# 1961 Albion Britons football team

The 1961 Albion Britons football team was an American football team that represented Albion College of Albion, Michigan, as a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) during the 1961 college football season. In their eighth season under head coach Morley Fraser, the Britons compiled a perfect 8–0 record (5–0 against MIAA members), won the MIAA championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 186 to 56. It was Albion's first perfect season since 1928.
The team was inducted into Albion's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991. Nine coaches or players from the team have also been inducted as individuals: Morley Fraser; Darwin Christiansen; Frank Gould; Ray Hag; Ken Neal; Robert Porritt; Fritz Shurmur; Joe Shurmur; and Dale Springer.
The team's individual statistical leaders included fullback J.B. Elzy with 752 rushing yards, quarterback Frank Gould with 604 passing yards and 818 yards of total offense, and end Gary Methner with 49 pass receptions for 604 yards.
Junior Joe Shurmur was named to the 1961 MIAA all-conference team on both offense (guard) and defense (linebacker); he was also voted as the team's most valuable player. Albion took nine of the 22 spots on the 1961 all-conference team. In addition to Shurmur, Albion's other honorees were quarterback Frank Gould; running backs J.B. Elzy and Ray Hoag; end Gary Menther; defensive tackle Terry Menther; defensive guard Milt Moore; and defensive halfback Bob Porritt.
The team played its home games at Alumni Field in Albion, Michigan.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 16 | Eastern Michigan* | Alumni FieldAlbion, MI | W 13–0 | 1,500–4,000 |
| September 30 | Kalamazoo | Alumni FieldAlbion, MI | W 15–0 | 2,000–3,820 |
| October 7 | at Hope | Riverview ParkHolland, MI | W 26–14 | 4,500–4,850 |
| October 14 | Anderson (IN)* | Alumni FieldAlbion, MI | W 35–6 | 1,100 |
| October 21 | Olivet | Alumni FieldAlbion, MI | W 13–0 | 6,000 |
| October 28 | at Ferris Institute* | Big Rapids, MI | W 28–6 | 2,700 |
| November 4 | at Alma | Alma, MI | W 27–12 | 4,030 |
| November 11 | at Adrian | Adrian, MI | W 35–17 | 4,285 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecoming ||||||

## Roster

The following 37 players received block "A" varsity letters for their participation on the 1961 Albion football team:
* Dom Adamson - junior, Grand Rapids, Michigan
* Dave Barrett - sophomore, Grand Rapids, Michigan
* Bruce Blakeman - junior, Paw Paw, Michigan
* Jesse Bommarito - sophomore, Albion, Michigan
* Jerry Chandler - freshman, Dearborn, Michigan
* Dar Christiansen - junior, Flushing, Michigan
* Monte Clute - senior, Rochester, Michigan
* Dick Dana - freshman, Williamston, Michigan
* Roger Dunn - sophomore, Flint, Michigan
* Keith Galloway - freshman, Grosse Ile, Michigan
* Frank Gould - junior, St. Charles, Michigan
* George Eisener - junior, Jonesville, Michigan
* J.B. Elzy - sophomore, Flint, Michigan
* Bob Gardner - freshman, Wayne, Michigan
* Ray Hoag - senior, Lowell, Michigan
* Mike Hornus - sophomore, Owosso, Michigan
* Les Knickerbacker - sophomore, Flint, Michigan
* Jim Livingston - freshman, Flint, Michigan
* Tom Lutz - junior, Wyandotte, Michigan
* Jim Madill - junior, Midland, Michigan
* Bruce Martens - junior, Vicksburg, Michigan
* Gary Methner - senior, Midland, Michigan
* Terry Methner - sophomore, Midland, Michigan
* Milton Moore - senior, Chicago
* Ken Neal - freshman, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
* Jim Osgood - sophomore, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
* Bob Porritt - sophomore, Clarkston, Michigan
* Steve Richards - sophomore, South Lake, Michigan
* Mike Shafer - freshman, Findlay, Ohio
* Bob Smith - senior, Grosse Ile, Michigan
* Jon Rise - senior, Pontiac, Michigan
* Tom Sagendorf - senior, Grand Rapids, Michigan
* Joe Shurmur - junior, Wyandotte, Michigan
* Dale Springer - senior, co-captain, Lansing, Michigan
* John Ulmanis - freshman, Midland, Michigan
* Russ Wallis - freshman, Durand, Michigan
* Phil Willis - junior, Grass Lake, Michigan
Varsity letters were also presented to team managers Fred Clawson, John Gorton, and Richard Yeager.