# 1961 West Texas State Buffaloes football team

The 1961 West Texas State Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented West Texas State College (now known as West Texas A&M University) as a member of the Border Conference during the 1961 college football season. In their second season under head coach Joe Kerbel, the Buffaloes compiled a 6–4 record (3–1 in conference games), finished in second place in the Border Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 309 to 221.
Highlights of the season included a 27–23 victory over Arizona (the only loss for No. 18 Arizona) and high-scoring victories over BYU (55–8), Texas Western (56–27), and Hardin–Simmons (42–0).
Halfback Pete "Pistol Pete" Pedro ranked second among all major college players in the country in rushing (976 yards) and scoring (132 points) and led the country with 22 touchdowns. Pedro and guard Stu Johnson were selected as first-team players on the 1961 All-Border Conference football team.
The team played its home games at the Buffalo Bowl (later renamed Kimbrough Memorial Stadium) in Canyon, Texas.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 23 | BYU* | Buffalo BowlCanyon, TX | W 55–8 | |
| September 30 | at Texas Western | Kidd FieldEl Paso, TX | W 56–27 | |
| October 7 | Wichita* | Buffalo BowlCanyon, TX | L 34–41 | 15,000 |
| October 14 | Arizona State | Buffalo BowlCanyon, TX | L 11–28 | 17,000 |
| October 21 | Hardin–Simmons | Buffalo BowlCanyon, TX | W 42–0 | |
| October 28 | Arizona* | Buffalo BowlCanyon, TX | W 27–23 | 12,000 |
| November 4 | at Bowling Green* | University StadiumBowling Green, OH | L 6–28 | > 11,000 |
| November 11 | at Trinity (TX) | Alamo StadiumSan Antonio, TX | W 29–28 | |
| November 18 | at New Mexico State | Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | W 35–22 | |
| December 2 | at Texas Tech | Jones StadiumLubbock, TX | L 14–16 | 25,000 |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

## Statistics

The 1961 Buffaloes gained an average of 247.5 rushing yards and 81.5 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 205.3 rushing yards and 47.7 passing yards per game.
Pete "Pistol Pete" Pedro ranked second among all major college players in the country with 976 rushing yards on 137 carries for an average of 7.12 yards per carry. He also ranked second in the country in scoring with 132 points and led the country with 22 touchdowns. Pedro's scoring total included six touchdowns against Texas Western.
Quarterback Jim Dawson completed 46 of 92 yards (50%) for 566 yards with seven touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 109.4 quarterback rating.
Behind Pedro, the team's other leading rushers were Bill Lorance (452 yards, 90 carries, 5.0-yard average), Ollie Ross (346 yards, 68 carries, 5.1-yard average), and Jerry Don Logan (228 yards, 32 carries, 7.1-yard average).

## Awards and honors

Two West Texas players received first-team honors on the 1961 All-Border Conference football team based on a poll of the conference coaches. The West Texas honorees were Pete Pedro at halfback and Stu Johnson at guard. In addition, halfback Jerry Logan, end Dean Faulkenberry, guard Bill Bradley, and center Frank Thrasher were named to the second team. End Joe Granato received honorable mention.