1961 NAIA football season

The 1961 NAIA football season was the sixth season of college football sponsored by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The season was played from August to December 1961, culminating in the sixth annual NAIA Football National Championship, played this year at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. During its three years in Sacramento, the game was called the Camellia Bowl (separate from the present day bowl game with the same name in Montgomery, Alabama).

1961 NAIA football season
Regular season	August–December 1961
Postseason	December 2–9, 1961
National Championship	Hughes Stadium Sacramento, CA
Champion	Pittsburg State (2)
← 1960 NAIA football season 1962 →

Pittsburg State defeated Linfield in the championship game, 12–7, to win their second NAIA national title and first since 1957.^[1]

Conference standings

1961 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 17 Arkansas Tech $ 6 – 0 – 1 8 – 0 – 1 Arkansas State Teachers 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Southern Arkansas 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Harding 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Henderson State 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Ouachita Baptist 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Arkansas A&M 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Ozarks 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Badger-Gopher Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Lakeland $ 4 – 0 – 0 4 – 3 – 1 Northland 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Bethel (MN) 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Milton 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 Northwestern (WI) 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 5 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1961 Carolinas Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 15 Lenoir–Rhyne $ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Appalachian State 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Newberry 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 1 East Carolina 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 Elon 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Catawba 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Western Carolina 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Guilford 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 Pittsburg State $^ 5 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 0 Omaha 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Fort Hays State 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 St. Benedict's 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Emporia State 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Washburn 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 College Conference of Illinois football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 14 Millikin $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 0 Carroll (WI) 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Carthage 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 North Central (IL) 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Augustana (IL) 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Illinois Wesleyan 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Lake Forest 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Evergreen Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central Washington $ 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Whitworth * 6 – 1 – 0 ? – ? – ? Western Washington 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Puget Sound 3 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Pacific Lutheran 1 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Eastern Washington 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion * – on probation; ineligible for conference title
1961 Far Western Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 13/16 Humboldt State + 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 San Francisco State + 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 UC Davis 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Nevada 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Sacramento State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Chico State 0 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA poll and UPI small college poll	1961 Frontier Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Arizona State–Flagstaff $ 1 – 0 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 New Mexico Western 1 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 New Mexico Highlands 0 – 1 – 1 3 – 3 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1961 Gulf States Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 7 Southeastern Louisiana + 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 No. 10 McNeese State + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Northwestern State 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Louisiana Tech 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Northeast Louisiana State 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Southwestern Louisiana 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Iowa Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 12 Parsons $ 8 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Luther 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Central (IA) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Upper Iowa 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Dubuque 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Buena Vista 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Iowa Wesleyan 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Wartburg 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Simpson 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 16 Ottawa $ 9 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 College of Emporia 8 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Southwestern (KS) 6 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Baker 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Bethany (KS) 3 – 4 – 2 3 – 4 – 2 Kansas Wesleyan 4 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Bethel (KS) 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 McPherson 3 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Sterling 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 Friends 0 – 8 – 1 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Mid-Ohio League football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Findlay $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Ohio Northern 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Bluffton 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Defiance 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Ashland 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Wilmington (OH) 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1961 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 18 Minnesota–Duluth $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Saint John's (MN) 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 St. Thomas (MN) 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Macalester 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Augsburg 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Concordia (MN) 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Hamline 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 19 Missouri Valley $ 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 1 William Jewell 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Graceland 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 2 Tarkio 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Central (MO) 0 – 2 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 Culver–Stockton 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 6 – 2 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Western Montana $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 1 Eastern Montana 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Carroll (MT) 2 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Northern Montana 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Rocky Mountain 1 – 4 – 0 ? – ? – ? Montana Mines 0 – 4 – 1 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference champion
1961 Nebraska College Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Peru State $ 5 – 0 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Kearney State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Hastings 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Doane 2 – 2 – 2 5 – 2 – 2 Wayne State (NE) 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Chadron State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Nebraska Wesleyan 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Mayville State $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 0 Wahpeton Science 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Dickinson State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Jamestown 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Minot State 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Valley City State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Ellendale 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 Northern State College Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Mankato State $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Moorhead State 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Bemidji State 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Winona State 2 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Michigan Tech 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 6 – 1 St. Cloud State 0 – 4 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1961 Northwest Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 3 Linfield $^ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Lewis & Clark 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 College of Idaho 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Willamette 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Whitman 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Pacific (OR) 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 9 Central State (OK) + 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Langston + 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 No. 11 Panhandle A&M 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 East Central 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 SE Oklahoma State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Northeastern State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 SW Oklahoma State 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 NW Oklahoma State 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Southern Oregon $ 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Oregon College 2 – 1 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Portland State 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Oregon Tech 1 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Eastern Oregon 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1961 Pennsylvania State College Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division No. 20 West Chester xy$ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 East Stroudsburg 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Bloomsburg 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Millersville 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Mansfield 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Kutztown 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Cheyney 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 7 – 1 West Division Slippery Rock xy 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 California (PA) 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Clarion 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Lock Haven 2 – 2 – 1 5 – 2 – 2 Edinboro 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Indiana (PA) 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Shippensburg 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 Championship: West Chester 21, Lock Haven 6 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Edinboro forfeited to Clarion. Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 6 Northern State $^ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Huron 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Southern State 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 South Dakota Tech 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Black Hills 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Dakota Wesleyan 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 General Beadle 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 Whittier $^ 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 Redlands 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Occidental 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Pomona 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Claremont-Mudd 0 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 5 Florida A&M $ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0 Alabama A&M 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Allen 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Bethune–Cookman 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Morris Brown 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Fisk 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Tuskegee 4 – 1 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Morehouse 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Clark (GA) 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 3 – 2 Lane 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 Benedict 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 South Carolina State 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Alabama State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Knoxville 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Fort Valley State 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Tri-State Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Midland $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Dana 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Westmar 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Northwestern (IA) 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 1 Concordia (NE) 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Yankton 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Sioux Falls 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 West Penn Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Westminster (PA) $ 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Grove City 2 – 0 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Waynesburg 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Saint Vincent 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 3 – 1 Geneva 1 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Carnegie Tech 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1961 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Eastern Division Salem x 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 West Liberty State 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Davis & Elkins 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 West Virginia State 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 Western Division West Virginia Wesleyan x$ 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Glenville State 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Fairmont State 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Concord 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Potomac State 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 3 – 0 West Virginia Tech 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 Non-qualifiers Bluefield State 1 – 0 – 0 3 – 3 – 1 Shepherd 1 – 2 – 0 4 – 2 – 2 Bethany (WV) 0 – 1 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Conference standings based on power ratings	1961 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Stevens Point State $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 La Crosse State 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 River Falls State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Whitewater State 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Superior State 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 2 Stout State 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Eau Claire State 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Oshkosh State 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 4 – 0 Milwaukee 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Platteville State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 NAIA independents football records v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2 Baldwin–Wallace   –   9 – 0 – 0 No. 8 Tampa   –   8 – 1 – 0 Earlham   –   7 – 1 – 0 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –   9 – 2 – 0 La Verne   –   7 – 2 – 0 Hillsdale   –   6 – 3 – 0 Eastern New Mexico   –   6 – 4 – 0 McMurry   –   6 – 4 – 0 St. Mary of the Plains   –   4 – 5 – 0 Georgetown (KY)   –   2 – 3 – 1 Austin   –   2 – 7 – 0 Rankings from NAIA poll

Postseason

	Semifinals December 2, 1961					Championship December 9, 1961 Camellia Bowl^[2]
	Whittier		7
	Linfield*		18
						Linfield		7
						Pittsburg State		12
	Northern State		14
	Pittsburg State*		28

See also

• 1961 NCAA University Division football season
• 1961 NCAA College Division football season

References

1. (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
2. "1961 NAIA Football Playoffs". JonFMorse.com. Retrieved November 13, 2015.