| Year: | 1959 |
| Team: | Syracuse Orangemen |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Independent |
| Coachrank: | 1 |
| Aprank: | 1 |
| Record: | 11–0 |
| Hc Year: | 11th |
| Captain: | Gerhard Schwedes[1] |
| Champion: | Consensus national champion Eastern champion Cotton Bowl Classic champion |
| Bowl Result: | W 23–14 vs. Texas |
The 1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York during the 1959 college football season. Led by eleventh-year head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the independent Orangemen were undefeated and won the school's only national championship in football, topping the rankings by wide margins in the final polls in early December.[2] [3] [4] [5]
They met fourth-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas on New Year's Day. They led 15–0 at halftime and 23–6 after the three quarters. Texas scored midway through the fourth quarter to draw to 23–14, but there was no further scoring, and Syracuse gained its first bowl win.[6] Unranked at the start of the season, Syracuse finished with an 11–0 record with five shutouts, and outscored its opponents 413–73.
Notable players included sophomore running back Ernie Davis, winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1961 and the first selection of the 1962 NFL draft. In the Cotton Bowl Classic, he scored the first two touchdowns and threw a pass to Gerhard Schwedes for the third.[6] Davis was helped by an offensive line that included unanimous first team All-American guard Roger Davis.
The team was named national champion by AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Football News, Football Research, Football Writers, Helms, Litkenhous, NCF, NFF, Poling, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI, and Williamson,[7] leading to a consensus national champion designation.
See also: 1959 Kansas Jayhawks football team.
See also: 1959 Maryland Terrapins football team.
See also: 1959 Navy Midshipmen football team.
See also: 1959 Holy Cross Crusaders football team.
See also: 1959 West Virginia Mountaineers football team.
See also: 1959 Pittsburgh Panthers football team.
See also: 1959 Penn State Nittany Lions football team.
See also: 1959 Colgate Red Raiders football team.
See also: Boston University Terriers football.
See also: 1959 UCLA Bruins football team.
See main article: 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic.
See also: 1959 Texas Longhorns football team.
See main article: 1960 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club | |
| Guard | 1 | 7 | Chicago Bears | ||
| Running back | 4 | 47 | Baltimore Colts | ||
| Bob Yates | Tackle | 7 | 84 | New York Giants | |
| Dave Baker | End | 17 | 204 | New York Giants |