| Year: | 1961 |
| Team: | Utah State Aggies |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Skyline Conference |
| Short Conf: | Skyline |
| Coachrank: | 10 |
| Aprank: | 10 |
| Record: | 9–1–1 |
| Conf Record: | 5–0–1 |
| Head Coach: | John Ralston |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Stadium: | Romney Stadium |
| Champion: | Skyline co-champion |
| Bowl: | Gotham Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | L 9–24 vs. Baylor |
The 1961 Utah State Aggies football team was an American football team that represented Utah State University as a member of the Skyline Conference during the 1961 college football season. In their third year head coach John Ralston, the Aggies compiled a 9–1–1 record (5–0–1 in conference games), tied with Wyoming for the Skyline championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 387 to 78.
The Aggies were undefeated in the regular season, having scored an average of 37.8 points per game while holding opponents to 5.0 points per game. They then lost to Baylor, 24–9, in the 1961 Gotham Bowl in New York City.[1] Utah State did not play in another bowl game until 1993.
Tom Larscheid led the team with 773 rushing yards on 121 carries (6.4-yard average). Larscheid also tallied 178 receiving yards and led the team in scoring with 78 points on 13 touchdowns.[3] He also had an 85-yard punt return versus Utah in 1961.
The team averaged over 300 rushing yards per game. In addition to Larscheid, leading rushers included Ray Harward (390 yards on 57 carries, 6.8-yard average); Ron Prince (336 yards on 50 carries, 6.7-yard average); and Larry Bryan (277 yards, 41 carries (6.8-yard average).[3]
The team also had a strong quarterback group consisting of:
The team's leading receivers were Bill Dahme (248 yards, seven receptions), Tom Larscheid (178 yards, 10 receptions), and Carl Hunt (120 yards, five receptions).[3]
The scoring leaders were Larscheid (78 points), Ray Harward (30 points), and four players with 18 points each (Terry Cagaanan, Ron Prince, Bill Dahme, and Larry Bryan).[3]