1959 Big Ten Conference football season
SportAmerican football
Number of teams10
Top draft pickJim Houston
ChampionWisconsin
  Runners-upMichigan State
Season MVPBill Burrell
1959 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Wisconsin $ 5 2 07 3 0
Michigan State 4 2 05 4 0
Purdue 4 2 15 2 2
No. 13 Illinois 4 2 15 3 1
Northwestern 4 3 06 3 0
Iowa 3 3 05 4 0
Michigan 3 4 04 5 0
Indiana 2 4 14 4 1
Ohio State 2 4 13 5 1
Minnesota 1 6 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

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 NCAA University Division 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. Rank Team Head coach AP final AP high Overall record Conf. record PPG PAG MVP
1WisconsinMilt Bruhn#6#57–35–216.514.9Jerry Stalcup
2Michigan StateDuffy DaughertyNR#115–44–216.613.1Dean Look
3 (tie)PurdueJack MollenkopfNR#65–2–24–2–112.19.0Len Jardine
3 (tie)IllinoisRay Eliot#13#125–3–14–2–112.310.3Bill Burrell
5NorthwesternAra ParseghianNR#26–34–319.314.9Jim Andreotti
6IowaForest EvashevskiNR#55–43–325.911.1Don Norton
7MichiganBump ElliottNRNR4–53–413.617.9Tony Rio
8IndianaPhil DickensNRNR4–4–12–4–115.811.7Ted Aucreman
9Ohio StateWoody HayesNR#73–5–12–4–19.212.7Jim Houston
10MinnesotaMurray WarmathNRNR2–71–610.917.7Tom Moe

Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1959 season[1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1959 season[1]
PPG = Average of points scored per game[1]
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]

Regular season

Bowl games

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

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Olen TreadwayIowa1,014
2Dean LookMichigan State785
3John TalleyNorthwestern783
4Stan NoskinMichigan747
5Dale HackbartWisconsin734

Rushing yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Bob JeterIowa609
2Bill BrownIllinois504
3Ted SmithIndiana439
4Herb AdderleyMichigan State419
5Johnny CountsIllinois416

Receiving yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Don NortonIowa428
2Tom HallMinnesota322
3Johnny CountsIllinois314
4Allan SchoonoverWisconsin290
5Ray PurdinNorthwestern280

Total yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Dale HackbartWisconsin1,121
2Olen TreadwayIowa987
3Dean LookMichigan State875
4John TalleyNorthwestern777
5Stan NoskinMichigan718

Scoring

Rank Name Team Points[1]
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.

Position Name Team Selectors
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:

Position Name Team Selectors
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:

Position Name Team Selectors
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]

Name Position Team Round Overall 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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1959 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  2. Jerry Green (November 15, 1958). "Bump Elliott Gets Job of Rebuilding Sagging Michigan". The Terre Haute Star. p. 7.
  3. "Colorful Ray Eliot Bowing Out as Illini Football Coach". Galesburg Register-Mail. November 18, 1959. p. 18.
  4. "Illinois Appoints Pete Elliott, 33, To Football Post". Wilmington Morning News. December 23, 1959. p. 28.
  5. "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. pp. 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  6. "1959 Heisman Trophy Voting". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  7. "1960 NFL Draft: Full Draft". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
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