# 1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team

The 1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team was an American football team that represented Syracuse University as an independent during the 1961 college football season. In their 13th year underhead coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the Orangemen compiled an 8–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 253 to 117, and defeated Miami (FL) in the 1961 Liberty Bowl. They were ranked No. 14 in the final AP poll and No. 16 in the final UPI poll.
Running back Ernie Davis rushed for 823 yards and 12 touchdowns, was selected as a consensus All-American, and became the first African-American player to win the Heisman Trophy.
The team played its home games at Archbold Stadium in Syracuse, New York.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 23 | at Oregon State | No. 10 | Multnomah StadiumPortland, OR | W 19–8 | 35,729 |
| September 30 | West Virginia | No. 5 | Archbold StadiumSyracuse, NY (rivalry) | W 29–14 | 25,000 |
| October 7 | at Maryland | No. 7 | Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD | L 21–22 | 35,000 |
| October 14 | at Nebraska | | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | W 28–6 | 35,387 |
| October 21 | at Penn State | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | L 0–14 | 44,390 |
| October 28 | Holy Cross | | Archbold StadiumSyracuse, NY | W 34–6 | 31,000 |
| November 4 | Pittsburgh | | Archbold StadiumSyracuse, NY (rivalry) | W 28–9 | 40,000 |
| November 11 | Colgate | | Archbold StadiumSyracuse, NY (rivalry) | W 51–8 | 25,000 |
| November 18 | at Notre Dame | No. 10 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | L 15–17 | 49,246 |
| November 25 | at Boston College | | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | W 28–13 | 17,600 |
| December 16 | vs. Miami (FL) | No. 14 | Philadelphia Municipal StadiumPhiladelphia, PA (Liberty Bowl) | W 15–14 | 15,712 |
| Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Statistics

Quarterback Dave Sarette was the team's passing leader. He completed 56 of 106 passes (51.9%) for 813 yards for nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Ernie Davis led the team in rushing with 823 yards on 150 carries for an average gain of 5.5 yards per attempt. Davis also caught 16 passes for 157 yards. He also led the team in scoring with 84 points on 14 touchdowns.
Davis was followed by Gary Fallon (299 yards, 66 carries, 4.5-yard average) and Bill Meyers (163 yards, 23 carries, 7.1-yard average).
The team's leading receivers were John Mackey (15 receptions, 321 yards) and Dick Easterly (12 receptions, 207 yards). Mackey later played tight end for the Baltimore Colts and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

## Awards and honors

Halfback Ernie Davis received numerous awards at the end of the 1961 season including the following:
* On November 28, 1961, Davis was announced at the winner of the Heisman Trophy as college football's player of the year. He was the first black player to receive the award. At the time, Davis called it "the thrill of a lifetime," "something you dream about but you never really believe it can happen to you."
* Davis was a unanimous first-team pick on the 1961 All-America college football team. He received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, and The Sporting News, among others.
* He was also selected as the Associated Press Player of the Year and received the Chic Harley Award from the Touchdown Club of Columbus as the college football player of the year.
Davis was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 1962 NFL draft, but he was diagnosed with leukemia, never played professional football, and died in May 1963. He was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Four Syracuse players received honors from the AP or UPI on the 1961 All-Eastern football team: halfback Ernie Davis (AP-1, UPI-1), tackle John Brown, end John Mackey (AP-2, UPI-3), and center Bob Stern (UPI-2).

## 1962 NFL draft

| Player | Round | Pick | Position | Club |
| Ernie Davis | 1 | 1 | Running back | Washington Redskins |
| Pete Brokaw | 8 | 107 | Back | Baltimore Colts |
| George Francovitch | 10 | 131 | Guard | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Gary Fallon | 12 | 157 | Halfback | Minnesota Vikings |
| Dick Easterly | 14 | 190 | Back | San Francisco 49ers |
| Bob Stem | 19 | 265 | Center | New York Giants |
Ernie Davis was the first black player to be chosen first overall in the NFL Draft. Davis was drafted by the Washington Redskins then traded to the Clevand Browns in the first round of the 1962 American Football League draft. However, he never played in the NFL; he was diagnosed with leukemia shortly before he was to enter the league, and he died in May 1963, less than a year after his diagnosis.