1959 NCAA College Division football season

1959 NCAA College Division football season
Champion(s)	Bowling Green (UPI) Florida A&M (black)
College Division football seasons

The 1959 NCAA College Division football season was the fourth season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA College Division level.

Conference standings

1959 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Fresno State $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Los Angeles State 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Cal Poly 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 UC Santa Barbara 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Long Beach State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 San Diego State 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1959 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T St. Benedict's $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Pittsburg State 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Washburn 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Emporia State 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Fort Hays State 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Omaha 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1959 Far Western Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 17 San Francisco State $ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0 Humboldt State 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Nevada 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 Chico State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Sacramento State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 UC Davis 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from UPI small college poll
1959 Gulf States Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 7 Louisiana Tech $ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 McNeese State 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Northwestern State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Southwestern Louisiana 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Southeastern Louisiana 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 2 – 0 Northeast Louisiana State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1959 Hoosier Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Anderson (IN) $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Taylor 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Franklin (IN) 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Hanover 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Indiana Central 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Manchester (IN) 0 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 + – Conference co-champions	1959 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Butler $ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Evansville 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Indiana State 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Valparaiso 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 DePauw 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 1 Ball State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1959 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2 Western Illinois $ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 No. 17 Northern Illinois State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Central Michigan 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Southern Illinois 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Eastern Illinois 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Eastern Michigan 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Illinois State Normal 0 – 5 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1959 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wartburg $ 8 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Buena Vista 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Luther 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Iowa Wesleyan 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Dubuque 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Parsons 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Central (IA) 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Upper Iowa 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Simpson (IA) 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1959 Lone Star Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 5 Texas A&I +^ 6 – 1 – 0 12 – 1 – 0 No. 4 East Texas State + 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Lamar Tech 4 – 3 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Stephen F. Austin 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 1 Sam Houston State 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Howard Payne 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Southwest Texas State 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Sul Ross 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll
1959 Mid-American Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 Bowling Green $ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 No. 9 Ohio 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 No. 19 Miami (OH) 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Kent State 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Western Michigan 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Marshall 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Toledo 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from UPI small college poll	1959 Mid-Ohio League football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Bluffton $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Findlay 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Ashland 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 3 – 2 Ohio Northern 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Defiance 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Wilmington (OH) 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1959 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T University Division Delaware x 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Gettysburg 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Lafayette 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Bucknell 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Rutgers 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Lehigh 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Temple 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 Muhlenberg * 1 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Northern College Division Albright x 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Juniata 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Wagner 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Lebanon Valley 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Susquehanna 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 Moravian 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Wilkes 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Lycoming 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Scranton * 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Southern College Division Johns Hopkins x 6 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Pennsylvania Military 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Western Maryland 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 2 – 2 Ursinus 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Dickinson 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Haverford 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 5 – 0 Drexel 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 Franklin & Marshall * 1 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Swarthmore * 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 West Chester * 0 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games
1959 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T SE Missouri State $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 NE Missouri State 3 – 1 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 NW Missouri State 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 3 – 2 Missouri–Rolla 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 SW Missouri State 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Central Missouri State 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1959 North Central Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Augustana (SD) $ 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 North Dakota State 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 South Dakota 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Iowa State Teachers 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Morningside 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 South Dakota State 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 North Dakota 1 – 4 – 1 2 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1959 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3 Middle Tennessee + 5 – 0 – 1 10 – 0 – 1 Tennessee Tech + 5 – 0 – 1 7 – 2 – 2 East Tennessee State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Western Kentucky 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Eastern Kentucky 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Morehead State 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Murray State 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 10 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from UPI small college poll
1959 Mid-Ohio League football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Bluffton $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Findlay 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Ashland 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 3 – 2 Ohio Northern 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Defiance 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Wilmington (OH) 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1959 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Idaho State $ 3 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Adams State 3 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Colorado State–Greeley 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Colorado College 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Colorado Mines 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Western State (CO) 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1959 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Southern $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No. 16 Prairie View A&M 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Texas Southern 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Jackson State 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Arkansas AM&N 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Grambling 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Texas College 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Wiley 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll
1959 Yankee Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Connecticut $ 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 UMass 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 1 Maine 1 – 2 – 2 3 – 3 – 2 New Hampshire 1 – 2 – 1 3 – 3 – 2 Rhode Island 1 – 2 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 Vermont 0 – 1 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1959 NCAA College Division independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hofstra   –   9 – 0 – 0 Howard (AL)   –   9 – 1 – 0 Buffalo   –   8 – 1 – 0 Carnegie Tech   –   7 – 1 – 0 Cal Poly Pomona   –   7 – 1 – 1 North Park   –   6 – 1 – 1 Santa Clara   –   4 – 1 – 0 No. 8 Southern Connecticut State ^   –   8 – 2 – 0 Northern Michigan   –   6 – 2 – 0 UC Riverside   –   5 – 2 – 0 Montana State   –   6 – 3 – 0 Carthage   –   5 – 3 – 1 Louisville   –   6 – 4 – 0 Memphis State   –   6 – 4 – 0 Mississippi Southern   –   6 – 4 – 0 Arlington State   –   4 – 3 – 0 Sewanee   –   4 – 3 – 1 Abilene Christian   –   5 – 5 – 0 Baldwin–Wallace   –   4 – 4 – 0 Washington and Lee   –   3 – 4 – 1 Xavier   –   4 – 6 – 0 Wabash   –   3 – 5 – 1 Rose Poly   –   2 – 4 – 1 Arkansas State   –   3 – 6 – 0 Hawaii   –   3 – 6 – 0 Trinity (TX)   –   3 – 6 – 0 Pepperdine   –   2 – 5 – 1 Chattanooga   –   3 – 7 – 0 Tampa   –   3 – 7 – 0 Drake   –   2 – 7 – 0 Northeastern   –   1 – 6 – 1 Washington University   –   1 – 7 – 0 St. Norbert   –   0 – 6 – 1 ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll

Rankings

Main article: 1959 NCAA College Division football rankings

Small college poll

In 1959, United Press International (UPI) conducted its "small college" coaches' poll for the second time; they voted the Bowling Green Falcons, who had a 9–0 record and outscored their opponents 274–83, as the number one team.

United Press International (coaches) final poll
Published on November 27

Rank	School	Record	No. 1 votes	Total points
1	Bowling Green	9–0	23	407
2	Mississippi Southern	6–3	5	247
3	Middle Tennessee	9–0	2	231
4	Delaware	8–1	1	211
5	East Texas State	9–1		179
6	Western Illinois	9–0		152
7	Memphis State	5–4		86
8	Louisiana Tech	8–1	2	81
9	Ohio	7–2		76
10	West Chester	7–1		71