| 1959 college football season | ||
|---|---|---|
 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon | ||
| Preseason AP No. 1 | LSU[1] | |
| Regular season | September 19 – December 5, 1959 | |
| Number of bowls | 8 | |
| Bowl games | December 19, 1959 – January 2, 1960 | |
| Champion(s) | Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) | |
| Heisman | Billy Cannon (halfback, LSU) | |
| ||
The 1959 college football season was the 91st season of intercollegiate football in the United States. It concluded with two teams having claim to the major college national championship:
- Syracuse compiled a perfect 11–0 record, including a victory over No. 4 Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and led the country in total offense (451.5 yards per game), scoring offense (39.0 points per game), total defense (96.2 yards per game), and rushing defense (19.3 yards per game). The Orangemen were ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press (AP) writers poll and United Press International (UPI) coaches poll and were also selected as the national champion by, among others, the Billingsley Report, Football Writers Association of America, College Football Researchers Association, Football News, Helms Athletic Foundation, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, and National Football Foundation.[2][3][4][5] Guard Roger Davis was a unanimous All-American.
- Ole Miss compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 LSU in the Sugar Bowl, led the country in scoring defense (2.1 points per game), and was ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UP polls. The Rebels have been rated as the 1959 national champion by Berryman QPRS, Billingsley Report, Dunkel System, and Sagarin Ratings. Fullback Charlie Flowers was a unanimous All-American selection.
Three small college teams also claimed national championships:
- Bowling Green compiled a 9–0 record and was named the UPI small college national champion. Jack Harbaugh, who later gained fame as a coach (and the father of John an Jim Harbaugh), set a school record with three interceptions in the November 14 game against No. 1 Delaware.[6]
- Florida A&M, led by Hall of Fame coach Jake Gaither, compiled a 10–0 record, defeated Prairie View A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic, and was selected as the black college national champion.
- Texas A&I compiled a 12–1 record and defeated Lenoir Rhyne in the Holiday Bowl to win the NAIA football national championship. It was the first of seven national championships for Texas A&I.
LSU halfback Billy Cannon won the Heisman Trophy, and Penn State quarterback Richie Lucas received the Maxwell Award. Individual statistical leaders in major college football included New Mexico State running back Pervis Atkins with 971 rushing yards and 107 points scored and Stanford quarterback Dick Norman with 1,963 passing yards and 2,018 yards of total offense.
A rule change in 1959 widened the goal posts from 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) to 23 ft 4 in (7.11 m). This width remained in effect for 32 seasons, until the 1991 season, when it was returned to 18½ feet.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Orange win grid crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 18.
- ^ "Syracuse runs off with title". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 34.
- ^ "Syracuse tops final grid poll by wide margin". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 2.
- ^ "Syracuse is voted national champion by coaches board". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 23.
- ^ "Harbaugh Sparks Defense: BeeGee Stomps Delaware". The Mansfield News-Journal. November 15, 1959. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.