1961 California Golden Bears football team

American college football season

1961 California Golden Bears football

Conference| Athletic Association of Western Universities
Record| 1–8–1 (1–3 AAWU)
Head coach|

* Marv Levy (2nd season)

Home stadium| California Memorial Stadium

Seasons

<- 1960

1962 ->

1961 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 16 UCLA $  | 3  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
USC | 2  | - | 1  | - | 1 |  |  | 4  | - | 5  | - | 1
Washington | 2  | - | 1  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 1
Stanford | 1  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
California | 1  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 1  | - | 8  | - | 1

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), commonly known at the time as the Big 5 Conference, during the 1961 college football season. In their second year under head coach Marv Levy, the Bears compiled a 1–8–1 record (1–3 in conference games), finished in a tie for last place in the AAWU, and was outscored by their opponents by a total of 268 to 118.[1][2]

The team's statistical leaders included Randy Gold with 403 passing yards, Alan Nelson with 331 rushing yards, and Bob Wills with 302 receiving yards.[3]

The team played its home games at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

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|
|
|
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September 23| No. 4 Texas*|

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| L 3–28| 41,500| [4]
September 30| at No. 1 Iowa*|

* Iowa Stadium
* Iowa City, IA

| L 7–28| 56,000| [5]
October 7| at Missouri*|

* Memorial Stadium
* Columbia, MO

| T 14–14| 42,000| [6]
October 14| Washington|

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| W 21–14| 43,000| [7]
October 21| USC|

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| L 14–28| 38,000| [8]
October 28| at Penn State*|

* Beaver Stadium
* University Park, PA

| L 16–33| 30,265| [9]
November 4| at UCLA|

* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
* Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)

| L 15–35| 33,792| [10]
November 11| Air Force*|

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| L 14–15| 38,000| [11]
November 18| Kansas*|

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| L 7–53| 30,000| [12]
November 25| at Stanford|

* Stanford Stadium
* Stanford, CA (Big Game)

| L 7–20| 79,000| [13]

* *Non-conference game
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[14]

## Statistics

[edit]

The team gained an average of 135.3 rushing yards and 49.0 passing yards per game. On defense, the Bears gave up an average of 282.4 rushing yards and 82.8 passing yards per game.[15]

The team's passing leaders were Randy Gold (41-for-81, 403 yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions) and Larry Balliett (26-for-49, 367 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions).[15]

The team had four players who rushed for over 200 yards: Alan Nelson (331 yards, 59 carries, 5.6-yard average); Rudy Carvajal (257 yards, 41 carries, 6.3-yard average); George Pierovich (238 yards, 80 carries, 3.0-yard average); and Jerry Scattini (206 yards, 64 carries, 3.2-yard average).[15]

Bob Willis led the team in receiving with 21 receptions for 302 years.[15]

## Awards and honors

[edit]

Quarterback Larry Balliett was selected as the team's most valuable player.[16]

Two California players received honors on the 1961 All-Pacific Coast football team selected by the Associated Press (AP), the All-West Coast team selected by the United Press International (UPI), or the All-Big 5 team announced by the AAWU. Guard Roger Stull received second-team honors from the UPI, and fullback George Pierovich received second-team honors from the AAWU, third-team honors from the UPI, and honorable mention from the AP. In addition, three other players received honorable mention: John Erby at guard (AP, AAWU); Randy Gold at back (AAWU); and Larry Balliet at back (AP).[17][18][19]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Players

[edit]

* Larry Balliett (#3), quarterback, 177 pounds
* Lauren Bock (#77), tackle, 212 pounds
* Tom Burke (#62), guard, 195 pounds
* Jim Burress (#44), captain and halfback, 178 pounds
* Rudy Carvajal (#41), halfback, 175 pounds
* John Erby (#65), guard, 190 pounds
* Dave Farro (#50), center, 200 pounds
* Randy Gold (#2), quarterback, 195 pounds
* Larry Lowell (#73), tackle, 213 pounds
* Jon Mason (#43), halfback, 185 pounds
* Norm McLean (#76), tackle, 215 pounds
* Dave Muga (#84), end, 205 pounds
* Alan Nelson (#24), halfback
* Stan Parkinson (#55), center, 198 pounds
* George Pierovich (#35), fullback, 215 pounds
* Mel Piestrup (#79), tackle, 205 pounds
* Jerry Scattini (#21), halfback, 195 pounds
* Andy Segale (#70), tackle, 210 pounds
* Roger Stull (#61), guard, 215 pounds
* Bill Turner (#86), end, 205 pounds
* Ron Vaughn (#88), end, 204 pounds
* Bob Wills (#81), end, 187 pounds

### Coaches

[edit]

* Head coach: Marv Levy
* Assistant coaches:

## References

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1. ^ "1961 California Golden Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
2. ^ "California 2015 Football Information Guide" (PDF). CalBears.com. Cal Golden Bears Athletics. p. 164\. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
3. ^ "1961 California Golden Bears Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
4. ^ "Bears ripped; Texas halts Cal 28 to 3 in opener". Oakland Tribune. September 24, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Hawks Still No. 1 In 2nd AP Ballot" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. October 3, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
6. ^ "Missouri Tied by California, 14 to 14: Two-Point Conversion Saves Day for Tigers in Last-Quarter Rally". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 8, 1961. pp. 1F, 6F - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ Emmons Byrne (October 15, 1961). "Bears Outbattle Huskies: Balliett Leads Cal To First Victory, 21-14". Oakland Tribune. pp. 21, 27 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ Al Wolf (October 22, 1961). "USC Upsets Cal on Beathard's Passes: Troy Tops Race With 28-14 Win". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 6 (section H) - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ Rusty Cowan (October 29, 1961). "Engle's Gambling Racks in Golden Bears, 33 to 16". The Patriot-News. p. 37 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ Jamie Curran (November 5, 1961). "Smith Stars as Bruins 'Fight' to Win". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 4 (section H) - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "AF does it on gamble". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Ass ociated Press. November 12, 1961. p. 2, sports.
12. ^ Curley Grieve (November 19, 1961). "Cal, Stanford Routed: Hapless Bears Hit By 53-7". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 1, 3 (sports) - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ Don Selby (November 26, 1961). "Muddy Day of Stanford 'Firsts': 79,000 See Tribe Topple Cal, 20-7". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 1, 8 (sports) - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ 2015 Football Information Guide (PDF). Cal Athletics. 2015. p. 164\. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016.
15. ^ a b c d "1961 California Golden Bears Stats". SR College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
16. ^ "Grid writers present awards". Daily Palo Alto Times. December 1, 1961. p. 24 - via Newspapers.com.
17. ^ "AP West Coast All-Stars: Easbay Players Named". Oakland Tribune. December 7, 1961. p. 56 - via Newspapers.com.
18. ^ "8 Schools on UPI All-Coast Team". Independent-Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA). December 3, 1961. p. C5 - via Newspapers.com.
19. ^ "Five From SC Picked". Valley Times. December 7, 1961. p. 26 - via Newspapers.com.

* v
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* e

California Golden Bears football

Venues|

* California Field (1904–1923)
* California Memorial Stadium (1923–2010, 2012–present)
* Oracle Park (2011)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Stanford: Big Game (Stanford Axe)
* UCLA

Culture & lore|

* Oski
* "Fight for California"
* "Big C"
* History
* Marching band
* Tightwad Hill
* The Play

People|

* Head coaches
* Starting quarterbacks
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1886
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National championship seasons in bold

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*[v]: View this template
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*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number