1961 Rice Owls football team

American college football season

1961 Rice Owls football

1961 team portrait from The Campanile

Bluebonnet Bowl, L 7–33 vs. Kansas

Conference| Southwest Conference
Record| 7–4 (5–2 SWC)
Head coach|

* Jess Neely (22nd season)

MVP| Les "Butch" Blume
Captain| Ray Alborn, John Burrell, Roland Jackson
Home stadium| Rice Stadium

Seasons

<- 1960

1962 ->

1961 Southwest Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

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|
|
|

Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 3 Texas \+  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 10  | - | 1  | - | 0
No. 9 Arkansas \+  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 8  | - | 3  | - | 0
Rice | 5  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
Texas A&M | 3  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 5  | - | 1
TCU | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 3  | - | 5  | - | 2
Baylor | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Texas Tech | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
SMU | 1  | - | 5  | - | 1 |  |  | 2  | - | 7  | - | 1

* \+ - Conference co-champions

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 Rice Owls football team was an American football team that represented Rice University as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their 22nd year under head coach Jess Neely, the Owls compiled a 7–3 record (5–2 in conference games), finished in third place in the SWC, and outscored opponents by a total of 176 to 125. They concluded their season with a 33–7 loss to Kansas in the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl[1]

Halfback Butch Blume scored 74 points to break Rice's single-season scoring record, and fullback Roland Jackson led the team with 415 rushing yards. Jackson, end John Burrell, and tackle Robert Johnston received first-team honors on the 1961 All-Southwest Conference football team.

The Owls were ranked No. 7 in the AP writers poll early in the season, but dropped out of the rankings following their September 30 loss to Georgia Tech. They have not been ranked in the AP poll since that time.

The Owls played their home games at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Rank| Site| TV| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

September 23| No. 5 LSU*| |

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| | W 16–3| 73,000| [2]
September 30| at Georgia Tech*| No. 7|

* Grant Field
* Atlanta, GA

| | L 0–24| 43,501| [3]
October 14| Florida*| |

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| | W 19–10| 32,000| [4]
October 21| SMU| |

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX (rivalry)

| | W 10–0| 37,000| [5]
October 28| at No. 3 Texas| |

* Memorial Stadium
* Austin, TX (rivalry)

| | L 7–34| 62,310| [6]
November 4| at Texas Tech| |

* Jones Stadium
* Lubbock, TX

| | W 42–7| 34,000|
November 11| Arkansas| |

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| | L 0–10| 43,000| [7][8]
November 18| Texas A&M| |

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| | W 21–7| 53,000| [9]
November 25| at TCU| |

* Amon G. Carter Stadium
* Fort Worth, TX

| | W 35–16| 22,000| [10]
December 2| Baylor| |

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| | W 26–14| 30,000| [11]
December 16| vs. Kansas*| |

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX (Bluebonnet Bowl)

| CBS| L 7–33| 52,000| [12][13]

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

## Statistics

[edit]

Halfback and MVP Les "Butch" Blume

The 1961 Owls gained an average of 174.0 rushing yards and 90.3 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up an average of 175.6 rushing yards and 118.7 passing yards per game.[14]

Rice halfback Les "Butch" Blume, a 5'9" clarinetist from LaGrange, Texas, scored 74 points in the regular season to win the 1961 Southwest Conference scoring championship. His point tally included six field goals and broke Dicky Moegle's Rice scoring record of 72 points in 1954.[15]

Fullback Roland Jackson led the team with 415 rushing yards on 88 carries in 10 regular season games for an average of 4.7 yards per game. Other leading rushers included Butch Blume (308 yards, 44 carries, 5.6-yard average) and Randall Kerbow (249 yards, 72 carries, 3.5-yards average).[14]

The team's passing leaders were quarterbacks Randall Kerbow (37-for-79, 505 yards, three touchdowns, six interceptions) and Billy Cox (23-for-52, 287 yards, five touchdowns, one interception). The leading receivers were Johnny Burrell (seven catches, 133 yards) and Gene Raesz (eight catches, 112 yards).[14]

## Awards and honors

[edit]

The team's tri-captains were tackle Ray Alborn, end John Burrell, and fullback Roland Jackson.[16]

Halfback Les "Butch" Blume won the George Martin Award as the team's most valuable player.

Three Rice players received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) or the United Press International (UPI) on the 1961 All-Southwest Conference football team: Roland Jackson at fullback (AP-1, UPI-1); John Burrell at end (AP-1); and Robert Johnston at tackle (AP-1).[17][18]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Players

[edit]

The principal players featured in The Campanile yearbook were:

* Ray Alborn, tackle, senior, 6'1", 220 pounds, Houston, TX
* Larry Anthony, guard, senior, 6'0", 223 pounds, Lamesa, TX
* Les "Butch" Blume, halfback, junior, 5'9", 170 pounds, LaGrange, TX
* Mike Bowen, back, senior, 6'0", 190 pounds, Houston, TX
* Spencer Brown, back, senior, 6'0", 180 pounds, Kerryville, TX
* Johnny Burrell, end, senior, 6'3", 185 pounds, Fort Worth, TX
* Lonnie Caddell, back, senior, 6'2", 203 pounds, Dallas, TX
* Jerry Candler, halfback, junior, 6'0", 186 pounds, Ballinger, TX
* Johnny Cole, center, junior, 6'2", 202 pounds, Ft. Worth, TX
* John Cornett, tackle, senior, 6'4", 242 pounds, Alice, TX
* Billy Cox, quarterback, junior, 5'11", 188 pounds, Galena Park, TX
* Mike Fritsch, tackle, sophomore, 6'3", 241 pounds, Lockhart, TX
* Pat Gerald, center, junior, 6'0", 178 pounds, Sweetwater, TX
* Roland Jackson, fullback, senior, 6'0", 203 pounds, Ruston, LA
* Robert Johnston, tackle, 6'4", 217 pounds, Pine Bluff, AR
* George Karam, tackle, senior, 6'1", 210 pounds, McAllen, TX
* Jerry Kelly, end, sophomore, 6'0", 187 pounds, Eunice, NM
* Randall Kerbow, quarterback, junior, 6'0", 183 pounds, Pasadena, TX
* Dan Malin, center, junior, 6'3", 221 pounds, Temple, TX
* John Mims, tackle, sophomore, 6'3", 240 pounds, Mission, TX
* Johnny Nicols, guard, sophomore, 5'11", 200 pounds, Galena Park, TX
* Gary Poage, back, senior, 6'1", 185 pounds, Happy, TX
* Gene Raesz, end, junior, 6'1", 197 pounds, Taylor, TX
* Tommy Rees, end, junior, 6'4", 210 pounds, Big Lake, TX
* Ronny Schultz, end, senior, 6'3", 201 pounds, Austin, TX
* Kenny Simmons, guard, junior, 6'0", 194 pounds, Colorado City, TX
* John Sylvester, end, sophomore, 6'1", 175 pounds, Baytown, TX
* Bob Wayt, back, senior, 6'0", 178 pounds, White Oak, TX
* Dickie Woods, guard, senior, 5'11", 205 pounds, Sweetwater, TX

[19][20]

### Coaching staff

[edit]

* Head coach: Jess Neely
* Director of Athletics: Jess Neely
* Assistant coaches: Cecil B. Grigg, Charles E. Moore, A.M. "Red" Bale, Joe W. Davis, Bo Hagen
* Freshman football coach: Nick Lanza
* Trainer: Eddie Wojecki

[21]

### Gallery

[edit]

* Head coach Jess Neely

* End Johnny Burrell

* Fullback Roland Jackson

* Tackle Robert Johnston

* Assistant coach Cecil Grigg

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1960 Rice Owls Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
2. ^ "Cox' pass shoe stabs LSU, 16–3". The American-Statesman. September 24, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Yellow Jackets chill Rice, 24–0". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 1, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Owl pass thefts, power runs rip Florida by 19–10". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 14, 1961. Retrieved October 10, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ Paul Brookshire (October 22, 1961). "Owls Score in First Half To Beat Mustangs, 10-0". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 3 (section 2) - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Texas smears Rice, 34–7". The Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph. October 29, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ Jim Trinkle (November 12, 1961). "Razorbacks Sink Owls, 10-0, in Mud". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1, 4 (section 2) - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Blume, Jackson Pace Rice To 42-7 Victory Over Tech". Corpus Christi Times. Associated Press. November 5, 1961. p. 1C - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ Jim Trinkle (November 19, 1961). "Rice Shells Aggies, 21-7, With Passes". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 3 (section 2) - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ Bill Van Fleet (November 26, 1961). "Rice Defeats Giant Killers, 35-16: Owls Roll to 35-0 Lead, Outlast Frogs' Aerials". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1, 6 (section 2) - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ Dave Campbell (December 3, 1961). "Owls Step Over Bears Into Bluebonnet; Blume Triggers Victory Assault, 26-14". Waco Tribune-Herald. p. 2B - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ Jim Trinkle (December 17, 1961). "Jayhawks Submerge Rice, 33-7". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 1 (section 4) - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ Mayer, Bill (December 18, 1961). "Dedicated, jubilant Hawks throw off bad effects and end season on strong note". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 16.
14. ^ a b c "1960 Rice Owls Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
15. ^ Jim Trinkle (December 3, 1961). "Blume-Led Owls Drop Bears, 26-14". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 1 (section 2) - via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ The Campanile 1962, p. 336.
17. ^ "Saxton, Alworth Lead Coaches' All-Southwest Conference Teams". Corsicana Daily Sun. December 4, 1961. p. 10 - via Newspapers.com.
18. ^ "UPI All-Southwest Conference". The Bryan Daily Eagle. December 3, 1961. p. 12 - via Newspapers.com.
19. ^ The Campanile 1962, pp. 338-347.
20. ^ "Rice Roster". The Austin American. September 7, 1961. p. 39 - via Newspapers.com.
21. ^ The Campanile 1962, p. 335.

* v
* t
* e

Rice Owls football

Venues|

* West End Park (1912, 1914–1915)
* Rice Field (1913–1949)
* Rice Stadium (1950–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Houston
* SMU
* Texas

Culture & lore|

* Sammy the Owl
* "Rice Fight"
* Marching Owl Band

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1912
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*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number