1961 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
| 1961 South Carolina Gamecocks football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Record | 4–6 (3–4 ACC) |
| Head coach |
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| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Carolina Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Duke $ | 5 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 4 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 3 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 3 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 2 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 South Carolina Gamecocks football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Carolina as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1961 college football season. In their first of five years under head coach Marvin Bass, the Gamecocks compiled a 4–6 record (3–4 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for fifth place in the ACC, and were outscored by a total of 187 to 128.
South Carolina's 21–14 upset victory over in-state rival Clemson, including Jim Costen's fumble recovery and 27-yard return for touchdown, was chosen as the biggest amateur sporting event of 1961 in South Carolina. After the season, coach Bass said the team did not have the "depth, size or experience" to compete with most of its opponents, but "had great morale, 110 per cent performances and more mental and physical guts than any coach has a right to expect."
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jim Costen (764 passing yards, second most in the ACC), Dick Day (400 rushing yards, second most in the ACC), and John Caskey (309 receiving yards). Tackle Jim Moss was selected as the ACC's lineman of the year for 1961. Guard Dave Adams and quarterback Dave Sowell were the team captains.
The team played its home games at Carolina Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.