1959 Big Ten Conference football season explained

1959 Big Ten Conference football season
Sport:American football
No Of Teams:10
Top Pick:Jim Houston
Season Champs:Wisconsin
Season Champ Name:Champion
Second Place:Michigan State
Mvp:Bill Burrell
Prevseason Year:1958
Nextseason Year:1960

The 1959 Big Ten Conference football season was the 64th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1959 college football season.

The 1959 Wisconsin Badgers football team, under head coach Milt Bruhn, won the Big Ten championship, was ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll, and lost to Washington in the 1960 Rose Bowl. Tackle Dan Lanphear was a consensus first-team All-American. Quarterback Dale Hackbart led the Big Ten with 1,121 yards of total offense.

Season overview

Results and team statistics

Conf. RankTeamHead coachAP finalAP highOverall recordConf. recordPPGPAGMVP
1WisconsinMilt Bruhn
  1. 6
  1. 5
7–35–216.514.9Jerry Stalcup
2Michigan StateDuffy DaughertyNR
  1. 11
5–44–216.613.1Dean Look
3 (tie)PurdueJack MollenkopfNR
  1. 6
5–2–24–2–112.19.0Len Jardine
3 (tie)IllinoisRay Eliot
  1. 13
  1. 12
5–3–14–2–112.310.3Bill Burrell
5NorthwesternAra ParseghianNR
  1. 2
6–34–319.314.9Jim Andreotti
6IowaForest EvashevskiNR
  1. 5
5–43–325.911.1Don Norton
7MichiganBump ElliottNRNR4–53–413.617.9Tony Rio
8IndianaPhil DickensNRNR4–4–12–4–115.811.7Ted Aucreman
9Ohio StateWoody HayesNR
  1. 7
3–5–12–4–19.212.7Jim Houston
10MinnesotaMurray WarmathNRNR2–71–610.917.7Tom Moe
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1959 season
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1959 season
PPG = Average of points scored per game
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[1]
MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold

Preseason

On November 14, 1958, Bennie Oosterbaan resigned as Michigan's head football coach with two games remaining in the program's worst season since 1936. Bump Elliott, who had been Michigan's backfield coach for two years, was hired to replace him.[2]

Bowl games

See main article: 1960 Rose Bowl.

Post-season developments

Shortly before the end of the 1959 season, Illinois head coach Ray Eliot retired after 18 years in the position.[3] On December 22, 1959, Illinois hired 33-year-old Pete Elliott as its new head football coach. Elliott had played for Michigan and served as California's head coach from 1957 to 1959.[4]

Statistical leaders

The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders for the 1959 season include the following:[1]

Passing yards

RankNameTeamYards
1Olen TreadwayIowa1,014
2Dean LookMichigan State785
3John TalleyNorthwestern783
4Stan NoskinMichigan747
5Dale HackbartWisconsin734

Rushing yards

RankNameTeamYards
1Bob JeterIowa609
2Bill BrownIllinois504
3Ted SmithIndiana439
4Herb AdderleyMichigan State419
5Johnny CountsIllinois416

Receiving yards

RankNameTeamYards
1Don NortonIowa428
2Tom HallMinnesota322
3Johnny CountsIllinois314
4Allan SchoonoverWisconsin290
5Ray PurdinNorthwestern280

Total yards

RankNameTeamYards
1Dale HackbartWisconsin1,121
2Olen TreadwayIowa987
3Dean LookMichigan State875
4John TalleyNorthwestern777
5Stan NoskinMichigan718

Scoring

RankNameTeamPoints
1Dale HackbartWisconsin36
2Gary BallmanMichigan State30
2Ron BurtonNorthwestern30
2Tom WiesnerWisconsin30

Awards and honors

All-Big Ten honors

The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1959 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

PositionNameTeamSelectors
QuarterbackDean LookMichigan StateAP
QuarterbackDale HackbartWisconsinUPI
HalfbackBob JeterIowaAP, UPI
HalfbackRon BurtonNorthwesternAP, UPI
FullbackMike StockNorthwesternAP, UPI
EndJim HoustonOhio StateAP, UPI
EndDon NortonIowaAP, UPI
TackleDan LanphearWisconsinAP, UPI
TackleJoe RutgensIllinoisAP
TackleGene GossageNorthwesternUPI
GuardJerry StalcupWisconsinAP, UPI
GuardBill BurrellIllinoisAP, UPI
CenterJim AndreottiNorthwesternAP, UPI

All-American honors

At the end of the 1959 season, Big Ten players secured three of the 11 consensus first-team picks on the 1959 College Football All-America Team.[5] The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:

PositionNameTeamSelectors
TackleDan LanphearWisconsinAFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, TSN, UPI, CP, Time, WCFF
HalfbackRon BurtonNorthwesternAFCA, FWAA, NEA, TSN, UPI, CP, Time, WCFF
GuardBill BurrellIllinoisAP, FWAA, UPI, CP, WCFF

Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:

PositionNameTeamSelectors
EndJim HoustonOhio StateCP, Time
EndDon NortonIowaFWAA
CenterJim AndreottiNorthwesternFWAA
HalfbackDean LookMichigan StateFWAA
FullbackBob WhiteOhio StateTime

Other awards

Four Big Ten players finished among the top 10 in the voting for the 1959 Heisman Trophy: offensive lineman Bill Burrell of Illinois (fourth); running back Dean Look of Michigan State (sixth); quarterback Dale Hackbart of Wisconsin (seventh); and running back Ron Burton of Wisconsin (10th).[6]

1960 NFL Draft

The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1960 NFL draft:[7]

NamePositionTeamRoundOverall pick
Jim HoustonDefensive endOhio State18
Ron BurtonHalfbackNorthwestern19
Bob JeterHalfbackIowa217
Curt MerzEndIowa331
Ross FichtnerDefensive backPurdue333
Jim AndreottiCenterNorthwestern439
Billy MartinBackMinnesota443
Jim MarshallTackleOhio State444
Bill BurrellLinebackerIllinois550
Dale HackbartBackWisconsin551
Bob JarusRunning backPurdue553
Don NortonEndIowa556
Jerry StalcupGuardWisconsin662
Mike WrightTackleMinnesota665
Leonard WilsonBackPurdue776
Jerry BeaboutTacklePurdue782
Dan LanphearTackleWisconsin890
Bob WhiteBackOhio State891
Dewitt HoopesTackleNorthwestern998

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1959 Big Ten Conference Year Summary. Sports Reference LLC. SR/College Football. February 2, 2017.
  2. News: Bump Elliott Gets Job of Rebuilding Sagging Michigan. The Terre Haute Star. Jerry Green. November 15, 1958. 7.
  3. News: Colorful Ray Eliot Bowing Out as Illini Football Coach. Galesburg Register-Mail. November 18, 1959. 18.
  4. News: Illinois Appoints Pete Elliott, 33, To Football Post. Wilmington Morning News. December 23, 1959. 28.
  5. Web site: 2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. February 3, 2017. 5–6. December 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141222163944/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf. dead.
  6. Web site: 1959 Heisman Trophy Voting. Sports Reference LLC. SR/College Football. January 17, 2017.
  7. Web site: 1960 NFL Draft: Full Draft. National Football League. NFL.com. February 3, 2017.

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