1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team
Encyclopedia
The 1961 Syracuse Orangemen football
team represented Syracuse University
in the 1961 NCAA University Division college football season. Running back
Ernie Davis
would become the first black
player to win the Heisman Trophy
.
Ernie Davis was the first black player to be chosen first overall in the NFL Draft. Davis was drafted by the Washington Redskins then traded to the Clevand Browns in the first round of the 1962 American Football League draft. Tragically, he would never play in the NFL; he was diagnosed with leukemia
shortly before he was to enter the league, and died in May 1963, less than a year after his diagnosis.
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
team represented Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in the 1961 NCAA University Division college football season. Running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Ernie Davis
Ernie Davis
Ernest "Ernie" Davis was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Wearing number 44, Davis competed collegiately for Syracuse University before being drafted by the Washington Redskins, then almost immediately traded to the Cleveland...
would become the first black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
player to win the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
.
Schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Orangemen points | Opponents | Record |
| 1 | Sept. 23 | @ Oregon State | Win | 19 | 8 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Sept. 30 | West Virginia | Win | 29 | 14 | 2-0 |
| 3 | Oct. 7 | @ Maryland | Loss | 21 | 22 | 2-1 |
| 4 | Oct. 14 | @ Nebraska | Win | 28 | 6 | 3-1 |
| 5 | Oct. 21 | @ Penn State | Loss | 0 | 14 | 3-2 |
| 6 | Oct. 28 | Holy Cross | Win | 34 | 6 | 4-2 |
| 7 | Nov. 4 | Pittsburgh | Win | 28 | 9 | 5-2 |
| 8 | Nov. 11 | Colgate | Win | 51 | 8 | 6-2 |
| 9 | Nov. 18 | @ Notre Dame | Loss | 15 | 17 | 6-3 |
| 10 | Nov. 25 | @ Boston College | Win | 28 | 13 | 7-3 |
1961 Team Players in the NFL
| Player | Round | Pick | Position | Club |
| Ernie Davis | 1 | 1 | Running Back | Washington Redskins |
| Pete Brokaw | 8 | 107 | Back | Baltimore Colts |
| George Francovitch | 10 | 131 | Guard | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Gary Fallon | 12 | 157 | Halfback | Minnesota Vikings |
| Dick Easterly | 14 | 190 | Back | San Francisco 49ers |
| Bob Stem | 19 | 265 | Center | New York Giants |
Ernie Davis was the first black player to be chosen first overall in the NFL Draft. Davis was drafted by the Washington Redskins then traded to the Clevand Browns in the first round of the 1962 American Football League draft. Tragically, he would never play in the NFL; he was diagnosed with leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
shortly before he was to enter the league, and died in May 1963, less than a year after his diagnosis.