1971 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

The 1971 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. Ed Doherty took over for his first year as head coach. The team compiled a record of 4–6.[1]

1971 Holy Cross Crusaders football
Conference	Yankee Conference
1971 record	4–6 (0–2 Yankee)
Head coach	Ed Doherty (1st season)
Captains	William Adams Daniel Harper William Stachowski
Home stadium	Fitton Field

1971 Yankee Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Connecticut +	4	–	1	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
UMass +	4	–	1	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
New Hampshire	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	4	–	1
Rhode Island	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Vermont	2	–	3	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Maine	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross	0	–	2	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions

All home games were played at Fitton Field on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25	at Harvard	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 21–16	14,000	[2]
October 2	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	L 9–28	13,750	[3]
October 9	Colgate	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 28–14	15,000	[4]
October 16	Boston University	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 28–14	17,500	[5]
October 23	at Syracuse	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	L 21–63	18,308	[6]
October 30	Northeastern ^	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 17–7	14,000	[7]
November 6	at Massachusetts	Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	L 27–38	14,500	[8]
November 13	at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 13–14		[9]
November 20	at Connecticut	Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT	L 17–24	14,397	[10]
November 27	vs. Boston College	Schaefer Stadium Foxborough, MA (rivalry)	L 12–48	22,205	[11]
Homecoming ^ Family Weekend

Statistical leaders

Statistical leaders for the 1971 Crusaders included:[12]

• Rushing: Joe Wilson, 973 yards and 9 touchdowns on 177 attempts
• Passing: Mickey Connolly, 433 yards, 35 completions and 4 touchdowns on 85 attempts
• Receiving: Jack VonOhlen, 260 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 receptions
• Scoring: Joe Wilson, 54 points from 9 touchdowns
• Total offense: Joe Wilson, 973 yards (all rushing)
• All-purpose yards: Joe Wilson, 1,128 yards (973 rushing, 114 receiving)
• Interceptions: Dan Harper, 5 interceptions for 93 yards

References

1. "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. p. 123. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
2. Cady, Steve (September 26, 1971). "Holy Cross Ends Slump in 21-16 Harvard Upset". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S5.
3. McGowen, Deane (October 3, 1971). "Dartmouth Downs Holy Cross, 28-9, by Capitalizing on Fumble Recoveries". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S4.
4. "Holy Cross Tops Colgate by 28-14". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. United Press International. October 10, 1971. p. S6.
5. "Holy Cross Wins, 28-14". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 17, 1971. p. S5.
6. "Syracuse Amasses Most Points Since 1959 in Trouncing Holy Cross, 63-21". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 24, 1971. p. S5.
7. "Holy Cross Defeats Northeastern, 17-7". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 31, 1971. p. S4.
8. "Holy Cross Upset by UMass, 38 to 27". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. November 7, 1971. p. S29.
9. "Rutgers Defeats Holy Cross, 14-13". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. November 14, 1971. p. S5.
10. "UConn Wins, 24-17, from Holy Cross". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. November 21, 1971. p. S7.
11. "Long Passes Help Boston College Top Holy Cross, 21-7". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. November 28, 1971. p. S5.
12. "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. pp. 68–73. Retrieved June 15, 2020.