1961 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
---|---|
Owner | Art Rooney |
Head coach | Buddy Parker |
Home field | Forbes Field |
Results | |
Record | 6–8 |
Division place | 5th NFL Eastern |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1961 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 29th in the National Football League.
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 17 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 24–27 | 0–1 |
2 | September 24 | New York Giants | L 14–17 | 0–2 |
3 | October 1 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 14–24 | 0–3 |
4 | October 8 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 16–21 | 0–4 |
5 | October 15 | Washington Redskins | W 20–0 | 1–4 |
6 | October 22 | Cleveland Browns | L 28–30 | 1–5 |
7 | October 29 | San Francisco 49ers | W 20–10 | 2–5 |
8 | November 5 | at Cleveland Browns | W 17–13 | 3–5 |
9 | November 12 | Dallas Cowboys | W 37–7 | 4–5 |
10 | November 19 | at New York Giants | L 21–42 | 4–6 |
11 | November 26 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 30–27 | 5–6 |
12 | December 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–35 | 5–7 |
13 | December 10 | at Washington Redskins | W 30–14 | 6–7 |
14 | December 17 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 0–20 | 6–8 |
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 17, 1961): Dallas Cowboys
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 23,500
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Dallas – Clarke 44 pass from LeBaron (Green kick)
- Pittsburgh – Johnson 1 run (Layne kick)
- Pittsburgh – Dial 44 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
- Dallas – FG Green 15
- Dallas – Howton 45 pass from LeBaron (Green kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 12
- Pittsburgh – Sample 39 interception return (Layne kick)
- Dallas – Bieski 17 pass from Meredith (Green kick)
- Dallas – FG Green 27
Week 2 (Sunday September 24, 1961): New York Giants
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
Steelers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 35,587
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
Week 3 (Sunday October 1, 1961): Los Angeles Rams
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Rams | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 40,070
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
Week 4 (Sunday October 8, 1961): Philadelphia Eagles
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Franklin Field, Philadelphia
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 60,671
- Referee: George Rennix
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
Week 5 (Sunday October 15, 1961): Washington Redskins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Steelers | 17 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 15,072
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
Week 6 (Sunday October 22, 1961): Cleveland Browns
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Browns | 3 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 30 |
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 29,266
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Cleveland – FG Groza 24
- Cleveland – Mitchell 6 run (Groza kick)
- Pittsburgh – Dial 12 pass from Bukich (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – Tracy 1 run (Michaels kick)
- Cleveland – FG Groza 36
- Cleveland – Mitchell 9 run (Groza kick)
- Pittsburgh – Tracy 1 run (Michaels kick)
- Cleveland – Mitchell 18 run (Groza kick)
- Cleveland – FG Groza 12
- Pittsburgh – Dial 88 pass from Bukich (Michaels kick)
Week 7 (Sunday October 29, 1961): San Francisco 49ers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Steelers | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 21,686
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
Week 8 (Sunday November 5, 1961): Cleveland Browns
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
Browns | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 62,723
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
Week 9 (Sunday November 12, 1961): Dallas Cowboys
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 7 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 17,519
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – Johnson 1 run (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 28
- Dallas – Perkins 11 run (Green kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 19
- Pittsburgh – Dial 73 pass from Bukich (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – Butler 71 interception (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – Dial 15 pass from Bikich (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 47
Week 10 (Sunday November 19, 1961): New York Giants
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
Steelers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 62,592
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – Dial 15 pass from Bukich (Michaels kick)
- New York Giants – Walton 9 pass from Tittle (Summerall kick)
- New York Giants – Gaiters 3 run (Summerall kick)
- New York Giants – Webster 23 pass from Tittle (Summerall kick)
- New York Giants – Rote 20 pass from Tittle (Summerall kick)
- New York Giants – Rote 9 pass from Gaiters (Summerall kick)
- Pittsburgh – Carpenter 13 pass from Hoak (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – Dial 3 pass from Layne (Michaels kick)
- New York Giants – Webster 32 run (Summerall kick)
Week 11 (Sunday November 26, 1961): St. Louis Cardinals
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 13 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
Steelers | 0 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 17,090
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- St. Louis – Norton 47 interception return (kick failed)
- St. Louis – Randle 3 pass from Etcheverry (Perry kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 18
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 36
- Pittsburgh – Schnelker 11 pass from Layne (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – Sample 55 punt return (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – Johnson 2 run (Michaels kick)
- St. Louis – Crow 61 pass from Guglielmi (Conrad kick)
- St. Louis – Norton 37 interception return (Conrad kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 18
Week 12 (Sunday December 3, 1961): Philadelphia Eagles
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
Steelers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 21,653
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Philadelphia – Walston 17 pass from Jurgensen (Walston kick)
- Philadelphia – Peaks 1 run (Walston kick)
- Pittsburgh – Carpenter 7 pass from Layne (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 37
- Philadelphia – Lucas 7 pass from Jurgensen (Walston kick)
- Philadelphia – Brown 66 punt return (Walston kick)
- Pittsburgh – Johnson 7 pass from Layne (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – Schnelker 8 pass from Layne (Michaels kick)
- Philadelphia – Brown 42 run (Walston kick)
Week 13 (Sunday December 10, 1961): Washington Redskins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 7 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 30 |
Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at D.C. Stadium, Washington, D.C.
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 21,134
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – Mack 10 pass from Layne (Michaels kick)
- Washington – Dugan 9 pass from Snead (Aveni kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Michaels 42
- Pittsburgh – Carpenter 40 pass from Layne (Michaels kick)
- Pittsburgh – Mack 6 pass from Layne (Michaels kick)
- Washington – Dugan 11 pass from Izo (Aveni kick)
- Pittsburgh – Dial 5 pass from Layne (kick failed)
Week 14 (Sunday December 17, 1961): St. Louis Cardinals
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 16,298
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- St. Louis – Randle 3 pass from Etcheverry (Perry kick)
- St. Louis – Stacy 25 fumble run (kick failed)
- St. Louis – Crow 15 pass from Etcheverry (Perry kick)
Standings
NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
New York Giants | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 9–2–1 | 368 | 220 | T1 | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 8–4 | 361 | 297 | W1 | |
Cleveland Browns | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 8–3–1 | 319 | 270 | T1 | |
St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 7–5 | 279 | 267 | W3 | |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 5–7 | 295 | 287 | L1 | |
Dallas Cowboys | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 2–9–1 | 236 | 380 | L4 | |
Washington Redskins | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–10–1 | 174 | 392 | W1 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.