1961 Bowling Green Falcons football
MAC champion
Mercy Bowl, L 6–36 vs. Fresno State
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record8–2 (5–1 MAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumUniversity Stadium
Seasons
← 1960
1962 →
1961 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Bowling Green $ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Western Michigan 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Miami (OH) 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Ohio 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 1
Toledo 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Marshall 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 1
Kent State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1961 Bowling Green Falcons football team was an American football team that represented Bowling Green State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In their seventh season under head coach Doyt Perry, the Falcons compiled an 8–2 record (5–1 against MAC opponents), won the MAC championship, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 194 to 78.[1]

On November 23, 1961, Bowling Green concluded its season with a 36–6 loss to Fresno State in the Mercy Bowl at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The game was Bowling Green's first bowl appearance. The game was a fundraiser for the families of members of the Cal Poly Mustangs football team who died in a C-46 plane crash while returning home after a game at Bowling Green on October 29, 1960.[2]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23at Marshall
W 40–06,500[3]
September 30Dayton*
W 28–11
October 7Western Michigan
  • University Stadium
  • Bowling Green, OH
W 21–08,000[4]
October 14Toledo
  • University Stadium
  • Bowling Green, OH (rivalry)
W 17–612,243[5]
October 21at Kent State
W 21–611,500[6]
October 28Miami (OH)
  • University Stadium
  • Bowling Green, OH
L 6–7
November 4West Texas State*
  • University Stadium
  • Bowling Green, OH
W 28–6
November 11at Ohio
W 7–6
November 18at Southern Illinois*
W 20–0
November 25vs. No. 3 Fresno State
L 6–3633,146
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

  1. ^ "Bowling Green Yearly Results (1960-1964)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  2. ^ "Cal Poly's Players Honored at Halftime". Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1961.
  3. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  4. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  6. ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 18, 2022.


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