1961 Tennessee Volunteers football team
American college football season
The 1961 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") was an American football team that represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1961 college football season . In their seventh year under head coach Bowden Wyatt , the team compiled a 6–4 record (4–3 in conference games). tied for fourth place in the SEC, and outscored opponents by a total of 221 to 149.[ 1]
Tailback Mallon Faircloth led the team in passing (460 yards), rushing (475 yards), total offense (935 yards), and scoring (36 points, six touchdowns). Center and captain Mike Lucci was the only Tennessee player to receive first-team honors on the 1961 All-SEC football team .
The team played its home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee .
Schedule
Date Opponent Site TV Result Attendance Source September 30 Auburn L 21–2444,600 [ 2]
October 7 Mississippi State Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN W 17–331,600 [ 3]
October 14 Tulsa * Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN W 52–623,439 [ 4]
October 21 at No. 5 Alabama ABC L 3–3448,000 [ 5]
October 28 Chattanooga * Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN W 20–725,000 [ 6]
November 4 at North Carolina * L 21–2235,000 [ 7]
November 11 No. 9 Georgia Tech Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry ) W 10–646,000 [ 8]
November 18 vs. No. 6 Ole Miss L 10–2432,428 [ 9]
November 25 at Kentucky W 26–1637,000 [ 10]
December 2 Vanderbilt Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry ) W 41–729,130 [ 11]
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Statistics
The Volunteers gained an average of 183.2 rushing yards and 62.0 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up an average of 159.7 rushing yards and 117.6 passing yards per game.[ 12]
Tailback Mallon Faircloth completed 31 of 52 passes (59.6%) for 460 yards with eight touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 184.7 quarterback rating. He also led the team in rushing (475 yards), total offense (935 yards), and scoring (36 points, six touchdowns).[ 12]
The team's leading rushers after Faircloth were Bunny Orr (332 yards, 67 carries), Glenn Glass (261 yards, 59 carries), Jack Nichols (231 yards, 53 carries), and George Canale (146 yards, 42 carries).[ 12]
The team's leading receivers were Hubert McClain (11 receptions, 149 yards) and Mike Stratton (nine receptions, 142 yards).[ 12]
Awards and honors
Center Mike Lucci was selected as the team captain.[ 13] Lucci also won first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) on the 1961 All-SEC football team and second-team honors from the United Press International (UPI). Tailback Mallon Faircloth was named to the second team by the AP and the third team by the UPI.[ 14] [ 15] [ 16]
Halfback Glenn Glass was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 17th round of the 1962 NFL draft .[ 17]
Personnel
Players
Pat Augustine (#84), end, junior, 6'0", 185 pounds
Warren Blankenship (#52), center, senior, 6'0", 200 pounds
Kenny Brown (79), tackle, junior, 6'1", 196 pounds
George Canale (#45), tailback, junior, 5'9", 175 pounds
J.W. Carter (#34), fullback, senior, 6'1", 190 pounds
Wayne Coleman (#23), blocking back, junior, 5'9", 175 pounds
Bob Dalton (#66), guard, sophomore, 6'0", 183 pounds
Dick Evey (#75), tackle, sophomore, 6'4", 220 pounds
Morgan Faircloth (#43), tailback, sophomore, 5'11", 182 pounds, Cordele, GA
Buddy Fisher (#85), end, sophomore, 6'3", 190 pounds
Joe Foxall (#63), guard, junior, 6'1", 192 pounds
Glenn "Red" Glass (#49), tailback, senior, 6'1", 185 pounds
L.T. Helton (#50), center, senior, 6'1", 200 pounds
Ken Honea (#20), blocking back, 6'0", 185 pounds
Johnny Hudson (#88), end, junior, 6'2", 201 pounds
Paul Inglett (#65), guard, senior, 195 pounds
Mike Lucci (#55), center, senior, 6'2", 200 pounds
Cliff Marquart (#74), tackle, senior, 6'2", 204 pounds
Hubert McClain (#19), wingback, sophomore, 5'11", 175 pounds
Bobby Morton (#42), tailback, sophomore, 5'10", 161 pounds
Jack Nichols (#33), fullback, junior, 6'0", 200 pounds
Bunny Orr (#32), fullback, senior, 5'11", 185 pounds
Larry Richards (#60), guard, junior, 6'2", 190 pounds
Mike Stratton (#86), end, senior, 6'3", 205 pounds
Paul Tilson (#76), tackle, junior, 6'1", 195 pounds
Tom Williams (#70), tackle, junior, 6'1", 195 pounds
Charles Wyrick (#12), wingback, junior, 6'0", 185 pounds
[ 18] [ 19]
Coaches and administrators
References
^ "1961 Tennessee Volunteers Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2024 .
^ "Auburn fielder sinks Vols" . The Tennessean . October 1, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Vols turn back Maroons, 17–3" . Asheville Citizen-Times . October 8, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Vols warm up for Alabama; Rout Tulsa, 52–6" . Kingsport Times-News . October 15, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Trammell stars as Tide crushes Tennessee 34–3" . The Decatur Daily . October 22, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Faircloth supplies punch as Vols tumble Mocs, 20–7" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . October 29, 1961. Retrieved September 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tars stun Vols 22–21 in final 15 seconds" . The Greenville News . November 5, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Vols upset Engineers, 10–6" . Richmond Times Dispatch . November 12, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Powerful Ole Miss belts Vols, 24–10" . The Jackson Sun . November 19, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tennessee downs arch-rival Kentucky 26–16" . The Paducah Sun-Democrat . November 26, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tennessee Vols crush Vanderbilt, 41–7, in finale" . Johnson City Press-Chronicle . December 3, 1961. Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ a b c d "1961 Tennessee Volunteers Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2024 .
^ a b c 1962 The Volunteer (University of Tennessee yearbook), p. 97.
^ "Trammell, Neighbors, Fracchia Picked From Bama To All-SEC" . The Evening Independent . December 5, 1961.
^ "AP's All-SEC" . The Monroe News-Star . December 5, 1961. p. 8. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "UPI All-Southeastern" . The Delta Democrat-Times . November 29, 1961. p. 12. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "1962 NFL Draft" . Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2012 .
^ "Today's Rosters" . The Knoxville Journal . September 30, 1961. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
^ 1962 The Volunteer (University of Tennessee yearbook), pp. 98-99.
^ a b 1962 The Volunteer, p. 96.
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold