1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team

The 1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. Led by eleventh-year head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the independent Orangemen were undefeated and won the school's only national championship in football, topping the rankings by wide margins in the final polls in early December.[2][3][4][5]

1959 Syracuse Orangemen football
Consensus national champion
Eastern champion
Cotton Bowl champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 23–14 vs. Texas
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record11–0
Head coach
CaptainGerhard Schwedes[1]
Home stadiumArchbold Stadium
1959 NCAA University Division independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW 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

They met fourth-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas on New Year's Day. They led 15–0 at halftime and 23–6 after the three quarters. Texas scored midway through the fourth quarter to draw to 23–14, but there was no further scoring, and Syracuse gained its first bowl win.[6] Unranked at the start of the season, Syracuse finished with an 11–0 record with five shutouts, and outscored its opponents 413–73.

Notable players included sophomore running back Ernie Davis, winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1961 and the first selection of the 1962 NFL Draft. In the Cotton Bowl Classic, he scored the first two touchdowns and threw a pass to Gerhard Schwedes for the third.[6] Davis was helped by an offensive line that included unanimous first team All-American guard Roger Davis.

The team was named national champion by AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Football News, Football Research, Football Writers, Helms, Litkenhous, NCF, NFF, Poling, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI, and Williamson,[7] leading to a consensus national champion designation.

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 26Kansas
W 35–2125,000[8]
October 3MarylandNo. 20
  • Archbold Stadium
  • Syracuse, NY
W 29–030,000
October 10vs. NavyNo. 12
W 32–631,700[9]
October 17Holy CrossNo. 8
  • Archbold Stadium
  • Syracuse, NY
W 42–630,000
October 24West VirginiaNo. 6
  • Archbold Stadium
  • Syracuse, NY
W 44–035,000[10]
October 31at PittsburghNo. 5
W 35–025,761[11]
November 7at No. 7 Penn StateNo. 4
W 20–1832,800[12]
November 14ColgateNo. 1
  • Archbold Stadium
  • Syracuse, NY
W 71–031,000[13]
November 21at Boston UniversityNo. 1
W 46–022,000
December 5at No. 17 UCLANo. 1
W 36–846,436[14]
January 1, 1960vs. No. 4 TexasNo. 1
W 23–1475,504[6]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[1]

Game summaries

Kansas
See also: 1959 Kansas Jayhawks football team

Maryland
See also: 1959 Maryland Terrapins football team

Vs. Navy
See also: 1959 Navy Midshipmen football team

Holy Cross
See also: 1959 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

West Virginia
See also: 1959 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

At Pittsburgh
See also: 1959 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

At Penn State
See also: 1959 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Colgate
See also: 1959 Colgate Red Raiders football team

At Boston University
See also: Boston University Terriers football

At UCLA
See also: 1959 UCLA Bruins football team

Vs. Texas (Cotton Bowl Classic)
1 234Total
• Syracuse 7 880 23
Texas 0 068 14
Main article: 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic
See also: 1959 Texas Longhorns football team

[15]

1960 NFL Draft
Main article: 1960 NFL Draft
PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL club
Roger DavisGuard17Chicago Bears
Gerhard SchwedesRunning back447Baltimore Colts
Bob YatesTackle784New York Giants
Dave BakerEnd17204New York Giants

[16]

References
  1. 2017 Syracuse football media guide. pg. 148
  2. "Orange win grid crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 18.
  3. "Syracuse runs off with title". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 34.
  4. "Syracuse tops final grid poll by wide margin". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 2.
  5. "Syracuse is voted national champion by coaches board". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 23.
  6. "Syracuse tops Texas, 23–14". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1960. p. 6.
  7. 2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2017. p. 113. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  8. "Midnight strikes for KU gridders 35–21". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). September 26, 1959. p. 1.
  9. "Navy stopped by Syracuse". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 11, 1959. p. 3B.
  10. "Syracuse breezes over WVU, 44–0". Pittsburgh Press. October 25, 1959. p. 1, sec.7.
  11. Smith, Chester L. (November 1, 1959). "Syracuse smothers Pitt, 35–0". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, sec.7.
  12. Smith, Chester L. (November 8, 1959). "Syracuse wins 'big one,' 20–18". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, sec.7.
  13. "Syracuse wins, 71–0, takes Cotton Bowl offer". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. November 15, 1959. p. 25.
  14. "Syracuse easy 36–8 winner". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 6, 1959. p. 6.
  15. "LIFE at the 1960 Cotton Bowl: 'Battle of the Hard-Noses'". Time. January 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  16. "1960 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 11, 2020.


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