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1961 Worcester Tech Engineers football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1961 Worcester Tech Engineers football
ConferenceIndependent
Record3–4
Head coach
Home stadiumAlumni Stadium
Seasons
← 1960
1962 →
1961 Eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Middlebury     5 1 1
Villanova     8 2 0
Southern Connecticut State     7 2 0
Alfred     6 2 0
Montclair State     6 2 0
Delaware Valley     6 2 0
No. 17 Penn State     8 3 0
No. 14 Syracuse     8 3 0
Trinity (CT)     5 2 1
Holy Cross     7 3 0
C. W. Post     6 3 0
Army     6 4 0
Merchant Marine     6 4 0
Tufts     5 3 0
Rochester     5 3 0
Hamilton     4 3 0
Cortland State     4 3 0
American International     5 4 0
Colgate     5 4 0
Northeastern     4 4 0
Coast Guard     4 4 0
Ithaca     4 4 0
Boston University     4 5 0
Buffalo     4 5 0
Bridgeport     4 5 0
Norwich     3 4 1
Worcester Tech     3 4 0
Boston College     4 6 0
Union (NY)     3 5 0
Pittsburgh     3 7 0
Nichols     2 3 0
Trenton State     1 6 0
King's (PA)     1 8 0
Springfield     0 7 1
Brockport     0 7 0
RPI     0 7 0
Hobart     0 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 Worcester Tech Engineers football team was an American football team that represented the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) as an independent during the 1961 college football season. In their 15th year under head coach Robert W. Pritchard, the Engineers compiled a 3–4 record and outscored opponents by a total of 140 to 93. The team played home games at Alumni Stadium in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Quarterback Peter Martin led the team in both passing (39-for-89, 556 yards) and total offense (520 yards).

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23at Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CTL 18–243,000[1]
October 7MiddleburyWorcester, MAL 2–63,100–3,700[2][3]
October 14at Bates
W 38–141,500[4]
October 21WesleyandaggerWorcester, MAW 21–203,000–3,500[5]
October 28at Coast Guard
L 14–213,500[6]
November 4RPIWorcester, MAW 40–03,300[7]
November 11at Norwich
L 7–91,500[8]
  • daggerHomecoming

[9][10]

Statistics

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Worcester Tech tallied 1,526 yards of total offense (218 yards per game), consisting of 937 rushing yards (134 yards per game) and 589 passing yards (84 yards per game). On defense, the Engineers gave up 1,297 yards (185.3 yards per game), including 787 rushing yards (112 yards per game) and 510 passing yards (73 yards per game).[10]

Peter Martin led the team in passing, completing 39 of 89 attempts for 556 yards with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. Despite losing 36 rushing yards, Martin also led the team with 520 yards of total offense. The team's rushing leaders were Ronald Gemma (352 yards on 63 carries) and Robert Grenier (215 yards on 62 carries). The receiving leaders were George Oldham (10 receptions for 187 yards and no touchdowns) and William Shields (eight receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown). The scoring leaders were Robert Grenier (five touchdowns, 30 points) and Ronald Gemma and Michael Littizzio (four touchdowns and 24 points each). Richard Ryczek handled punting duties, making 19 punts for 640 yards, an average of 33.7 yards per punt.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Bill Newll (September 24, 1961). "Malizia Leads Central to 24-18 Grid Victory". The Hartford Courant. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Middlebury Tips Worcester Tech On Blocked Kick". The Boston Globe. October 8, 1961. p. 79 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics (Middlebury)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  4. ^ "Worcester Tech Batters Fumbling Bates, 38 To 14". Portland Sunday Telegram. October 15, 1961. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Worcester Tech Tops Wesleyan By 21-20 Count". The Hartford Courant. October 22, 1961. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Jack Cruise (October 30, 1961). "C.G. Academy Beats Worcester, 21-14". The Day. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Worcester Trounces RPI, 40-0". The Times Record. November 6, 1961. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Joe Jamele (November 13, 1961). "Valhouli's Late Field Goal Gives Cadets, 9-7, Winner". The Times-Argus. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Official Collegiate Football Record Book 1962, p. 144.
  10. ^ a b c "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics (Worcester Tech)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 1, 2024.