1961 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

American college football season

1961 Southern Illinois Salukis football

IIAC champion

Conference| Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record| 7–3 (5–1 IIAC)
Head coach|

* Carmen Piccone (3rd season)

Home stadium| McAndrew Stadium

Seasons

<- 1960

1962 ->

1961 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
Southern Illinois $  | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 3  | - | 0
Western Illinois | 4  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 3  | - | 0
Illinois State Normal | 4  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 4  | - | 0
Eastern Illinois | 3  | - | 2  | - | 1 |  |  | 4  | - | 3  | - | 1
Northern Illinois | 3  | - | 2  | - | 1 |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 1
Central Michigan | 1  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 2  | - | 8  | - | 0
Eastern Michigan | 0  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 0  | - | 8  | - | 1

* $ - Conference champion

The 1961 Southern Illinois Salukis football team was an American football team that represented Southern Illinois University (now known as Southern Illinois University Carbondale) as a member of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1961 college football season. In their third year under head coach Carmen Piccone, the Salukis compiled a 7–3 record (5–1 in conference games) and won the IIAC championship.[1]

The team was led on offense by quarterback Ron Winter and running back Amos Bullocks who broke Southern Illinois' career records for passing yards (Winter, 2,054 yards), total offense (Winter, yards), rushing yards (Bullocks, 2,441 yards) and scoring (Bullocks, 206 points).

The team played its home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

## Schedule

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

September 16| at Missouri Mines*| | Rolla, MO| W 44–0| 3,000| [2]
September 23| Drake*| |

* McAndrew Stadium
* Carbondale, IL

| L 0–7| 10,000| [3]
September 30| Central Michigan| |

* McAndrew Stadium
* Carbondale, IL

| W 18–0| 5,500| [4][5]
October 7| Northern Illinois| No. 4|

* McAndrew Stadium
* Carbondale, IL

| W 35–6| 10,500| [6]
October 14| at Western Illinois| No. 5|

* Hanson Field
* Macomb, IL

| L 13–22| 9,900| [7]
October 21| Eastern Illinois| |

* McAndrew Stadium
* Carbondale, IL

| W 33–6| 13,000| [8]
October 28| at Illinois State Normal| |

* McCormick Field
* Normal, IL

| W 34–14| 6,000| [9][10]
November 4| at Eastern Michigan| |

* Briggs Field
* Ypsilanti, MI

| W 20–14| | [11]
November 11| La Crosse State*| |

* McAndrew Stadium
* Carbondale, IL

| W 47–13| 8,000| [12]
November 18| Bowling Green*| |

* McAndrew Stadium
* Carbondale, IL

| L 0–20| 7,000| [13]

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

## Statistics

[edit]

Senior quarterback Ron Winter led the team with 1,123 yards of total offense.[14] In his three years playing for Southern Illinois, Winter set a new school record with 2,054 passing yards. He also tallied 672 rushing yards to set a new school record with 2,726 yards of total offense.[15]

Amos Bullocks also set new career records at Southern Illinois with 2,441 rushing yards and 206 points scored. He led the team with 875 rushing yards in 1961. The team's other leading rushers were Charles Hamilton (403 yards), Ron Winter (285 yards), Dennis Harley (275 yards), Charles Lerch (272 yards), and Charles Kimbrel (160 yards). [15]

Junior end Charles O'Neill led the team in pass receiving, catching 23 passes for 385 yards.[14]

The team's scoring leaders were Amos Bullocks (60 points), Hamilton (44 points), Winter (36 points), and Lerch (30 points).[15]

## Awards and honors

[edit]

Ron Winter was selected by his teammates as the most valuable player on the 1961 Southern Illinois team.[14] Winter missed two early games with a dislocated shoulder, but came in strong in the remaining games. He was one of the lightest players on the team at 175 pounds and was described as "an agile, quick-thinking runner who employs his blockers with tremendous skill."[16]

Seven Southern Illinois players received first-team honors on the 1961 IIAC all-conference football team: Winter at quarterback; Amos Bullocks at back; Sam Silas at offensive tackle; Jim Thompson and Frank Imperiale at defensive tackle; Jim Minton at linebacker; and Denny Harmon at defensive back.[17]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Southern Illinois Saluki Football 2019 Media Guide" (PDF). Southern Illinois University. 2019. p. 116. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
2. ^ Tuthill, Harold (September 17, 1961). "Southern Illinois Wallops Missouri Mines, 44-0, in Opener". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3F. Retrieved January 6, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Drake Defense Checks Salukis 7 To 0". Southern Illinoisan. September 24, 1961. p. II-1 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Chips Lose To SI, 18-0". The Lansing State Journal. October 1, 1961. p. 54 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
6. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
7. ^ "Western Stops SIU, 22-13". The Southern Illinoisan. October 15, 1961. p. 9 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Southern Illinois Takes Homecoming 33-6, Tied For Second". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. October 23, 1961. p. 8. Retrieved June 11, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Southern Ill. Wins; Takes IIAC Lead". Chicago Tribune. October 29, 1961. p. 4 (section 2) - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Illinois State Normal)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
11. ^ "E. Michigan Beaten by S.I.U., 20-14". Chicago Tribune. November 5, 1961. p. 8 (part 2) - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Southern Illinois Rips La Crosse 47-13". La Crosse Tribune. November 12, 1961. p. 14. Retrieved January 6, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ Merle Jones (November 19, 1961). "Bowling Green Blanks Salukis 20-0". Southern Illinoisan. p. 1 (sports) - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ a b c "Ron Winter Is Most Valuable At Southern". Mt. Vernon Register-News. December 1, 1961. p. 10 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ a b c "Southern Stars Set Grid Marks". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. November 25, 1961. p. 2 - via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ "QB Ron Winter Can Smash Total Offense Record At SIU In Final". Mt. Vernon Register-News. November 17, 1961. p. 10 - via Newspapers.com.
17. ^ "SIU Places Seven on IIAC All-Star Teams". Alton Evening Telegraph. November 21, 1961. p. 12 - via Newspapers.com.

* v
* t
* e

Southern Illinois Salukis football

Venues|

* McAndrew Stadium (1938–2009)
* Saluki Stadium (2010–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games

Culture & lore|

* "Go Southern Go!"
* Saluki Sports Network

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1913
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National championship seasons in bold

* v
* t
* e

Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football champions

Illinois
(1908–1949)|

* Lombard (1921)
* Lombard (1922)
* Lombard (1923)
* Knox (IL) & Lombard (1924)
* Bradley & Monmouth (IL) (1925)
* Bradley & Monmouth (IL) (1926)
* Bradley (1927)
* Eastern Illinois & Millikin (1928)
* Knox (IL) & Lombard (1929)
* Millikin, Mount Morris, & Southern Illinois (1930)
* Monmouth (IL) (1930)
* Illinois Wesleyan & McKendree (1932)
* Illinois Wesleyan (1933)
* Augustana (IL) & Millikin
* Millikin & Monmouth (IL)
* Illinois Wesleyan & St. Viator (1936)
* Bradley, Illinois College, & Illinois State Normal (1937)
* Northern Illinois State (1938)
* Western Illinois (1939)
* Illinois State Normal (1940)
* Illinois State Normal & Northern Illinois State (1941)
* Western Illinois (1942)
* No champion (1943)
* Northern Illinois State (1944)
* Illinois State Normal (1945)
* Northern Illinois State (1946)
* Southern Illinois (1947)
* Eastern Illinois (1948)
* Western Illinois (1949)

Interstate
(1950–1969)|

* Illinois State Normal (1950)
* Northern Illinois State (1951)
* Central Michigan (1952)
* Central Michigan (1953)
* Central Michigan & Michigan State Normal (1954)
* Central Michigan & Michigan State Normal (1955)
* Central Michigan (1956)
* Eastern Michigan (1957)
* Western Illinois (1958)
* Western Illinois (1959)
* Southern Illinois (1960)
* Southern Illinois (1961)
* Central Michigan (1962)
* Northern Illinois (1963)
* Northern Illinois & Western Illinois (1964)
* Northern Illinois (1965)
* Central Michigan (1966)
* Central Michigan & Illinois State (1967)
* Central Michigan & Illinois State (1968)
* Western Illinois (1969)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties