1961 Colorado Buffaloes football team

1961 Colorado Buffaloes football
Big 8 champion
Orange Bowl, L 7–25 vs. LSU
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 7
Record9–2 (7–0 Big 8)
Head coach
MVPJoe Romig
CaptainJoe Romig
Home stadiumFolsom Field
Seasons
← 1960
1962 →
1961 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Colorado $ 7 0 0 9 2 0
No. 11 Missouri 5 2 0 7 2 1
Kansas 5 2 0 7 3 1
Oklahoma 4 3 0 5 5 0
Iowa State 3 4 0 5 5 0
Oklahoma State 2 5 0 4 6 0
Nebraska 2 5 0 3 6 1
Kansas State 0 7 0 2 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado, now known as the University of Colorado Boulder, as a member of the Big Eight Conference (Big 8) during the 1961 college football season. In their third and final year under head coach Sonny Grandelius, the Buffaloes compiled a 9–2 record (7–0 in conference games), won the Big 8 championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 184 to 104.

Colorado defeated both Oklahoma and Nebraska on the road and defeated No. 10 Missouri at home. Their only loss in the regular season was to Utah. The Buffaloes were ranked No. 7 in the final AP writers and UPI coaches polls and concluded their season with a 25–7 loss to No. 4 LSU in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

The team included several notable players including:

  • Guard and team captain Joe Romig was the team captain, a consensus first-team All-American, and the winner of the 1961 UPI Lineman of the Year award and Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy. The Buffaloes also retired Romig's jersey (No. 67).
  • End Jerry Hillebrand also received first-team All-America honors and was the No. 2 scorer in the Big 8 with 49 points.
  • Quarterback Gale Weidner set multiple school records during the 1961 season, including most career yards of total offense (3,091) and most career passing yardage (3,033).

The team played its home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.