1959 Missouri Tigers football team

The 1959 Missouri Tigers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Missouri in the Big Seven Conference (Big 7) during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. The team compiled a 6–5 record (4–2 against Big 7 opponents), finished in second place in the Big 7, lost to Georgia in the 1960 Orange Bowl, was ranked No. 17 in the final AP Poll, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 125 to 124. Dan Devine was the head coach for the second of 13 seasons.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

1959 Missouri Tigers football
Orange Bowl, L 0–14 vs. Georgia
Conference	Big Seven Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19
AP	No. 18
Record	6–5 (4–2 Big 7)
Head coach	Dan Devine (2nd season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1958 1960 →

1959 Big Seven Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 15 Oklahoma $	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Missouri	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Colorado	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Iowa State	3	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Kansas	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Nebraska	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Kansas State	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Mel West with 556 rushing yards and 556 yards of total offense, Phil Snowden with 415 passing yards, Russ Sloan with 128 receiving yards, and Donnie Smith with 24 point scored.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	Penn State		Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO		L 8–19	28,000
September 26	at Michigan*		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		W 20–15	50,533	^[4]
October 3	at Iowa State		Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA (rivalry)		W 14–0	10,632
October 9	at No. 15 SMU*		Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX		L 2–23	33,000
October 17	Oklahoma		Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO (rivalry)		L 0–23	38,561
October 24	Nebraska		Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO (rivalry)		W 9–0	27,305
October 31	at Colorado		Folsom Field Boulder, CO		L 20–21	28,422
November 7	No. 18 Air Force*		Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO		W 13–0	32,000	^[5]
November 14	Kansas State		Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO		W 26–0
November 21	at Kansas		Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (Border War)		W 13–9	40,000	^[6]
January 1	vs. No. 5 Georgia*	No. 18	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	CBS	L 0–14	72,186	^[7]^[8]^[9]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1959 Missouri Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
2. "2016 Mizzou Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Missouri. p. 158. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
3. (PDF). University of Missouri. pp. 26–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
4. "Missouri 'Shows Up' Michigan, 20-15". Detroit Free Press. September 27, 1959. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Falcons lose to Missouri". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 8, 1959. p. 3B.
6. "KU's version of a 'Sugar' Bowl". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). (photo). November 23, 1959. p. 1.
7. Martin, Whitney (January 2, 1960). "Two pass plays difference as Georgia tops Missouri". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. 6.
8. "Georgia wins, 14-0, on defense, passes". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 2, 1960. p. 6.
9. "Passes help Georgia win Orange Bowl 14-0". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1960. p. 5.