| 1961The Citadel Bulldogs football | |
|---|---|
SoCon champion | |
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Record | 7–3 (5–1 SoCon) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Johnson Hagood Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel $ | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richmond | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VMI | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 2 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furman | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| George Washington | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Davidson | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William & Mary | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1961 The Citadel Bulldogs football team was anAmerican football team that representedThe Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, as a memberof theSouthern Conference (SoCon) during the1961 college football season. In their fifth year under head coachEddie Teague, the Bulldogs compiled a 7–3 record (5–1 in conference games, and won the program's first SoCon championship since joining the conference in 1936.
After the season, the Bulldogs declined two bowl invitations. The first to be offered was theTangerine Bowl. The Citadel had appeared in the previous edition of this small-college bowl in1960 and elected to decline the repeat trip. Later, the Bulldogs declined an invitation to theAviation Bowl.
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Bill Whaley (980 passing yards), halfback Earley Eastburn (307 rushing yards), and Charley Brendle (20 receptions, 303 receiving yards).[1] Eastburn and Bill Gilgo received first-team honors on the 1961 All-Southern Conference football team.
The team played its home games atJohnson Hagood Stadium inCharleston, South Carolina.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | atMemphis State* | L 0–40 | 17,345 | [2] | |
| September 23 | George Washington | L 13–17 | 11,200 | [3] | |
| September 30 | Davidson |
| W 20–12 | [4] | |
| October 7 | Richmond |
| W 24–6 | 17,250 | [5] |
| October 14 | atWilliam & Mary | W 10–8 | 6,200 | [6] | |
| October 21 | Furman |
| W 9–8 | 16,200 | [7] |
| October 28 | atXavier* | W 7–6 | 9,789 | [8] | |
| November 4 | atVMI | W 14–8 | 9,000 | [9][10] | |
| November 11 | atFlorida State* | L 8–44 | 14,600 | [11] | |
| November 18 | Arkansas State* |
| W 28–6 | 13,100 | [12] |
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The Bulldogs gained an average of 113.7 rushing yards and 135.4 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up an average of 220.9 rushing yards and 83.8 passing yards per game.[1]
Senior quarterback Bill Whaley completed 78 of 148 passes for 980 yards with four touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 103.7 quarterback rating.[1]
Halfback Earley Eastburn led the team in rushing with 307 yards on 83 carries for an average of 3.7 yards per carry. He also ranked second in receiving with 11 catches for 196 yards.[1]
Charley Brendle led the team in receiving with 20 catches for 303 yards and four touchdowns.[1]
Quarterback Bill Whaley was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player. Senior tackle Jim Reiney was selected as the outstanding lineman, and guard Gene Dice was named outstanding defensive player.[14]
End Bill Gilgo and halfback Earley Eastburn were selected as first-team players on the 1961 All-Southern Conference football team. End Charles Brendle and guard Ed Herrington were named to the second team.[15]