1961 California Golden Bears football team

The 1961 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In its second year under head coach Marv Levy, the team compiled a 1–8–1 record (1–3 against AAWU opponents), finished in last place in the AAWU, and was outscored by its opponents by a combined total of 268 to 118.^[1][2]

1961 California Golden Bears football
Conference	Athletic Association of Western Universities
Record	1–8–1 (1–3 AAWU)
Head coach	Marv Levy (2nd season)
Home stadium	California Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

1961 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 16 UCLA $	3	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
USC	2	–	1	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
Washington	2	–	1	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Stanford	1	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
California	1	–	3	–	0			1	–	8	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Randy Gold with 403 passing yards, Alan Nelson with 331 rushing yards, and Bob Wills with 302 receiving yards.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	No. 4 Texas*	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	L 3–28	41,500	^[4]
September 30	at No. 1 Iowa*	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	L 7–28	56,000
October 7	at Missouri*	Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO	T 14–14	42,000
October 14	Washington	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	W 21–14	35,371
October 21	USC	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	L 14–28	38,000
October 28	at Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 16–33	30,265
November 4	at UCLA	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	L 15–35	33,192
November 11	Air Force*	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	L 14–15	38,000	^[5]
November 18	Kansas*	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	L 7–53	30,000
November 25	at Stanford	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	L 7–20	79,000
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[6]

Personnel

1961 California Golden Bears football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB Randy Gold	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Marv Levy Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

References

1. "1961 California Golden Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
2. (PDF). CalBears.com. Cal Golden Bears Athletics. p. 164. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
3. "1961 California Golden Bears Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
4. "Bears ripped; Texas halts Cal 28 to 3 in opener". Oakland Tribune. September 24, 1961. Retrieved April 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "AF does it on gamble". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Ass ociated Press. November 12, 1961. p. 2, sports.
6. (PDF). Cal Athletics. 2015. p. 164. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016.