1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team

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Ranking
Coaches	No. 16
AP	No. 14

The 1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in the 1961 NCAA University Division college football season. Running back Ernie Davis became the first African-American football player to win the Heisman Trophy.

Regular season

Schedule

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Orangemen points	Opponents	Record
1	Sept. 23	@ Oregon State	Win	19	8	1-0
2	Sept. 30	West Virginia	Win	29	14	2-0
3	Oct. 7	@ Maryland	Loss	21	22	2-1
4	Oct. 14	@ Nebraska	Win	28	6	3-1
5	Oct. 21	@ Penn State	Loss	0	14	3-2
6	Oct. 28	Holy Cross	Win	34	6	4-2
7	Nov. 4	Pittsburgh	Win	28	9	5-2
8	Nov. 11	Colgate	Win	51	8	6-2
9	Nov. 18	@ Notre Dame	Loss	15	17	6-3
10	Nov. 25	@ Boston College	Win	28	13	7-3

1961 team players in the NFL

Player	Round	Pick	Position	Club
Ernie Davis	1	1	Running Back	Cleveland Browns
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

^[1]

Ernie Davis was the first black player to be chosen first overall in the NFL Draft.^[2] Davis was drafted by the Washington Redskins then traded to the Clevand Browns in the first round of the 1962 American Football League draft.^[3] Tragically, he would never play in the NFL; he was diagnosed with leukemia shortly before he was to enter the league, and died in May 1963, less than a year after his diagnosis.

Awards and honors

Ernie Davis, Heisman Trophy^[4]

References

^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1962.htm
^ Sports Illustrated, October 13, 2008, p.24
^ Rockin’ the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, p.564, Jeffrey J. Miller, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1-55022-797-0
^ http://www.heisman.com/winners/hsmn-winners.html

[1] ttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1962.htm

[2] Sports Illustrated, October 13, 2008, p.24

[3] Rockin’ the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, p.564, Jeffrey J. Miller, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1-55022-797-0

[4] ttp://www.heisman.com/winners/hsmn-winners.html

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Syracuse Orange football
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