1961 Football Team

The 1961 football team was one of the greatest teams in W&L's rich athletic history.

The Generals completed the 1961 campaign with a perfect 9-0 overall record, just the second football team in school history to achieve an undefeated and untied record.

During the season, the team was featured in a six-page spread in Sports Illustrated entitled "A Sport for Gentlemen" and following the season, W&L received the Timmie Trophy from the Washington, D.C., Touchdown Club as the Outstanding Small College Football team in the country.

The Generals opened the season with a 7-6 victory over Hampden-Sydney, but went on to outscore its next seven opponents by a total of 257-20 before finishing the season with a 33-20 victory over Washington University of St. Louis.

Under the direction of Head Coach Lee McLaughlin and Assistant Coaches Boyd Williams and Buck Leslie, and with the leadership of captains Barton Dick and Ned Hobbs, W&L featured an equally explosive offense and stingy defense. The Generals averaged 33.0 points per game, while allowing an average of just 5.1 points per outing. The defense posted four shutouts and finished the season ranked third in the country in rushing defense (73.1 ypg) and fourth in total defense (129.2 ypg).

The 1961 team was the centerpiece in a three-year run that saw W&L post a 25-1-1 overall record from 1960-62. Several individuals from the 1961 team were also lauded for their part in the Generals' success. Center Terry Fohs '62 was named Second Team Little All-America by the Associated Press, while quarterback Steve Suttle '62, back Charlie Gummey '63, guard Tommy Goodwin '62 and tackle Bob Payne '63 were all named Honorable Mention All-Americans.