1959 Colgate Red Raiders football team

The 1959 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University as an independent during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. After the resignation of Fred Rice, the university hired Alva Kelley away from Brown University to be Colgate's new head coach.[1] Kelley led the team to a 2–7 record is his first season. Joseph Wignot was the team captain.[2]

1959 Colgate Red Raiders football
Conference	Independent
1959 record	2–7
Head coach	Alva Kelley (1st season)
Captain	Joseph Wignot
Home stadium	Colgate Athletic Field

1959 NCAA University Division independents football records
	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
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 team played its home games at Colgate Athletic Field in Hamilton, New York.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	Cornell	Colgate Athletic Field Hamilton, NY (rivalry)	L 15–20		[3][4]
October 3	at Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 20–58	26,800	[5]
October 10	at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 12–15	14,000	[6]
October 17	at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	L 7–42	20,000	[7]
October 24	at No. 19 Yale	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 0–21	11,000	[8]
October 31	at Holy Cross	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 12–14		[9]
November 7	Bucknell	Colgate Athletic Field Hamilton, NY	W 16–13		[3][4]
November 14	at No. 1 Syracuse	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY (rivalry)	L 0–71	31,000	[10]
November 26	at Brown	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	W 33–14		[3][4]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Leading players

Statistical leaders for the 1959 Red Raiders included:[11]

• Rushing: John Maloney, 336 yards and 1 touchdown on 60 attempts
• Passing: Robert Paske, 567 yards, 39 completions and 5 touchdowns on 87 attempts
• Receiving: Jacque MacKinnon, 264 yards and 4 touchdowns on 15 receptions
• Total offense: Robert Paske, 568 yards (567 passing, 1 rushing)
• Scoring: Jacque MacKinnon, 38 points from 6 touchdowns and 1 two-point conversion
• All-purpose yards: Jacque MacKinnon, 960 yards (357 rushing, 264 receiving, 210 punt returning, 76 kickoff returning, 53 interception returning)

References

1. "Kelley Leaves Brown to Become Head Football Coach at Colgate". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. February 3, 1959. p. 39.
2. "Colgate Athletic History: Football" (PDF). Hamilton, N.Y.: Colgate University. p. 13. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
3. Strauss, Michael (September 7, 1959). "Colgate Emphasizes Razzle-Dazzle". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. 21.
4. "Colgate Athletic History: Football" (PDF). Hamilton, N.Y.: Colgate University. p. 24. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
5. "Penn State Tallies at Least Twice in Every Quarter in Trouncing Colgate". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. United Press International. October 4, 1959. p. S7.
6. Teague, Robert L. (October 11, 1959). "Unbeaten Rutgers Triumphs After Checking Colgate's Second-Half Threat". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S5.
7. Werden, Lincoln A. (October 18, 1959). "Princeton Sinks Colgate, 42 to 7". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
8. White, Gordon S., Jr. (October 25, 1959). "Yale Team Blanks 5th Straight Foe". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
9. "Holy Cross Trips Colgate, 14 to 12". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. November 1, 1959. p. S3.
10. Effrat, Louis (November 15, 1959). "Syracuse Victor, 71-0; Accepts Cotton Bowl Bid". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
11. "Colgate Athletic History: Football" (PDF). Hamilton, N.Y.: Colgate University. pp. 43–55. Retrieved June 15, 2020.