The 1961 All-Big Eight Conference football team consists of

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

players chosen by various organizations for All-

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

teams for the

1961 NCAA University Division football season During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A. The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of "wire service" ( AP and UPI) ...

. The selectors for the 1961 season included the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

(AP) and the

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...

(UPI). Players selected as first-team players by both the AP and UPI are designated in bold.

All-Big Eight selections

Backs

John Hadl John Willard Hadl (February 15, 1940 – November 30, 2022) was an American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 16 years. He won an AFL championship with the San Diego C ...

, Kansas (AP-1; UPI-1) * Dave Hoppman, Iowa State (AP-1; UPI-1) *

Curtis McClinton Curtis Realious McClinton Jr. (born June 25, 1939) is a former collegiate and professional American football player. His father, Curtis McClinton Sr., served in the Kansas Senate. McClinton attended Wichita North High School in Wichita, Kansas ...

, Kansas (AP-1; UPI-1) *

Bill Thornton William E. Thornton is an American politician who served as the mayor of San Antonio, Texas from 1995 to 1997. He succeeded Nelson Wolff and was himself followed by Howard Peak, after Thornton finished third in his bid for reelection. Thornton a ...

, Nebraska (AP-1; UPI-2) * Gale Weidner, Colorado (AP-2; UPI-1) *

Jim Dillard James Hardy Dillard II (born November 21, 1933) is a politician and former Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He represented the 41st district, which includes part of Fairfax County, Virginia, ...

, Oklahoma St. (AP-2; UPI-2) * Jimmy Carpenter, Oklahoma (AP-2) * Loren Schweninger, Colorado (AP-2) * Mike McClellan, Oklahoma (UPI-2)

Ends

Jerry Hillebrand Gerald John Hillebrand (born March 28, 1940) is a former American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footb ...

, Colorado (AP-1; UPI-1) * Conrad Hitchler, Missouri (AP-1; UPI-1) * Ken Blair, Colorado (AP-2) * Dan Purcell, Nebraska (AP-2; UPI-2) * Ronny Payne, Oklahoma (UPI-2)

Tackles

Ed Blaine Edward Homer Blaine (born January 30, 1940) is a former American Football Guard as well as an honorary professor and investigator from the University of Missouri. He was born in Farmington, Missouri on January 30, 1940.Frank Parker, Oklahoma St. (AP-2; UPI-2)

Guards

Joe Romig Joe Romig (born April 11, 1941) was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1973. Romig attended Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Colorado, the University ...

, Colorado (AP-1; UPI-1) (College Football Hall of Fame) * Dan Celoni, Iowa State (AP-1; UPI-1) * Elvin Basham, Kansas (AP-2; UPI-2) * Paul Garvis, Missouri (AP-2) * Paul Henley, Missouri (UPI-2)

Centers

* Walter Klinker, Colorado (AP-1; UPI-1) * Kent Staab, Kansas (AP-2; UPI-2)

Key

AP =

UPI =

References

{{All-Big Eight Conference football teams All-Big Seven Conference football team All-Big Eight Conference football teams