1961 Susquehanna Crusaders football team

1961 Susquehanna Crusaders football
MAC Northern College Division champion
ConferenceMiddle Atlantic Conference
DivisionNorthern College Division
Record8–0–1 (6–0 MAC)
Head coach
CaptainBen DiFrancesco
Home stadiumUniversity Field
1961 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
University Division
No. 15 Rutgers x 4 0 09 0 0
Bucknell 5 2 06 3 0
Delaware 3 2 04 4 0
No. 6 Lehigh 3 2 07 2 0
Gettysburg 2 2 13 5 1
Temple 1 2 22 5 2
Lafayette 1 5 12 6 1
Muhlenberg 0 4 02 7 0
Northern College Division
Susquehanna x 6 0 08 0 1
Albright 4 0 17 0 1
Moravian 4 1 14 3 1
Wagner 4 2 06 3 0
Lycoming 1 3 11 6 1
Wilkes 1 6 01 6 0
Hofstra * 2 0 07 2 0
Juniata * 1 2 03 4 0
Upsala * 0 4 00 7 0
Southern College Division
Lebanon Valley x 5 1 06 1 0
Swarthmore 4 2 05 2 0
Western Maryland 4 2 07 2 0
Dickinson 5 3 05 3 0
Pennsylvania Military 5 3 06 3 0
Johns Hopkins 2 3 13 4 1
Ursinus 2 5 02 5 0
Drexel 1 5 12 5 1
Haverford 0 6 10 6 1
West Chester * 0 0 07 2 0
Franklin & Marshall * 0 3 01 7 0
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games
Rankings from major college AP poll for Rutgers and small college AP poll for Lehigh

The 1961 Susquehanna Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented Susquehanna University as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) during the 1961 college football season. In their second season under head coach Jim Garrett, the Crusaders compiled an 8–0–1 record (6–0 in conference games), won the MAC Northern College Division championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 224 to 71. The season was part of a 22-game unbeaten streak that began on October 22, 1960, and ended on September 21, 1963.

Two Susquehanna players received first-team honors on the 1961 MAC Southern College Division all-star team. The honorees were senior guard and team captain Ben DiFrancesco and sophomore fullback Larry Kerstetter. Di Francesco was also selected by the Associated Press as a second-team player on the 1961 All-Pennsylvania football team.