Consensus national champion Eastern champion Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 23–14 vs. Texas
Conference
Independent
Ranking
Coaches
No. 1
AP
No. 1
Record
11–0
Head coach
Ben Schwartzwalder (11th season)
Captain
Gerhard Schwedes[1]
Home stadium
Archbold Stadium
Seasons
← 1958
1960 →
1959 NCAA University Division independents football records
v
t
e
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 1 Syracuse
–
11
–
0
–
0
No. 12 Penn State
–
9
–
2
–
0
Oregon
–
8
–
2
–
0
Rutgers
–
6
–
3
–
0
Detroit
–
6
–
4
–
0
Holy Cross
–
6
–
4
–
0
Miami (FL)
–
6
–
4
–
0
Oklahoma State
–
6
–
4
–
0
No. 20 Pittsburgh
–
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
No. 17 Notre Dame
–
5
–
5
–
0
Boston University
–
4
–
5
–
0
Florida State
–
4
–
6
–
0
San Jose State
–
4
–
6
–
0
Texas Tech
–
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 Syracuse, New York during the 1959 NCAA University Division 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.
^2017 Syracuse football media guide. pg. 148
^"Orange win grid crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 18.
^"Syracuse runs off with title". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 8, 1959. p. 34.
^"Syracuse tops final grid poll by wide margin". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 2.
^"Syracuse is voted national champion by coaches board". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. December 8, 1959. p. 23.
^ ab"Syracuse tops Texas, 23–14". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1960. p. 6.
^2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records(PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2017. p. 113. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
and 26 Related for: 1959 Syracuse Orangemen football team information
The 1959SyracuseOrangemenfootballteam represented Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season...
The SyracuseOrangemen baseball team was the varsity intercollegiate college baseball team of Syracuse University. The team played its home games at Star...
The 1987 SyracuseOrangemenfootballteam represented Syracuse University in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Orangemen were led by seventh-year...
The Syracuse Orange footballteam represents Syracuse University in the sport of American football. The Orange compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision...
The 1958 SyracuseOrangemenfootballteam represented Syracuse University during the 1958 NCAA University Division football season. The Orangemen were led...
The 1890 SyracuseOrangemenfootballteam was an American footballteam that represented Syracuse University during the 1890 college football season. In...
and top-ranked SyracuseOrangemen and #4 Texas Longhorns of the Southwest Conference (SWC). The favored Orangemen won, 23–14. The Orangemen had just completed...
2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is Otto the Orange. Until 2004, the teams were known as the Orangemen and Orangewomen...
Story 2008 Based on the true story of Ernie Davis and the 1959SyracuseOrangemenfootballteam. The story focuses on the relationship between white head...
The 1959 NCAA University Division football season saw Syracuse University crowned as the national champion by both final polls, the AP writers poll and...
empirically debunked." Syracuse University's sports teams have had "the Orange" nickname since 2004, although the former names of Orangemen and Orangewomen are...
(December 14, 1939 – May 18, 1963) was an American college football player for the SyracuseOrangemen who won the Heisman Trophy in 1961. He was the award's...
Syracuse, New York, United States, is a top-division, minor-league and college sports city. Teams include the Syracuse Mets of AAA Baseball and the Syracuse...
was a multi-purpose stadium in Syracuse, New York. It opened in 1907 and was home to the SyracuseOrangemenfootballteam prior to the opening of the Carrier...
He then played college football at the end position for Syracuse. He helped lead the 1959SyracuseOrangemenfootballteam to the school's only national...
Nebraska traveled to Syracuse with third-stringers starting in some positions. The imbalance in experience showed as the Orangemen had little difficulty...
Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, Florida, where they lost, 24–17, to the SyracuseOrangemen. For the game against Northwestern, Ohio State played away against...
included a disappointing 38–21 road loss to the seventeenth-ranked SyracuseOrangemen in the Carrier Dome. The Gators had a dominating confidence win over...
baseball for the Orangemen. Krivak earned his degree in history science in 1957 and an M.A. in education from Syracuse in 1961. Syracuse University honored...
player for the SyracuseOrangemenfootballteam. The team later retired his number 44 jersey, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame...
1957; however, the Orangemen transferred his scholarship to the diamond, where he played first base, lettering in baseball in both 1959 and 1960. Following...
goal attempt fell short as time ran out, and Syracuse appeared to have won the game. But the Orangemen were penalized 15 yards for roughing the placekick...
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981. Ringo played college football for the SyracuseOrangemen (now Orange) and was selected in...
Global Information