# 1961 small college football rankings

The 1961 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1961 college 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 experts, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches from throughout the country.
In its final rankings, the AP selected the 1961 Pittsburg State Gorillas football team as the small-college national champion. The Gorillas finished the season with a perfect 11–0 record, shut out seven opponents, and defeated Linfield in the Camellia Bowl. For its second through fifth spots, the AP selected four other undefeated teams: Baldwin–Wallace (9–0); Fresno State (10–0); Florida A&M (10–0); and Whittier (8–0).
The UPI board of coaches also selected Pittsburg as the small-college champion with first-place votes from 14 of the participating coaches and 250 total points. The UPI rated Baldwin–Wallace second, Mississippi Southern (8–2) third, and Southeastern Louisiana (9–1) fourth.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) also conducted a poll of coaches at the end of the 1961 regular season. Pittsburg was selected as the national champion in the NAIA 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 5 | Week 2 Oct 12 | Week 3 Oct 19 | Week 4 Oct 26 | Week 5 Nov 2 | Week 6 Nov 9 | Week 7 Nov 16 | Week 8 Nov 23 | |
| 1. | Texas A&I | Texas A&I (3–0) (5) | Pittsburg State (5–0) (3) | Pittsburg State (6–0) (4) | Pittsburg State (7–0) (6) | Pittsburg State (8–0) (3) | Pittsburg State (9–0) (5) | Pittsburg State (9–0) (5) | 1. |
| 2. | Hillsdale (1) | Humboldt State (3–0) (2) | Baldwin–Wallace (4–0) | Northern Michigan (5–1) | Baldwin–Wallace (5–0) | Baldwin–Wallace (6–0) (1) | Baldwin–Wallace (8–0) | Baldwin–Wallace (9–0) | 2. |
| 3. | Southeastern Louisiana (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (4–0) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (4–0) | Baldwin–Wallace (4–0) (2) | Southeastern Louisiana (7–0) | Southeastern Louisiana (8–0) (2) | Fresno State (8–0) | Fresno State (9–0) | 3. |
| 4. | Southern Illinois | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Northern Michigan (4–1) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (6–0) | Northern Michigan (5–1) | Northern Michigan (6–1) | Whittier (8–0) | Florida A&M (8–0) | 4. |
| 5. | Humboldt State | Southern Illinois | Whittier (5–0) | Whittier | Whittier | Fresno State (7–0) | Florida A&M (7–0) | Whittier (9–0) | 5. |
| 6. | Mississippi Southern | Northern Michigan (3–1) | Hofstra (3–0) | Fresno State (5–0) | Fresno State (6–0) | Florida A&M (6–0) | Lehigh (6–2) | Lehigh (7–2) | 6. |
| 7. | Pittsburg State | Baldwin–Wallace (3–0) | Texas A&I (3–1) (1) | Hofstra (4–0) т | Florida A&M (5–0) | Whittier (7–0) | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1–1) (1) | Linfield (9–0) (1) | 7. |
| 8. | Northern Michigan | Delaware (3–0) | Lamar Tech (4–0) | Northwestern State (6–0) (1) т | Mississippi Southern (5–1) | Lehigh | Linfield (8–0) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (9–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Lehigh (1) | Whittier (4–0) (1) | West Chester (4–0) (1) | West Chester | Lenoir–Rhyne | Linfield (7–0) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (8–1) | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1–1) (1) | 9. |
| 10. | Newberry (1) т | West Chester (3–0) (1) | Fresno State (5–0) | Mississippi Southern (5–1) | Lamar Tech (1) т | Lenoir–Rhyne (6–1–1) (1) | Amherst (9–0) (1) | Butler (9–0) т | 10. |
| 11. | Southern (1) т | | | | Linfield т | | | Mississippi Southern (7–2) т | 11. |
| | Week 1 Oct 5 | Week 2 Oct 12 | Week 3 Oct 19 | Week 4 Oct 26 | Week 5 Nov 2 | Week 6 Nov 9 | Week 7 Nov 16 | Week 8 Nov 23 | |
| | | Dropped: 2 Hillsdale6 Mississippi Southern9 Lehigh10 Newberry11 Southern | Dropped: 2 Humboldt State5 Southern Illinois8 Delaware | Dropped: 7 Texas A&I8 Lamar Tech | Dropped: 7 Hofstra8 Northwestern State9 West Chester | Dropped: 8 Mississippi Southern10 Lamar Tech | Dropped: 4 Northern Michigan | Dropped: 10 Amherst | |

## UPI coaches poll

| | Week 1 Oct 4 | Week 2 Oct 11 | Week 3 Oct 18 | Week 4 Oct 25 | Week 5 Nov 1 | Week 6 Nov 8 | Week 7 Nov 15 | Week 8 Nov 22 | |
| 1. | Mississippi Southern (7) | Mississippi Southern (3–0) | Northern Michigan (4–1) (5) | Northern Michigan (5–1) (14) | Mississippi Southern (5–1) (14) | Pittsburg State (8–0) (9) | Pittsburg State (9–0) (13) | Pittsburg State (9–0) (14) | 1. |
| 2. | Hillsdale (7) т | Northern Michigan (3–1) | Mississippi Southern (3–1) (9) | Mississippi Southern (4–1) (10) | Pittsburg State (7–0) (3) | Northern Michigan (6–1) (4) | Baldwin–Wallace (8–0) (3) | Baldwin–Wallace (9–0) (1) | 2. |
| 3. | Kent State (2) т | Louisiana Tech (3–0) | Louisiana Tech (3–1) (2) | Pittsburg State (6–0) (3) | Northern Michigan (5–1) (3) | Southeastern Louisiana (8–0) (8) | Mississippi Southern (6–2) (5) | Mississippi Southern (7–2) (4) | 3. |
| 4. | Humboldt State (4) т | Texas A&I (3–0) | Texas A&I (3–1) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (6–0) (1) | Southeastern Louisiana (7–0) (5) | Mississippi Southern (5–2) (6) | Southeastern Louisiana (8–1) (4) | Southeastern Louisiana (9–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Louisiana Tech (2) т | Delaware (3–0) | Fresno State (4–0) (3) | Fresno State (5–0) (1) | Fresno State (6–0) (2) | Baldwin–Wallace (6–0) (1) | Fresno State (8–0) (5) | Fresno State (9–0) (8) | 5. |
| 6. | Northern Michigan | Humboldt State (3–0) | Southeastern Louisiana (5–0) (2) | Baldwin–Wallace (4–0) (3) | Baldwin–Wallace (5–0) (2) | Fresno State (7–0) (4) | Florida A&M (7–0) (1) | Florida A&M (8–0) | 6. |
| 7. | Texas A&I (3) | Fresno State (3–0) | Pittsburg State (5–0) (3) | Hofstra (4–0) (1) | Idaho State (5–0) (2) | Wheaton (IL) (8–0) | Northern Michigan (6–2) (1) | Wheaton (IL) (8–0) | 7. |
| 8. | Delaware (1) | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Hofstra (3–0) (2) | Louisiana Tech (3–2) | Wheaton (IL) (7–0) | Florida A&M (6–0) (1) | Wheaton (IL) (8–0) | Whittier (9–0) | 8. |
| 9. | Arkansas State (3) | Southeastern Louisiana (4–0) | Humboldt State (3–1) | Wheaton (IL) (6–0) (1) | Florida A&M (5–0) (1) | Idaho State (5–1) | Butler (8–0) | Butler (9–0) | 9. |
| 10. | Chattanooga (1) т | Kent State (2–2) | Baldwin–Wallace (3–0) (1) | Idaho State (4–0) | West Chester (5–1) | Butler (7–0) | Whittier (8–0) | Northern Michigan (6–2) | 10. |
| 11. | Pittsburg State (1) т | Baldwin–Wallace | Idaho State (1) | Texas A&I | Butler | Lehigh (1) | Idaho State | Lehigh (7–2) т | 11. |
| 12. | Fresno State (1) | Arkansas State | Wheaton (IL) (1) | West Chester | Louisiana Tech | Delaware т | Central State (OK) | Linfield (9–0) т | 12. |
| 13. | Lenoir–Rhyne | Hillsdale т | Kent State | Butler | Texas A&I | Lenoir–Rhyne (6–1–1) т | Linfield (8–0) | Idaho State | 13. |
| 14. | Louisville (1) | Southern Illinois т | Butler | Humboldt State | Whittier | Northwestern State | Amherst (7–0) т | Central State (OK) | 14. |
| 15. | Southeastern Louisiana (1) | Idaho State | Florida A&M | Northwestern State (6–0) (1) | Humboldt State | Amherst | Lehigh (6–2) т | Northern State | 15. |
| 16. | Lamar Tech | Lenoir–Rhyne | Hillsdale (1) | Florida A&M | Northwestern State | Humboldt State | Tampa | Humboldt State т | 16. |
| 17. | Baldwin–Wallace т | Louisville | Lamar Tech (4–0) (2) | Lamar Tech | Lenoir–Rhyne | Whittier (7–0) | Humboldt State т | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1–1) т | 17. |
| 18. | Butler т | Wheaton (IL) | Lenoir–Rhyne | Montana State | Lamar Tech | Texas A&I | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1–1) т | Tampa | 18. |
| 19. | East Texas State т | Butler т | Lehigh | Albright (4–0) т | Southern Illinois | Northern State (7–0) | Louisiana Tech | Chattanooga | 19. |
| 20. | Florida A&M т | Lehigh т | Montana State | Lenoir–Rhyne т | Hofstra | Central State (OK) т | Southern Illinois | Ottawa | 20. |
| 21. | Idaho State т | | | | | Chattanooga т | | | 21. |
| | Week 1 Oct 4 | Week 2 Oct 11 | Week 3 Oct 18 | Week 4 Oct 25 | Week 5 Nov 1 | Week 6 Nov 8 | Week 7 Nov 15 | Week 8 Nov 22 | |
| | | Dropped: 10 Chattanooga16 Lamar Tech19 East Texas State20 Florida A&M | Dropped: 5 Delaware12 Arkansas State14 Southern Illinois17 Louisville | Dropped: 13 Kent State16 Hillsdale19 Lehigh | Dropped: 18 Montana State19 Albright | Dropped: 10 West Chester12 Louisiana Tech18 Lamar Tech19 Southern Illinois20 Hofstra | Dropped: 12 Delaware14 Northwestern State18 Texas A&I19 Northern State20 Chattanooga | Dropped: 14 Amherst19 Louisiana Tech20 Southern Illinois | |

## NAIA coaches poll

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) also conducted a poll of coaches at the end of the 1961 regular season. The NAIA coaches poll ranked the top 20 teams, as presented in the below table. Four teams advanced to the postseason, with Pittsburg winning the bracket tournament.
1. Pittsburg State† 2. Baldwin–Wallace 3. Linfield † 4. Whittier † 5. Florida A&M 6. Northern State † 7. Southeastern Louisiana 8. Tampa 9. Central State (OK) 10. McNeese State 11. Panhandle A&M 12. Parsons 13. Humboldt State 14. Millikin 15. Lenoir Rhyne 16. Ottawa (KS) 17. Arkansas Tech 18. Minnesota–Duluth 19. Missouri Valley 20. West Chester
† Team participated in the NAIA postseason

## Pittsburgh Courier rankings

The Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1961 teams from historically black colleges and universities in an era when college football was often racially segregated.
The rankings were published on December 2:
* 1. Florida A&M (10–0)
* 2. Jackson State (9–1)
* 3. North Carolina College (7–0–2)
* 4. Grambling (8–2)
* 5. Southern (7–3)
* 6. Texas Southern (6–3)
* 7. North Carolina A&T (5–4)
* 8. Winston-Salem State (6–1–1)
* 9. Johnson C. Smith (8–1)
* 10. Morris Brown (6–4)
* 11. Maryland State (4–2–1)
* 12. Prairie View A&M (5–4–1)
* 13. Tennessee A&I (4–4–1)
* 14. Central State (7–1)
* 15. Alabama A&M (7–1)