The 1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

in the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. The Buckeyes compiled an 8–0–1 record and finished No. 2 in the final AP and UPI/Coaches' Polls. They were awarded the

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). This was the Buckeyes fourth national championship and the third for head coach

Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University (1946–1948), Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (1949–1950), and Ohio State University (1951 ...

. The

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was voted national champions by the AP and Coaches' Polls. Days after the conclusion of the regular season, the university's faculty council voted down participation in the Rose Bowl, which then went to No. 6

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, Big Ten runner-up. A growing conflict between academics and athletics over Ohio State's reputation as a "football school" resulted in the faculty's decision to turn down an invitation to the Rose Bowl, resulting in much public protest and debate.

Schedule

Personnel

Game summaries

TCU

UCLA

Illinois

Northwestern

Wisconsin

Iowa

Indiana

Oregon

Michigan

Ohio State Official Athletic Site - Football - Archives
Retrieved March 30, 2015.

Depth chart

1962 Ohio State football media guide

Coaching staff

– Head Coach – 11th year

1962 Pro draftees

References

{{Big Ten Conference football champions

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

Ohio State Buckeyes football seasons College football national champions Big Ten Conference football champion seasons College football undefeated seasons

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played their home games at Ohio Stadium in ...