1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Record3–6–1 (2–5 Big 8)
Head coach
Offensive schemeWing T
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
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 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nebraska (now known as the University of Nebraska–Lincoln) as a member of the Big Eight Conference (Big 8) during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Bill Jennings, the Cornhuskers compiled a 3–6–1 record (2–5 in conference games), tied for sixth place out of eight teams in the Big 8, and were outscored by a total of 135 to 119.[1]

Fullback Bill "Thunder" Thornton led the team in both rushing (618 yards) and scoring (30 points).[2]

The team lost six of its last seven games, including losses to rivals Missouri (0–10), Kansas ( 6–28), Colorado (0–7), and Oklahoma (14–21). On November 30, 1961, five days after the team's loss to Oklahoma, Jennings was fired as Nebraska's head coach. Nebraska had a losing record each of its five years under Jennings, compiling an overall record of 15–34–1 (8–24 in conference games). [3] Bob Devaney was hired as Nebraska's 25th head football coach in January 1962.[4] After the 1961 season, Nebraska did not have another season with a losing record until 2004.

The Cornhuskers played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

  1. ^ "1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  2. ^ "Jennings lauds 1961 Husker club". Beatrice Daily Sun. November 28, 1961. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Dick Becker (December 1, 1961). "Jennings Fired as Nebraska Football Coach". Lincoln Evening Journal. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Devaney Will Get Husker Job". Lincoln Journal-Star. January 7, 1962. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.