McNeese State (7–0) (1) т | McNeese State (8–0) (1) | Southwest Texas State (1) | 14. |
| 15. | UMass (2) | San Francisco State | Saint John's (MN) т | Saint John's (MN) | Montana State | Lewis and Clark (1) | Montana State | Southwest Texas State т | Southwest Texas State | Luther | 15. |
| 16. | Central Michigan (1) | Saint John's (MN) т | Lenoir–Rhyne | East Tennessee State | East Carolina | Northeast Oklahoma State т | East Carolina | Luther | Luther | Lewis and Clark (1) | 16. |
| 17. | Middle Tennessee (1) т | Western Kentucky т | Lewis and Clark | Northeast Oklahoma State | McNeese State т | McNeese State (5–0) (1) т | Luther | Lewis and Clark (1) | Lewis and Clark (1) | Central Washington | 17. |
| 18. | East Texas State (1) т | Central Michigan | Wheaton (IL) т | East Carolina | Northeast Oklahoma State т | Southwest Texas State т | Northeast Oklahoma State | Kearney State т | Kearney State | East Carolina | 18. |
| 19. | Humboldt State (1) | Linfield т | Louisiana Tech т | Los Angeles State (1) | Idaho State т | Montana State | Southwest Texas State | Prairie View т | Prairie View (1) | Texas A&I | 19. |
| 20. | Butler | McNeese State т | Western State (CO) | College of Emporia | Louisiana Tech т | Luther | Washington University | Montana State | Montana State | Montana State | 20. |
| 21. | | Fresno State т | | | Southwest Texas State т | | | | | | 21. |
| | Week 1 Oct 2 | Week 2 Oct 9 | Week 3 Oct 16 | Week 4 Oct 23 | Week 5 Oct 30 | Week 6 Nov 6 | Week 7 Nov 13 | Week 8 Nov 20 | Week 9 Nov 27 | Week 10 Dec 4 | |
| | | Dropped: 11 Pittsburg State12 Omaha17 Middle Tennessee18 East Texas State19 Humboldt State20 Butler | Dropped: 11 Tennessee Tech12 East Central Oklahoma15 San Francisco State18 Central Michigan19 Linfield | Dropped: 8 Central Oklahoma16 Lenoir–Rhyne18 Wheaton (IL)19 Louisiana Tech | Dropped: 16 East Tennessee State19 Los Angeles State20 College of Emporia | Dropped: 14 Fresno State19 Idaho State20 Louisiana Tech | Dropped: 14 Western State (CO) | Dropped: 12 South Dakota State20 Washington University | Dropped: 10 Texas A&I | Dropped: 18 Kearney State19 Prairie View | |

## Pittsburgh Courier rankings

The Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1963 teams from historically black colleges and universities in an era when college football was often racially segregated.
The rankings were published on December 7:
* 1. Prairie View A&M (10–1)
* 2. North Carolina College (8–1)
* 3. Morgan State (8–1)
* 4. Florida A&M (7–2)
* 5. Southern (7–3)
* 6. Texas Southern (7–3)
* 7. Arkansas AM&N (5–4–1)
* 8. Grambling (5–3–1)
* 9. Virginia Union (7–2)
* 10. North Carolina A&T (7–3)
* 11. Tennessee State (6–3)
* 12. South Carolina State (8–1)
* 13. Alabama A&M (8–0)
* 14. Bethune-Cookman (7–2)
* 15. Clark (7–1)
* 16. Johnson C. Smith (6–2)