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1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team

1959 Syracuse Orangemen football
Consensus national champion
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy
Cotton Bowl champion
Cotton Bowl, W 23–14 vs. Texas
Conference Independent
Ranking
Coaches No. 1
AP No. 1
1959 record 11–0
Head coach Ben Schwartzwalder (11th year)
Home stadium Archbold Stadium
Seasons
« 1958 1960 »
1959 NCAA University Division independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#1 Syracuse         11 0 0
#12 Penn State         9 2 0
Oregon         8 2 0
Rutgers         6 3 0
Detroit         6 4 0
Holy Cross         6 4 0
Memphis State         6 4 0
Miami (FL)         6 4 0
Oklahoma State         6 4 0
#20 Pittsburgh         6 4 0
Southern Miss         6 4 0
Washington State         6 4 0
Boston College         5 4 0
Pacific (CA)         5 4 0
Air Force         5 4 1
Navy         5 4 1
Army         4 4 1
#17 Notre Dame         5 5 0
Florida State         4 6 0
San Jose State         4 6 0
Texas Tech         4 6 0
Xavier         4 6 0
Dayton         3 7 0
Marquette         3 7 0
Oregon State         3 7 0
Colgate         2 7 0
Idaho         1 9 0
Villanova         1 9 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in 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.

They met fourth-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year's Day, and 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. 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 (1939–1963), winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1961 and the first selection of the 1962 NFL Draft. In the Cotton Bowl, he scored the first two touchdowns and threw a pass to Gerhard Schwedes for the third.


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Wikipedia

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