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Yesterday's TDG article: Non-Con Wish List, has Ole Miss at #2, for all the obvious tailgating reasons, and Washington as the most desirable non conference opponent. Strangely all 3 teams have some claim on the 1960 national title.
.@RedCupRebellion @TheDailyGopher yeah go ahead let's settle that 1960 national championship debate
— WR/DL University (@frankBkinard) May 13, 2015
While we wait for this to sort itself out on the gridiron, let's try and figure this out. First let's compare seasons:
Minnesota won some trophies in 1960...
Minnesota
Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
09/24/1960 | at #12 Nebraska* | Memorial Stadium | W 26-14 | 38,000 | ||||
10/01/1960 | Indiana | #18 | Memorial Stadium •Minneapolis, MN | W 42-0 | 53,725 | |||
10/08/1960 | Northwestern | #14 | Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | W 7-0 | 57,096 | |||
10/15/1960 | Illinois | #10 | Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | W 21-10 | 63,641 | |||
10/22/1960 | at Michigan | #6 | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | W 10-0 | 69,352 | |||
10/29/1960 | Kansas State* | #6 | Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | W 48-7 | 43,568 | |||
11/05/1960 | #1 Iowa | #3 | Memorial Stadium •Minneapolis, MN | W 27-10 | 65,610 | |||
11/12/1960 | Purdue | #1 | Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | L 23-14 | 61,348 | |||
11/19/1960 | Wisconsin | #4 | Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | W 26-7 | 55,576 | |||
01/02/1961 | vs. #6 Washington* | #1 | Rose Bowl •Pasadena, CA | L 17-7 | 97,314 | |||
*Non-conference game. ![]() |
Ole Miss great Jake "dead eye" Gibbs showing a little wiggle.
Ole Miss
Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 17 | at Houston* | #2 | Rice Stadium | W 42-0 | ||||
September 24 | Kentucky | #1 | Crump Stadium •Memphis, TN | W 21-6 | ||||
October 1 | at Memphis State* | #1 | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 31-20 | ||||
October 8 | at Vanderbilt | #2 | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) | W 21-6 | ||||
October 15 | at Tulane | #1 | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 26-13 | ||||
October 22 | at #11 Arkansas* | #2 | War Memorial Stadium •Little Rock, AR (Rivalry) | W 10-7 | ||||
October 29 | LSU | #2 | Hemingway Stadium •Oxford, MS (Magnolia Bowl) | T 6-6 | ||||
November 5 | Chattanooga | #6 | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | W 45-0 | ||||
November 12 | at #14 Tennessee | #4 | Shields-Watkins Field •Knoxville, TN | W 24-3 | ||||
November 26 | Mississippi State | #3 | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl) | W 35-9 | ||||
January 2, 1961 | vs. Rice* | #2 | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl) | W 14-6 | ||||
*Non-conference game. ![]() |
Bob Schloredt on the cover of Sports Illustrated October 3, 1960.
Washington
Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 17 | College of Pacific* | #3 | Husky Stadium | W 55-6 | 39,047 | |||
September 24 | Idaho* | #3 | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | W 41-12 | 35,996 | |||
October 1 | #17 Navy* | #3 | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | L 14-15 | 57,379 | |||
October 8 | at Stanford | #12 | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA | W 29-10 | 24,032 | |||
October 15 | #15 UCLA | #13 | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | W 10-8 | 54,152 | |||
October 22 | vs. #18 Oregon State* | #8 | Multnomah Stadium • Portland, OR | W 30-29 | 36,833 | |||
October 29 | Oregon* | #9 | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | W 7-6 | 55,235 | |||
November 5 | at USC | #7 | Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 34-0 | 43,475 | |||
November 12 | California | #6 | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | W 27-7 | 55,884 | |||
November 19 | at Washington State* | #5 | Rogers Field • Pullman, WA (Apple Cup) | W 8-7 | 28,750 | |||
January 2 | vs. #1 Minnesota* | #6 | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | W 17-7 | 97,314 | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
Ugh, damnit all 3 teams had strong seasons. Minnesota finished the regular season #1 in the Coaches Poll and the AP, while Ole Miss went undefeated and was crowned by the Football Writers Association of America, and the Huskies won the Rose Bowl over the top ranked Gophers. So, what now?
This guy, does a nice write up of the full 1960 season but he comes up with a pretty silly result (Iowa IS NOT the retroactive national champ). The crack squad at bleacher report rate Minnesota's 1960 title as #6 in its Top 20 Most Underserving National Champions (whatever that means), but fall short of suggesting who should be #1.
After thinking long and hard about this I have concluded that the only way to decide this is through COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY ARBITRARY METHODS. But which odd ball means to use? Here are my front runners:
- Some kind of mascot royal rumble (Colonel Reb, Goldy, and a dog in a ring?!?! SIGN ME UP)
- Meanest player from each 1960 team? (I'd like to submit this photo of Bobby Bell as Minnesota's entry)
- Most convincing argument for which team most desperately needs this 55 year old title to make itself feel better. (This could be either really funny or terribly depressing)
- Or best tailgate either from then or now. (Minnesota can't win in this scenario but I want to visit the Grove and then go west for some sailgating)
I fully realize I have come up with no answers. As a Gopher fan I think obviously Minnesota is the rightful champion, but I can see both other schools as contenders and am happy to listen to reasonable and unreasonable arguments for the Huskies and Rebels (but I will not tolerate any of this "Iowa is actually the 1960 champion", that argument is 100 percent corn).