| 1960Missouri Tigers football | |
|---|---|
Orange Bowl, W 21–14 vsNavy | |
| Conference | Big Eight Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 4 |
| AP | No. 5 |
| Record | 11–0 (7–0 Big 8) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5Missouri $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11Kansas† | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1960 Missouri Tigers football team was anAmerican football team that represented theUniversity of Missouri in theBig Eight Conference (Big 8) during the1960 college football season. The team compiled an 11–0 record (7–0 against Big 8 opponents), won the Big 8 championship, defeatedNavy in theOrange Bowl, was ranked No. 5 in the finalAP poll, and outscored its opponents 295 to 93. Led by third-year head coachDan Devine,[2][3] the team played its home games atMemorial Stadium inColumbia, Missouri.
The 1960 season included one of the most famous games in the history ofMissouri vs. Kansas rivalry. Missouri had won its first nine games and was ranked atop the polls, but the visitingJayhawks won 23–7.[4][5] Kansas used an ineligible player,Bert Coan, in the game and the win was officially awarded to Missouri by the Big Eight Conference on December 8. The reversal brought Missouri's record to 11–0 instead of 10–1.[6][7]
The team's statistical leaders includedMel West with 650 rushing yards and 650 yards of total offense, Ron Taylor with 302 passing yards, Danny LaRose with 151 receiving yards, and Donnie Smith with 78 point scored.[8]
The team was featured in the 2024 historical novel "Respectable Roughnecks" by Brendon Steenbergen. The book focused on Dan LaRose during his All-American season, and on West and Norris Stevenson with their struggles as Missouri's first black players.[9]
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17 | SMU* | W 20–0 | 26,500 | [10] | ||
| September 24 | Oklahoma State | No. 16 |
| W 28–7 | 26,000 | |
| October 1 | at No. 20Penn State* | No. 19 | W 21–8 | 33,613 | ||
| October 8 | atAir Force* | No. 11 | W 34–8 | 24,398 | ||
| October 15 | atKansas State | No. 6 | W 45–0 | 10,000 | ||
| October 22 | Iowa State | No. 5 |
| W 34–8 | 33,683 | |
| October 29 | atNebraska | No. 5 | W 28–0 | 34,581 | ||
| November 5 | No. 18Colorado | No. 2 |
| W 16–6 | 37,500 | |
| November 12 | atOklahoma | No. 2 | W 41–19 | 53,369 | ||
| November 19 | Kansas | No. 1 |
| W 7–23Δ[6] | 43,000 | |
| January 2 | vs. No. 4Navy* | No. 5 | W 21–14 | 71,218 | ||
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The Big Eight faculty committee, meeting in Kansas City, found that Kansas violated league rules in recruiting Coan and order the Jayhawks to forfeit their last two victories-over Colorado and Missouri.
The move gave MU a 10-0 season record and a 7-0 record in league play.