1959 NCAA University Division football season

American college football season

1959 NCAA University Division football season

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)
| <- 1958 · | University Division football seasons | · 1960 ->

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The 1959 NCAA University Division football season finished with LSU halfback Billy Cannon winning the Heisman Trophy and Penn State quarterback Richie Lucas winning the Maxwell Award. Two teams have laid claim to the 1959 national championship:

* The 1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team compiled a perfect 11–0 record, including a victory over No. 4 Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press writers poll and United Press coaches poll.[2][3][4][5] Halfback Ernie Davis led the team with 686 rushing yards.
* The 1959 Ole Miss Rebels football team compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 LSU in the Sugar Bowl, allowed only 21 points all season, and were 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.

A major rule change 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. During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A. The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual NCAA Football Guide of the "unofficial" national champions. The AP poll in 1959 consisted of the votes of as many as 201 sportswriters. Though not all writers voted in every poll, each would give their opinion of the twenty best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined. Although the rankings were based on the collective opinion of the representative sportswriters, the teams that remained "unbeaten and untied" were generally ranked higher than those that had not. A defeat, even against a strong opponent, tended to cause a team to drop in the rankings, and a team with two or more defeats was unlikely to remain in the Top 20. The top teams played on New Year's Day in the four major postseason bowl games: the Rose Bowl (near Los Angeles at Pasadena), the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans), the Orange Bowl (Miami), and the Cotton Bowl (Dallas).

## Conference and program changes[edit]

### Conference changes[edit]

* One conference began play in 1959:
* Athletic Association of Western Universities – predecessor to the modern Pac-12 Conference; founded by five members (California, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Washington) of the Pacific Coast Conference, which had disbanded in June. The remaining four (Idaho, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State) became independents;[6] Washington State joined in 1962, followed by Oregon and Oregon State in 1964.
* Two conferences played their final seasons in 1959:
* Alabama Intercollegiate Conference – active since the 1938 season; replaced by the Alabama Collegiate Conference in 1960
* Eastern Intercollegiate Conference – active since the 1953 season

### Membership changes[edit]

School | 1958 Conference | 1959 Conference

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California Golden Bears | PCC | AAWU
Idaho Vandals | PCC | Independent
Oregon Ducks | PCC | Independent
Oregon State Beavers | PCC | Independent
USC Trojans | PCC | AAWU
Stanford Indians | PCC | AAWU
UCLA Bruins | PCC | AAWU
Washington Huskies | PCC | AAWU
Washington State Cougars | PCC | Independent

## September[edit]

In the preseason poll released on September 14, the defending champion LSU Tigers were ranked first, followed by Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army. With more than 100 sportswriters weighing in, eighteen different schools received first place votes. Syracuse was ranked No. 20 overall.[7] As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.

On September 19, No. 1 LSU beat Rice at home, 26–3. Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army had not yet opened their seasons; SMU and Army fell to 6th and 7th. No. 8 Mississippi, which won 16–0 at Houston, rose to 4th in the next poll. No. 18 Clemson moved up to 5th after its 20–18 win at No. 12 North Carolina. Three of the Top Five schools were from the SEC: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Mississippi, and No. 5 Clemson

September 26 No. 1 LSU beat No. 9 TCU at home, 10–0. No. 2 Oklahoma lost its opener, falling 45–13 at No. 10 Northwestern, and dropped out of the Top 20 entirely, while Northwestern took its place. No. 3 Auburn lost at Tennessee 3–0 and fell to 17th place in the next poll. No. 4 Mississippi recorded another 16–0 win, this time at Kentucky, and rose to third. No. 5 Clemson won at 47–0 at Virginia, but fell to 6th. No. 7 Army returned to the Top 5 after its 44–8 win over Boston College. No. 13 Iowa, which had won at California 42–12, rose to fifth. The next poll was No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Mississippi, No. 4 Army, and No. 5 Iowa.

## October[edit]

October 3 No. 1 LSU and Baylor met at a game in Shreveport, with LSU winning 22–0. No. 2 Northwestern won at No. 5 Iowa, 14–10. No. 3 Mississippi registered a third shutout, beating Memphis State 43–0, but fell to fifth. No. 4 Army lost at Illinois, 20–14, and fell out of the Top 20 completely. No. 7 Georgia Tech which went to 3–0 after a 16–6 win over No. 6 Clemson, rose to 3rd in the poll. No. 10 Texas rose to fourth after its third shutout in a row, a 33–0 walloping of California. The poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Mississippi.

October 10 No. 1 LSU beat the visiting Miami Hurricanes 27–3. No. 2 Northwestern beat Minnesota 6–0. No. 3 Georgia Tech won at No. 8 Tennessee, 14–7. In Dallas, No. 4 Texas defeated No. 13 Oklahoma 19–12. No. 5 Mississippi won at Vanderbilt, 33–0. In four games, Ole Miss was 4–0 and had outscored its opponents 108–0. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Georgia Tech, and No. 5 Mississippi.

On October 17, No. 1 LSU won at Kentucky, 9–0. No. 2 Northwestern won at Michigan 20–7. No. 3 Texas narrowly beat No. 12 Arkansas 13–12 in Little Rock. No. 4 Georgia Tech lost to No. 11 Auburn, 7–6. No. 5 Mississippi yielded some points for the first time in the season, but beat Tulane 53–7. The No. 7 USC Trojans rose to 5th after beating No. 18 Washington in Seattle, 22–15. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Mississippi, and No. 5 USC.

October 24 No. 1 LSU recorded its fourth shutout, winning 9–0 in Florida. No. 2 Northwestern killed another giant on the road, beating Notre Dame 30–24. No. 3 Texas defeated Rice 28–6. No. 4 Mississippi shut out No. 10 Arkansas 28–0 at Memphis. The No. 5 USC Trojans got past Stanford 30–28 and fell to 6th. Taking USC's place was No. 6 Syracuse, which had beaten West Virginia 44–0 to reach the 5–0 mark. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Mississippi, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Syracuse.

October 31 No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Mississippi, both 6–0, met in Baton Rouge and both schools had great defenses. LSU had outscored its opposition 103–6, while Ole Miss had a 189–7 point differential over all comers. Someone had to lose, and Ole Miss fell to LSU 7–3. Billy Cannon returned a Jake Gibbs punt 89 yards for the game's only touchdown, but the Rebels had a chance to win the game when it drove to the LSU 1–yard line in the closing seconds, only to see third-string quarterback Doug Elmore stopped cold on fourth and goal by Cannon. No. 2 Northwestern beat visiting Indiana 30–13. No. 4 Texas beat SMU in Dallas, 21–0. No. 5 Syracuse won at Pittsburgh, 35–0, and rose to fourth. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Syracuse, and No. 5 Mississippi.

## November[edit]

November 7 No. 1 LSU traveled to Knoxville to face No. 13 Tennessee, and gave up a touchdown for the first time in the season. The Vols made it to the end zone twice, winning 14–13 over the Tigers. Losing also was No. 2 Northwestern, which fell to visiting No. 9 Wisconsin, 24–19, and dropped to 6th. Northwestern would close the season on a three-game losing streak after a 6-0 start. No. 3 Texas won a close one over Baylor, 13–12, and rose to 2nd. No. 4 Syracuse, which had won at No. 7 Penn State 20–18, was catapulted to the No. 1 spot. No. 5 Mississippi crushed UT-Chattanooga 58–0. No. 6 USC returned to the Top Five after a 36–0 win over West Virginia. The next poll was No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Mississippi.

November 14 No. 1 Syracuse exercised its top status, brushing off overmatched Colgate 71–0. No. 2 Texas lost to No. 18 TCU, 14–9, and No. 3 LSU returned to its winning ways, beating Mississippi State at home, 27–0. No. 4 USC beat Baylor 17–8. No. 5 Mississippi beat No. 9 Tennessee in Memphis, 37–7. The poll changed slightly: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Texas.

November 21 No. 1 Syracuse won at Boston University, 46–0, for its fifth shutout as it reached the 9–0 mark. No. 3 LSU beat Tulane 14–6, then accepted an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl. No. 4 USC lost to rival UCLA, 10–3 and fell to 7th. No. 9 Wisconsin, which closed its season and clinched the Big Ten title with an 11–7 win at Minnesota, rose to 5th. No. 2 Mississippi and No. 5 Texas were idle. The next poll: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Wisconsin.

On Thanksgiving Day, No. 4 Texas won 20–17 at Texas A&M. No. 1 Syracuse was idle as it prepared for its December 5 trip to Los Angeles to play UCLA. On Saturday, November 28, No. 2 Mississippi played its season ender against Mississippi State, in Starkville, and won 42–0. Both LSU and Ole Miss were invited to a rematch in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl. A third SEC team, the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs, beat Georgia Tech 21–14 in Atlanta and accepted a spot in the Orange Bowl. Because Oklahoma had played in the Orange Bowl the year before, a "no repeat" rule gave the Big 7 (Oklahoma State would join later) berth to 6–4 Missouri. The Rose Bowl matched No. 6 Wisconsin against No. 8 Washington. The penultimate poll was No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Mississippi, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Georgia.

On December 5, No. 1 Syracuse closed its season with trip to the Los Angeles Coliseum to face the upset-minded (but 5–3–1) No. 17 UCLA Bruins [8] In a nationally televised game, the Orangemen took a 14–0 lead and went on to win 36–8 to finish the season with a perfect 10–0 record.[9] As the only unbeaten team among universities, Syracuse was voted No. 1 in the AP Poll (with 134 of 201 first-place votes)[2][3] and in the UPI Coaches Poll, with 31 of the 35 first-place votes.[4][5][10] The Orangemen prepared to play SWC champion Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

## Conference standings[edit]

1959 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings |

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 8 Washington ^ +  | 3  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 10  | - | 1  | - | 0
No. 14 USC \+  | 3  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 8  | - | 2  | - | 0
UCLA \+  | 3  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
California | 1  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 2  | - | 8  | - | 0
Stanford | 0  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0

* \+ - Conference co-champions
* ^ – Selected as Rose Bowl representative

Rankings from AP Poll
1959 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings |

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 11 Clemson $  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 0
North Carolina | 5  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 0
Maryland | 4  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 0
South Carolina | 4  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Wake Forest | 4  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Duke | 2  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
NC State | 0  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 1  | - | 9  | - | 0
Virginia | 0  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 0  | - | 10  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll
1959 Big Seven Conference football standings |

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 15 Oklahoma $  | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 3  | - | 0
No. 18 Missouri | 4  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Colorado | 3  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 0
Iowa State | 3  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 3  | - | 0
Kansas | 3  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 0
Nebraska | 2  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Kansas State | 1  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 2  | - | 8  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll
1959 Big Ten Conference football standings |

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 6 Wisconsin $  | 5  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 3  | - | 0
Michigan State | 4  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 0
Purdue | 4  | - | 2  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 2  | - | 2
No. 13 Illinois | 4  | - | 2  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 1
Northwestern | 4  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 3  | - | 0
Iowa | 3  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 0
Michigan | 3  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 5  | - | 0
Indiana | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 1
Ohio State | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 3  | - | 5  | - | 1
Minnesota | 1  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 2  | - | 7  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll
1959 Border Conference football standings |

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
Arizona State $  | 5  | - | 0  | - | 0 |  |  | 10  | - | 1  | - | 0
Arizona | 2  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
New Mexico A&M | 2  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 8  | - | 3  | - | 0
Hardin–Simmons | 2  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
Texas Western | 2  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
West Texas State | 0  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 1  | - | 9  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

1959 Ivy League football standings |

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
Penn $  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 1  | - | 1
Dartmouth | 5  | - | 1  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 1
Harvard | 4  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 3  | - | 0
Yale | 4  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 3  | - | 0
Cornell | 3  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 0
Princeton | 3  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 5  | - | 0
Brown | 1  | - | 5  | - | 1 |  |  | 2  | - | 6  | - | 1
Columbia | 1  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 2  | - | 7  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

1959 Missouri Valley Conference football standings |

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
North Texas State \+  | 3  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 0
Houston \+  | 3  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
Tulsa | 2  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 0
Wichita | 1  | - | 2  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
Cincinnati | 0  | - | 3  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1

* \+ - Conference co-champions

1959 Skyline Conference football standings |

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 16 Wyoming $  | 7  | - | 0  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 1  | - | 0
Colorado State | 5  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
New Mexico | 4  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 3  | - | 0
Utah | 3  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 0
Utah State | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 6  | - | 0
BYU | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
Denver | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 2  | - | 8  | - | 0
Montana | 1  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 1  | - | 8  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll
1959 Southeastern Conference football standings |

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 5 Georgia $  | 7  | - | 0  | - | 0 |  |  | 10  | - | 1  | - | 0
No. 3 LSU | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 0
No. 2 Ole Miss #  | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 10  | - | 1  | - | 0
No. 10 Alabama | 4  | - | 1  | - | 2 |  |  | 7  | - | 2  | - | 2
Auburn | 4  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 3  | - | 0
Vanderbilt | 3  | - | 2  | - | 2 |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 2
Georgia Tech | 3  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Tennessee | 3  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
No. 19 Florida | 2  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
Kentucky | 1  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Tulane | 0  | - | 5  | - | 1 |  |  | 3  | - | 6  | - | 1
Mississippi State | 0  | - | 7  | - | 0 |  |  | 2  | - | 7  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion
* # Berryman, Billingsley, Dunkel, Sagarin national champion

Rankings from AP Poll
1959 Southern Conference football standings |

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
VMI $  | 5  | - | 0  | - | 1 |  |  | 8  | - | 1  | - | 1
The Citadel | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 8  | - | 2  | - | 0
VPI | 3  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Furman | 3  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
Richmond | 4  | - | 3  | - | 1 |  |  | 4  | - | 5  | - | 1
West Virginia | 2  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
William & Mary | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Davidson | 0  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 1  | - | 8  | - | 0
George Washington | 0  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 1  | - | 8  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll
1959 Southwest Conference football standings |

* v
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* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 9 Arkansas \+  | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 0
No. 4 Texas \+  | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 0
No. 7 TCU \+  | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 8  | - | 3  | - | 0
SMU | 2  | - | 3  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
Baylor | 2  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Rice | 1  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 1  | - | 7  | - | 2
Texas A&M | 0  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0

* \+ - Conference co-champions

Rankings from AP Poll
1959 NCAA University Division independents football records |

* v
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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 1 Syracuse |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 11  | - | 0  | - | 0
No. 12 Penn State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 2  | - | 0
Oregon |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 2  | - | 0
Rutgers |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 3  | - | 0
Detroit |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Holy Cross |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Miami (FL) |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Oklahoma State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
No. 20 Pittsburgh |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Washington State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  | - | 0
Boston College |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 0
Pacific (CA) |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 0
Air Force |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
Navy |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
Army |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 1
No. 17 Notre Dame |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 0
Boston University |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 5  | - | 0
Florida State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
San Jose State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Texas Tech |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Dayton |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
Marquette |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
Oregon State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 0
Colgate |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 7  | - | 0
Idaho |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 9  | - | 0
Villanova |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 9  | - | 0
Rankings from AP Poll

## Bowl games[edit]

Main article: 1959–60 NCAA football bowl games

### Major bowls[edit]

Friday, January 1, 1960

COTTON | No. 1 Syracuse Orangemen | 23  | No. 4 Texas Longhorns | 14

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SUGAR | No. 2 Mississippi Rebels | 21  | No. 3 LSU Tigers | 0
ROSE | No. 8 Washington Huskies | 44  | No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers | 8
ORANGE | No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs | 14  | No. 18 Missouri Tigers | 0

Behind future Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, the Orangemen proved the voters' decision to name them national champions in the final polls was a wise one. It was the first Cotton Bowl for the Longhorns under coach Darrell Royal, who guided Texas to national championships in 1963, 1969, and 1970, and compiled a career record of 167–47–5 (.774) in Austin from 1957 through 1976.

Ole Miss systematically demolished LSU in the Sugar Bowl. LSU was Ole Miss's sole loss of the regular season. The Rebels outgained the Bayou Bengals and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon 373–74 in front of a largely pro-LSU crowd of over 83,000 at Tulane Stadium. Immediately following the game, Cannon signed a contract with the Houston Oilers of the fledgling American Football League, spurning the Los Angeles Rams and general manager Pete Rozelle, who would become the Commissioner of the National Football League in late-January.

### Other bowls[edit]

BOWL  | Location  | Date  | Winner  | Score  | Runner-up

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SUN | El Paso, TX  | December 31  | New Mexico State | 28–8  | North Texas State
GATOR | Jacksonville, FL  | January 2  | No. 9 Arkansas | 14–7  | Georgia Tech
BLUEBONNET | Houston, TX  | December 19  | No. 11 Clemson | 23–7  | No. 7 TCU
LIBERTY | Philadelphia, PA  | December 19  | No. 12 Penn State |  7–0  | No. 10 Alabama

* Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and AAWU (later Pac-8) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.

## Heisman Trophy voting[edit]

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|

Billy Cannon | LSU | HB | 519 | 147 | 78 | 1,929
Richie Lucas | Penn State | QB | 97 | 109 | 104 | 613
Don Meredith | SMU | QB | 26 | 67 | 74 | 286
Bill Burrell | Illinois | G | 23 | 47 | 33 | 196
Charlie Flowers | Ole Miss | FB | 11 | 58 | 44 | 193
Dean Look | Michigan State | HB | 23 | 41 | 25 | 176
Dale Hackbart | Wisconsin | QB | 19 | 21 | 35 | 134
Dwight Nichols | Iowa State | HB | 21 | 25 | 13 | 126
Monty Stickles | Notre Dame | E | 16 | 21 | 36 | 126
Ron Burton | Northwestern | HB | 10 | 28 | 36 | 122

Source: [11][12]

## Statistical leaders[edit]

### Individual[edit]

#### Total offense[edit]

The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Player  | Team  | Games  | Plays  | Total Yds  | PtR[13]

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Dick Norman | Stanford | 10 | 319 | 2018 | 68
2 | Charley Johnson | New Mexico State | 10 | 251 | 1635 | 114
3 | Pete Hall | Marquette | 10 | 330 | 1555 | 66
4 | Jacky Lee | Cincinnati | 10 | 298 | 1528 | 70
5 | Norm Snead | Wake Forest | 10 | 218 | 1365 | 78
6 | Rich Mayo | Air Force | 10 | 249 | 1357 | 58
7 | Dwight Nichols | Iowa State | 10 | 287 | 1355 | 102
8 | Fran Curci | Miami (FL) | 10 | 289 | 1328 | 50
9 | Gale Weidner | Colorado | 10 | 256 | 1305 | 84
10 | Don Meredith | SMU | 10 | 283 | 1291 | 82

[14]

Minor college

Rank  | Player  | Team  | Games  | Plays  | Total Yds

|
|
|
|
|

1 | Gary Campbell | Whittier | 10 | 309 | 2383
2 | Jim St. Clair | UC Santa Barbara | 10 | 245 | 1858
3 | Jim Northrup | Alma | 9 | 296 | 1658
4 | Vince Tesone | Colorado Mines | 10 | 291 | 1619
5 | Green | Yooungstown | 10 | 230 | 1504

#### Passing[edit]

The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Player  | Team  | Games  | Compl.  | Att.  | Pct.
Compl.  | Yds.  | Int.  | TDs

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Dick Norman | Stanford | 10 | 152 | 263 | .578 | 1963 | 12 | 11
2 | Jacky Lee | Cincinnati | 10 | 132 | 232 | .569 | 1535 | 6 | 7
3 | Pete Hall | Marquette | 10 | 120 | 237 | .506 | 1589 | 14 | 7
4 | Rich Mayo | Air Force | 10 | 110 | 211 | .521 | 1212 | 10 | 6
5 | Don Meredith | SMU | 10 | 105 | 181 | .580 | 1266 | 10 | 11
6 | Joe Caldwell | Army | 9 | 105 | 188 | .559 | 1343 | 7 | 9
7 | Charley Johnson | New Mexico State | 10 | 105 | 199 | .528 | 1449 | 8 | 18
8 | Fran Curci | Miami (FL) | 10 | 100 | 195 | .513 | 1068 | 14 | 5
9 | Gale Weidner | Colorado | 10 | 100 | 207 | .483 | 1200 | 13 | 7
10 | Dick Soergel | Oklahoma State | 10 | 93 | 155 | .600 | 1102 | 4 | 8

Minor college

Rank  | Player  | Team  | Games  | Compl.  | Att.  | Pct.
Compl.  | Yds.  | Int.  | TDs

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Campbell | Whittier | 10 | 111 | 183 | .607 | 1717 | 4 | 12

#### Rushing[edit]

The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1959 season:
Major college

Rank  | Player  | Team  | Games  | Yds  | Rushes  | Avg

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Pervis Atkins | New Mexico State | 10 | 971 | 130 | 7.47
2 | Tom Watkins | Iowa State | 10 | 843 | 158 | 5.34
3 | Dwight Nichols | Iowa State | 10 | 746 | 207 | 3.60
4 | Dick Bass | Pacific | 9 | 742 | 139 | 5.34
5 | Billy Brown | New Mexico | 10 | 740 | 7.79
6 | Charlie Flowers | Ole Miss | 10 | 733 | 141 | 5.20
7 | Abner Haynes | North Texas State | 10 | 730 | 116 | 6.29
8 | Bob Crandall | New Mexico | 10 | 729 | 116 | 6.28
9 | Fred Doelling | Penn | 9 | 707 | 133 | 5.32
10 | Nolan Jones | Arizona State | 11 | 689 | 143 | 4.82

Minor college

Rank  | Player  | Team  | Games  | Yds  | Rushes  | Avg

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Mills | NE Missouri | 9 | 248 | 1385 | 5.58

#### Scoring[edit]

The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Player  | Team  | Pts  | TD  | PAT  | FG

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Pervis Atkins | New Mexico State | 107 | 17 | 5 | 0
2 | Skip Face | Stanford | 100 | 11 | 25 | 3
2 | Nolan Jones | Arizona State | 100 | 11 | 25 | 3
2 | Gerhard Schwedes | Syracuse | 100 | 16 | 4 | 0
5 | Abner Haynes | North Texas State | 90 | 14 | 6 | 0
5 | Ed Kovac | Cincinnati | 90 | 15 | 0 | 0
7 | Larry Wilson | Utah | 84 | 13 | 6 | 0
8 | Bruce Maher | Detroit | 74 | 11 | 8 | 0
8 | Don Perkins | New Mexico | 74 | 12 | 2 | 0
10 | Bill Mathis | Clemson | 70 | 11 | 4 | 0

Minor college

Rank  | Player  | Team  | Pts  | TD  | PAT  | FG

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Garney Henley | Huron | 141 | 22 | 9 | 0
2 | George "Rusty" Addleman | College of Emporia | 138 | 16 | 39 | 1
3 | Mills | NE Missouri | 124 | 19 | 10 | 0

### Team[edit]

#### Total offense[edit]

The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Team  | Games
played  | Total
plays  | Yards
gained  | Yards
per game

|
|
|
|
|

1 |

#### Rushing offense[edit]

The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Team  | Yards
per game

|
|

1 |

#### Passing offense[edit]

The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Team  | Yards
per game

|
|

1 |

#### Total defense[edit]

The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Team  | Games
played  | Total
plays  | Yards
gained  | Yards
per game

|
|
|
|
|

1 |

#### Rushing defense[edit]

The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Team  | Yards
per game

|
|

1 |

#### Passing defense[edit]

The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1959 season:

Major college

Rank  | Team  | Yards
per game

|
|

1 |

## See also[edit]

* 1959 NCAA University Division football rankings
* 1959 College Football All-America Team

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2009.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. ^ a b "Orange win grid crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 18.
3. ^ a b "Syracuse runs off with title". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 34.
4. ^ a b "Syracuse tops final grid poll by wide margin". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 2.
5. ^ a b "Syracuse is voted national champion by coaches board". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 23.
6. ^ "Roster of independent football powers grows". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 2, 1959. p. 10.
7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2009.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. ^ "UCLA Threat To Syracuse's Title Hopes", Oakland Tribune, December 1, 1959, p44
9. ^ "Orange Rolls to 36–8 Win Over Bruins", Oakland Tribune, December 6, 1959, p79
10. ^ "Nation Votes Syracuse University Best On Gridiron", Syracuse Herald Journal, December 8, 1959, p.33
11. ^ "LSU's Billy Cannon Heisman Trophy winner". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 2, 1959. p. 1D.
12. ^ "Billy Cannon". Heisman Trophy. 1959. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
13. ^ Points-for-which-responsible is player's total of points scored and points passes for
14. ^ Official Collegiate Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1960. p. 65.

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*[v]: View this template
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*[Conf]: Conference record
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