1958 college football season

The 1958 college football season concluded with two major college teams having claim to the national championship:

Three small college teams also claimed national championships:

Army halfback Pete Dawkins won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award as the best player in college football. Pacific fullback Dick Bass led all major college football players with 1,448 yards of total offense, 1,361 rushing yards, and 116 points scored.

On January 13, 1958, the eleven-man NCAA Rules Committee unanimously approved a resolution to allow teams to choose between kicking an extra point after a touchdown, or running or passing from the three-yard line for a two-point conversion.[4][5] University of Michigan athletic director Fritz Crisler said at the meeting in Fort Lauderdale, "It's a progressive step which will make football more interesting for the spectators," adding that the rule "will add drama to what has been the dullest, most stupid play in the game."[6][7]

Conference and program changes

Conference changes

Membership changes

School1957 Conference1958 Conference
Washington and Lee GeneralsSouthernIndependent

Season chronology

September

In the preseason poll released on September 15, 1958, the Buckeyes of Ohio State University were the first place choice for 46 of 99 writers casting votes, followed by Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan State and 1957's champion, Auburn.[8] As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.

Most teams did not begin play until September 27. On September 13, Kentucky beat Hawaii 51–0 in a game in Louisville, and attempted the 2-point conversion, but without success.[9] One of the first successful 2-point conversions in an NCAA game happened when Iowa State Teachers College hosted Bradley University at Cedar Falls, Iowa on September 13. Max Huffman carried the ball over twice on conversion attempts to give the Panthers of Iowa Teachers a 29–12 win over the Braves.[10] On September 20, No. 6 Mississippi and No. 8 Texas Christian were among the winners, beating Memphis State (17–0) and Kansas (42–0) respectively, but the Top Five schools had not yet started play. The poll for the five 0–0 teams was No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2. Oklahoma, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Michigan State, and No. 5 Notre Dame.

September 27 No. 1 Ohio State narrowly beat No. 20 SMU at home, 23–20, and fell to third in the next poll. No. 2 Oklahoma, on the other hand, rolled over visiting No. 13 West Virginia 47–14, and rose to first place. No. 3 Auburn beat Tennessee in Birmingham, 13–0, and No. 4 Michigan State beat California 32–12. No. 5 Notre Dame beat Indiana 18–0, but fell to 7th, while No. 8 Army, which beat South Carolina 45–8, took the place of the Irish. The next poll: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan State, and No. 5 Army.

October

October 4 No. 1 Oklahoma got past visiting Oregon, 6–0, and dropped to second. No. 2 Auburn, which beat UT-Chattanooga 30–8 at home, moved up to the top spot. No. 3 Ohio State beat Washington at home, 12–7. No. 4 Michigan State played No. 16 Michigan to a 12–12 tie, and fell to 9th. No. 5 Army beat Penn State 26–0. No. 7 Notre Dame, which beat No. 17 SMU in Dallas, 14–6, returned to the Top Five. The next poll: No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Notre Dame, and No. 5 Ohio State.

October 11No. 1 Auburn won at Kentucky, 8–0. No. 2 Oklahoma sustained a 15–14 loss at Dallas in their annual meeting with the No. 16 Texas Longhorns. In South Bend, Indiana, the visiting No. 3 Army Cadets beat No. 4 Notre Dame, 14–2, and were voted No. 1 in the next poll. No. 5 Ohio State won at Illinois, 19–13. No. 6 Wisconsin, which beat Purdue 31–6, and No. 9 Michigan State, which beat No. 10 Pittsburgh 22–8, rose in the polls, to put three Big Ten schools in the top five. The next poll: No. 1 Army, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Wisconsin, and No. 5 Michigan State.

On October 18 at West Point, New York, No. 1 Army beat Virginia 35–6. No. 2 Auburn tied with Georgia Tech 7–7 in Atlanta and fell in the polls. No. 3 Ohio State beat Indiana 49–8. No. 4 Wisconsin lost to No. 13 Iowa at home, 20–9, and No. 5 Michigan State began a five-game losing streak with a 14–6 defeat at Purdue. The Spartans would finish the season with a 3–5–1 record after starting 2–0–1. No. 7 Texas (24–6 over Arkansas) and No. 9 LSU (32–7 over Kentucky) rose in the polls. The next poll: No. 1 Army, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Auburn.

October 25 For the top-ranked teams, a tie was only slightly better than a loss. No. 1 Army played to a 14–14 tie against the Panthers at Pittsburgh, and No. 2 Ohio State tied with Wisconsin at home 7–7. No. 3 LSU beat Florida 10–7, and the win was enough to propel the Tigers to first place. No. 4 Texas lost to the Rice Owls in Houston, 34–7. No. 5 Auburn beat Maryland at home, 20–7. No. 7 Iowa, which beat Northwestern 26–20, rose to 2nd in the next poll: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Auburn, and No. 5 Ohio State.

November

November 1 No. 1 LSU beat No. 6 Ole Miss 14–0. No. 2 Iowa won at Michigan, 37–14. No. 3 Army crushed Colgate, 68–6. No. 4 Auburn won 6–5 at Florida. In Columbus, No. 5 Ohio State was upset by visiting No. 11 Northwestern, 21–0. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Northwestern, and No. 5 Auburn.

November 8 No. 1 LSU beat Duke 50–18. No. 2 Iowa won at Minnesota 28–6. No. 3 Army beat the No. 13 Rice Owls in Houston, 14–7. No. 4 Northwestern lost at Madison to No. 7 Wisconsin, 17–13. No. 5 Auburn beat Mississippi State 33–14 at home. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Auburn, and No. 5 Wisconsin.

November 15 No. 1 LSU beat Mississippi State at Jackson 7–6. No. 2 Iowa lost at home to No. 16 Ohio State 38–28. No. 3 Army beat Villanova 26–0. No. 4 Auburn met the Georgia Bulldogs halfway in Columbus, Georgia, and won 21–6. No. 5 Wisconsin won 31–12 at Illinois. No. 6 Oklahoma, which beat Missouri 39–0, rose to 4th. The next poll was: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Army, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 Wisconsin.

November 22 In New Orleans, the No. 1 LSU Tigers crushed Tulane 62–0, scoring 56 points in the second half, to close their season 10–0–0. They would face the Clemson Tigers in the Sugar Bowl. Behind them were the No. 2 Auburn Tigers, who beat Wake Forest at home 21–7. No. 3 Army was idle as it prepared for the annual Army-Navy game. No. 4 Oklahoma crushed Nebraska 40–7. No. 5 Wisconsin beat Minnesota to close its season at 7–1–1. No. 6 Iowa, which beat No. 15 Notre Dame 31–21, returned to the Top Five: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Iowa, and No. 5 Army.

On November 29 No. 2 Auburn defeated Alabama 14–8 in Birmingham to finish its season at 9–0–1, but they were on probation for recruiting violations and ineligible for a bowl game.[11] No. 3 Oklahoma won at Oklahoma State 7–0. The Sooners (who had not lost a conference game since 1946) won the Big 7 title and headed to the Orange Bowl. In Philadelphia, No. 5 Army beat Navy, 22–6, to finish its season 8–0–1.

The final AP Poll was released on December 1, and the No. 1 LSU Tigers, at 10–0–0, won the AP Trophy with 130 of the first place votes. The other 73 votes were spread among 12 schools, including No. 2 Iowa (17), No. 3 Army (13), No. 4 Auburn (9), No. 5 Oklahoma (10), No. 6 Air Force (2), No. 7 Wisconsin (13), No. 8 Ohio State (3), and No. 9 Syracuse (1). LSU finished the 1958 season as the only undefeated and untied team in college football. Army, Air Force, and Auburn were also undefeated but they each had one game that ended in a tie. [12] The United States Air Force Academy football team, nicknamed the Falcons, had a 9–0–1 record in only their second year of playing college football, and accepted a bid to face No. 10 Texas Christian in the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma was the only team to beat a top 10 team in all of the bowl games when they defeated number 9 Syracuse in the Orange Bowl. [13]

Conference standings

Major college

1958 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 12 Clemson $510830
No. 15 South Carolina520730
Duke320550
North Carolina430640
Maryland330460
Wake Forest240370
NC State250271
Virginia150190
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll[14]
1958 Big Seven Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Oklahoma $6001010
Missouri411541
Colorado420640
Kansas321451
Kansas State240370
Nebraska150370
Iowa State060460
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Iowa $510811
No. 7 Wisconsin511711
No. 8 Ohio State412612
No. 13 Purdue312612
Indiana321531
Illinois430450
Northwestern340540
Michigan151261
Minnesota160180
Michigan State051351
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Border Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hardin–Simmons $400650
Arizona State410730
Arizona210370
New Mexico A&M130460
Texas Western140270
West Texas State140190
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Ivy League football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Dartmouth $610720
Cornell520630
Princeton520630
Brown430630
Penn430450
Harvard340450
Columbia160180
Yale070270
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Texas State $211721
Tulsa220730
Houston220540
Cincinnati112622
Wichita121451
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 16 California $610740
Washington State620730
USC421451
Oregon State530640
Oregon440460
UCLA241361
Stanford250280
Washington160370
Idaho030450
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Skyline Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wyoming $610830
New Mexico510730
BYU520640
Colorado State430640
Utah330470
Utah State250370
Denver250280
Montana0700100
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 LSU $6001100
No. 4 Auburn601901
No. 11 Ole Miss320920
Vanderbilt213523
Tennessee430460
Alabama341541
Kentucky341541
No. 14 Florida231641
Georgia Tech231541
Georgia240460
Tulane150370
Mississippi State160360
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
West Virginia $400451
VPI310541
George Washington320350
VMI221622
Richmond340370
The Citadel230460
Davidson230540
Furman120270
William & Mary141261
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 TCU $510821
No. 18 SMU420640
Rice420550
Texas330730
Arkansas240460
Texas A&M240460
Baylor150370
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 NCAA University Division independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Army  801
No. 6 Air Force  902
No. 20 Rutgers  810
No. 9 Syracuse  820
No. 19 Oklahoma State  830
Boston College  730
Florida State  740
Holy Cross  630
Navy  630
Penn State  631
No. 17 Notre Dame  640
Pacific (CA)  640
Villanova  640
Pittsburgh  541
Detroit  441
Boston University  450
San Jose State  450
Texas Tech  370
Marquette  271
Drake  270
Dayton  280
Miami (FL)  280
Colgate  180
Rankings from AP Poll

Small college

1958 Badger-Gopher Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Bethel (MN) $500530
Wisconsin Tech311???
Northland221???
Northwestern (WI)230530
Lakeland230260
Milton050???
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 15 Cal Poly410910
Fresno State $410550
UC Santa Barbara320441
San Diego State230350
Long Beach State131261
Los Angeles State041441
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Carolina A&T $600720
North Carolina College510720
Morgan State520530
Shaw630630
Bluefield State420521
St. Augustine's620620
Maryland State430430
Howard420521
Johnson C. Smith520620
Hampton630730
Delaware State340350
Virginia State360360
Winston-Salem State350351
Elizabeth City State250360
Fayetteville State170170
Lincoln (PA)150170
Virginia Union160260
Saint Paul's (VA)070080
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 St. Benedict's $^5001010
Pittsburg State320451
Emporia State221541
Fort Hays State221441
Washburn230450
Southwestern (KS)050171
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 College Conference of Illinois football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wheaton (IL) $700800
Carroll (WI)520620
North Central (IL)520630
Lake Forest430530
Illinois Wesleyan430440
Millikin250260
Augustana (IL)260170
Elmhurst070080
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Evergreen Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Central Washington +410611
Western Washington +410620
Puget Sound320450
Eastern Washington230440
Whitworth140370
Pacific Lutheran140170
  • + – Conference co-champions
1958 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
San Francisco State $410730
Humboldt State320721
Cal Aggies320540
Chico State230550
Nevada230330
Sacramento State140360
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Frontier Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Arizona State–Flagstaff $^3001110
New Mexico Western210620
New Mexico Highlands120521
Panhandle A&M030460
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
1958 Gulf States Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northwestern State +410820
Louisiana Tech +410730
Northeast Louisiana State320630
McNeese State230550
Southeastern Louisiana230450
Southwestern Louisiana050180
  • + – Conference co-champions
1958 Hoosier Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hanover $500540
Anderson (IN)410810
Indiana Central230360
Taylor230360
Manchester (IN)140360
Franklin (IN)140260
  • + – Conference co-champions
1958 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Butler $510810
Ball State420620
Saint Joseph's (IN)420540
Valparaiso330630
Evansville330450
DePauw150270
Indiana State150260
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Illinois $510611
Southern Illinois420720
Central Michigan420730
Eastern Michigan330450
Northern Illinois240450
Illinois State Normal240360
Eastern Illinois150260
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wartburg $701801
Luther611711
Iowa Wesleyan620630
Buena Vista440540
Dubuque440540
Upper Iowa350350
Simpson251251
Parsons260460
Central (IA)071081
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Baker $700810
McPherson610810
Ottawa331351
Kansas Wesleyan340441
College of Emporia340450
Bethany (KS)241341
Bethel (KS)241351
Friends061081
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 East Texas State $6101010
Lamar Tech520620
Sam Houston State520720
Texas A&I430740
Southwest Texas State430550
Howard Payne250270
Stephen F. Austin160270
Sul Ross160280
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Randolph–Macon $500540
Hampden–Sydney310630
Western Maryland220360
Bridgewater130161
Johns Hopkins030530
Gallaudet020250
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Conference standings were based on the Dickinson Scoring System.
1958 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hope +510810
Hillsdale +510720
Albion +510620
Alma330530
Adrian240350
Olivet150180
Kalamazoo060080
  • + – Conference co-champions
1958 Mid-American Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Miami (OH) $500630
Kent State510720
No. 14 Bowling Green420720
Ohio240540
Western Michigan240450
Toledo140450
Marshall150360
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Mid-Ohio League football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Bluffton $500810
Findlay410441
Defiance320440
Ohio Northern140160
Wilmington (OH)140160
Ashland140180
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
University
No. 20 Rutgers x400810
Lafayette511531
Gettysburg311711
Lehigh212333
Delaware230530
Bucknell150180
Temple050080
Muhlenberg *120440
College–Northern
Juniata x600701
Lycoming410710
Lebanon Valley311431
Susquehanna320340
Moravian330440
Wagner330350
Dickinson340440
Albright241261
Wilkes170180
Scranton *220530
College–Southern
Pennsylvania Military x710720
Johns Hopkins510530
Haverford420430
Western Maryland140360
Swarthmore140170
Drexel150170
Ursinus080080
West Chester *100910
Franklin & Marshall *310540
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games
Rankings from AP Poll
1958 Midwest Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Lincoln (MO) $300710
No. 8 Jackson State200621
No. 14 Tennessee A&I210440
Central State (OH)120520
Kentucky State030071
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from Pittsburgh Courier[15]
1958 Midwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Coe $710710
Carleton611611
Ripon620620
St. Olaf440440
Cornell (IA)341341
Grinnell242242
Knox251251
Monmouth (IL)251251
Lawrence170170
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 Gustavus Adolphus $^700810
Concordia (MN)610720
Saint John's (MN)520620
Minnesota–Duluth430440
St. Thomas (MN)340440
Macalester250360
Hamline250260
Augsburg070080
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $300810
William Jewell210730
Culver–Stockton220550
Tarkio130450
Central (MO)020160
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
SE Missouri State $500711
Missouri–Rolla410540
NE Missouri State320540
SW Missouri State230450
Central Missouri State140261
NW Missouri State050080
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Eastern Montana $500520
Western Montana410530
Rocky Mountain320330
Northern Montana230330
Carroll (MT)140260
Montana Mines050???
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Nebraska College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Kearney State +700900
Chadron State +700800
Peru State610710
Nebraska Wesleyan530540
Hastings430440
Wayne State (NE)440450
Doane360360
Concordia (NE)170270
Midland170170
Dana070080
  • + – Conference co-champions
1958 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Dakota $510530
South Dakota420540
Augustana (SD)330530
Morningside330440
South Dakota State330450
North Dakota State240360
Iowa State Teachers150450
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Valley City State +610610
Dickinson State +610610
Jamestown520530
Mayville State430430
Minot State331331
Wahpeton Science250250
Ellendale151151
Bismarck JC070070
  • + – Conference co-champions
1958 North State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Lenoir Rhyne $600910
Appalachian State420640
East Carolina420640
Catawba231532
Elon240360
Western Carolina141181
Guilford150360
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Northern State College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Mankato State $500720
Bemidji State410710
Michigan Tech220440
Winona State131341
Moorhead State140170
St. Cloud State031161
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Northwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Willamette $500810
Linfield311711
Lewis & Clark221441
Whitman230440
College of Idaho131361
Pacific (OR)041171
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. T–16 Wittenberg $600810
Muskingum610810
Akron620621
Wooster420630
Capital431431
Heidelberg330630
Ohio Wesleyan330630
Marietta340540
Kenyon340340
Denison350450
Otterbein241342
Mount Union360360
Oberlin150350
Hiram160170
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 11 Middle Tennessee +510820
Tennessee Tech +510730
East Tennessee State420540
Eastern Kentucky330360
Western Kentucky240450
Murray State240370
Morehead State060081
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northeastern State $^6001100
Central State (OK)420540
NW Oklahoma State330630
Langston330440
SE Oklahoma State240350
SW Oklahoma State240261
East Central150270
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
1958 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Oregon College $400540
Southern Oregon310550
Portland State220450
Eastern Oregon130180
Oregon Tech *040260
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – Oregon Tech forfeited wins over Eastern Oregon, Oregon College, and Portland State due to ineligible players.
1958 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
California (PA) $600800
No. T–16 West Chester600910
Indiana (PA)410530
Lock Haven520530
Bloomsburg321521
Slippery Rock231261
Millersville330630
Shippensburg340440
Edinboro241441
Clarion240360
East Stroudsburg131252
Kutztown120331
Mansfield160260
Cheyney050070
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Conference standings were based on the Saylor system of ratings.
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Western Reserve $400430
Allegheny311341
Wayne State (MI)211241
Thiel *111241
John Carroll340340
Case Tech231241
Bethany (WV)130161
Washington & Jefferson140170
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * Ineligible for conference title
1958 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Colorado College +410630
Colorado Mines +410730
Idaho State320450
[[{{{school}}}|Colorado State–Greeley]]320531
[[{{{school}}}|Adams State]]140180
[[{{{school}}}|Western State (CO)]]050180
  • + – Conference co-champions
1958 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
[[{{{school}}}|Huron]] $701901
[[{{{school}}}|Northern State]]710820
[[{{{school}}}|Southern State]]611621
[[{{{school}}}|Yankton]]530630
[[{{{school}}}|Sioux Falls]]341341
[[{{{school}}}|South Dakota Mines]]143143
[[{{{school}}}|General Beadle]]260260
[[{{{school}}}|Dakota Wesleyan]]161171
[[{{{school}}}|Black Hills]]071071
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
[[{{{school}}}|Whittier]] $400810
[[{{{school}}}|Redlands]]310730
[[{{{school}}}|Occidental]]220351
[[{{{school}}}|Pomona]]130351
[[{{{school}}}|Caltech]]040251
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Florida A&M $500720
[[{{{school}}}|South Carolina State]]710720
[[{{{school}}}|Alabama State]]610620
[[{{{school}}}|Tuskegee]]521631
[[{{{school}}}|Fort Valley State]]321521
[[{{{school}}}|Xavier (LA)]]321331
[[{{{school}}}|Clark (GA)]]340440
[[{{{school}}}|Benedict]]330550
[[{{{school}}}|Morehouse]]330341
[[{{{school}}}|Morris Brown]]240450
[[{{{school}}}|Alabama A&M]]171171
[[{{{school}}}|Knoxville]]160260
[[{{{school}}}|Fisk]]170170
[[{{{school}}}|Bethune–Cookman]]160170
[[{{{school}}}|Allen]]420530
[[{{{school}}}|Lane]]310441
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Conference standings were by Dickinson System; Allen was ineligible and Lane did not play a sufficient number of conference game to be rated.
1958 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Prairie View A&M $5001001
Southern320820
Texas College320540
Texas Southern230550
Wiley230550
Arkansas AM&N050360
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 Virginia Little Eight Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Randolph–Macon $200540
[[{{{school}}}|Emory and Henry]]100720
Hampden–Sydney120630
Bridgewater020340
  • $ – Conference champion
1958 West Penn Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
[[{{{school}}}|Westminster (PA)]] $310611
[[{{{school}}}|Geneva]]211531
[[{{{school}}}|Saint Vincent]]111421
[[{{{school}}}|Carnegie Tech]] *110620
[[{{{school}}}|Waynesburg]]030351
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – ineligible for conference title
1958 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
[[{{{school}}}|Glenville State]] $601601
[[{{{school}}}|Shepherd]]401521
[[{{{school}}}|West Virginia Tech]]420531
[[{{{school}}}|Fairmont State]]521521
[[{{{school}}}|West Virginia State]]211341
[[{{{school}}}|West Virginia Wesleyan]]231242
[[{{{school}}}|Potomac State]]121441
[[{{{school}}}|Concord]]240350
[[{{{school}}}|Davis & Elkins]]250250
[[{{{school}}}|West Liberty State]]260270
[[{{{school}}}|Salem]]170170
Bluefield State *101521
Bethany (WV) *001161
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – Did not qualify for conference standings
    Conference standings based on power ratings
1958 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
[[{{{school}}}|River Falls State]] $600720
[[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]]501701
[[{{{school}}}|Oshkosh State]]420620
[[{{{school}}}|Whitewater State]]420530
[[{{{school}}}|La Crosse State]]330530
[[{{{school}}}|Eau Claire State]]330350
[[{{{school}}}|Platteville State]]141141
[[{{{school}}}|Milwaukee]]150350
[[{{{school}}}|Superior State]]150360
[[{{{school}}}|Stout State]]150170
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Stevens Point State beat River Falls State on September 18, but the game was not counted in the conference standings.
1958 Yankee Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 12 Connecticut $400730
Maine310620
Rhode Island220440
UMass130260
Vermont010241
New Hampshire040260
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 NCAA College Division independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Mississippi Southern  900
Rochester  800
[[{{{school}}}|Rose Poly]]  800
Sewanee  800
No. 10 Buffalo  810
No. 6 Montana State  810
[[{{{school}}}|North Park]]  710
[[{{{school}}}|Carthage]]  720
[[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]]  720
[[{{{school}}}|Carnegie Tech]]  620
[[{{{school}}}|Northeastern]]  620
Cal Poly Pomona  730
[[{{{school}}}|Trinity (TX)]]  630
[[{{{school}}}|Hofstra]]  640
Tampa  640
[[{{{school}}}|Abilene Christian]]  550
No. 8 Chattanooga  550
[[{{{school}}}|Baldwin–Wallace]]  441
Louisville  440
[[{{{school}}}|Northern Michigan]]  550
Xavier  550
[[{{{school}}}|Washington University]]  440
Arkansas State  450
No. 18 Memphis State  450
UC Riverside  232
Hawaii  570
[[{{{school}}}|St. Norbert]]  360
[[{{{school}}}|Wabash]]  360
[[{{{school}}}|Howard (AL)]]  151
Pepperdine  170
[[{{{school}}}|Washington and Lee]]  170
Rankings from UPI small college poll
1958 NAIA independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
[[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]]  720
[[{{{school}}}|Georgetown (KY)]]  620
[[{{{school}}}|Austin]]  630
[[{{{school}}}|La Verne]]  531
[[{{{school}}}|McMurry]]  640
[[{{{school}}}|Carson–Newman]]  450
[[{{{school}}}|Oklahoma Panhandle State]]  460
[[{{{school}}}|Eastern New Mexico]]  361
[[{{{school}}}|Earlham]]  070

Bowl games

Major bowls

Thursday, January 1, 1959

Bowl
OrangeNo. 5 Oklahoma Sooners21No. 9 Syracuse Orangemen6
SugarNo. 1 LSU Tigers7No. 12 Clemson Tigers0
CottonNo. 10 TCU Horned Frogs (tie)0No. 6 Air Force Falcons (tie)0
RoseNo. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes38No. 16 California Golden Bears12

Other bowls

BowlLocationDateWinnerScoreLoser
SunEl Paso, TXDecember 31Wyoming14–6Hardin–Simmons
GatorJacksonville, FLDecember 27No. 11 Ole Miss  7–3No. 14 Florida
TangerineOrlando, FLDecember 27East Texas State26–7Missouri Valley
BluegrassLouisville, KYDecember 13Oklahoma State15–6Florida State

Notably, the Tangerine Bowl initially extended a bid to Buffalo. However, when the bowl organizers told the school that its two black players would not be allowed to play, the team unanimously voted to turn down the bid.[16] The Bulls did not appear in a bowl game until a half century later, in 2008.

NAIA post-season

Semifinals
December 8, 1958
Championship
December 20, 1958
Holiday Bowl[17]
      
St. Benedict's14
Northeastern State19
Northeastern State19
Arizona State–Flagstaff13
Gustavus Adolphus12
Arizona State–Flagstaff41

Rankings

Major college

Final polls were released in the first week of December.

UPI poll
RankTeam1stPoints
1LSU29331
2Iowa4275
3Army1255
4Auburn-224
5Oklahoma-174
6Wisconsin-170
7Ohio State-117
8Air Force175
9TCU-74
10Syracuse-64
11Purdue54
12Ole Miss41
13Clemson24
14Notre Dame22
15Florida9
16California8
17Northwestern6
18SMU2

Small college

In 1958, United Press International (UPI) conducted a "small college" coaches' poll for the first time. Mississippi Southern, which had beaten NC State and VPI en route to a 9–0 record,[18] was ranked first from start to finish.[19]

United Press International (coaches) final poll
Published on December 4[20]

RankSchoolRecordNo. 1
votes
Total
points
1Mississippi Southern9–036403
2Miami (OH)6–3215
3Arizona State–Flagstaff10–02209
4Northeastern State9–01205
5East Texas State9–1172
6Montana State8–1148
7Wheaton (IL)8–01107
8Chattanooga5–5105
9St. Benedict's10–092
10Buffalo8–191

NAIA rankings

The top teams in the NAIA football rankings were as follows:

  1. Northeastern State, 11-0, 180 points
  2. Arizona State–Flagstaff, 11-1, 162 points
  3. Willamette, 8-1, 116 points
  4. St. Benedict's, 10-1, 112 points
  5. Missouri Valley, 8-1, 104 points
  6. Gustavus Adolphus, 8-1, 100 points
  7. East Texas State, 7-1, 98 points
  8. Kearney, 9-0, 85 points
  9. Middle Tennessee, 8-2, 42 points
  10. Lenoir Rhyne, 9-1, 41 points
  11. Cal Poly, 9-1
  12. Tampa, 6-4
  13. Lamar Tech, 6-2
  14. [[{{{school}}}|Westminster (PA)]], 6-1-1
  15. California (PA), 8-0
  16. Chadron State, 8-0
  17. [[{{{school}}}|Louisiana College]], 7-2
  18. [[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]], 7-0-1
  19. Southern Illinois, 7-2
  20. Northwestern State, 5-2

[21]

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

PlayerSchoolPosition1st2nd3rdTotal
Pete DawkinsArmyHB2961951161,394
Randy DuncanIowaQB1941571251,021
Billy CannonLSUHB198140101975
Bob WhiteOhio StateFB408869365
Joe KappCaliforniaQB472732227
Bill AustinRutgersFB264137197
Bob HarrisonOklahomaOL263735187
Dick BassPacificHB14172096
Don MeredithSMUQB10122175
Nick PietrosanteNotre DameFB8141870

Source: [22][23]

Statistical leaders

Individual

Total offense

The following players were the individual leaders in total offense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankPlayerTeamGamesPlaysTotal YdsPtR[24]
1Dick BassPacific102181440128
2Randy DuncanIowa9207140692
3Buddy HumphreyBaylor10247139170
4Charlie MilsteadTexas A&M10279133272
5Joe KappCalifornia10239123160
6Bill HolsclawVirginia Tech10230122792
7Dick LongfellowWest Virginia10242120282
8Don MeredithSMU10190119296
9Dwight NicholsIowa State10277117218
10Jack CummingsNorth Carolina10154114872

[25]

Minor college

RankPlayerTeamGamesPlaysTotal Yds
1Stan JacksonCal Poly Pomona103242478
2Gary CampbellWhittier92241659
3WebbSt. Ambrose82641592
4BradyBaldwin-Wallace92481534
5GideonTrinity92091520

[26]

Passing

The following players were the individual leaders in pass completions during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankPlayerTeamGamesCompl.Att.Pct.
Compl.
Yds.Int.TDs
1Buddy HumphreyBaylor10112195.574131687
2Ralph HunsakerArizona10106191.5551129135
3Randy DuncanIowa9101172.5871347911
4Rich MayoAir Force1098174.5631019611
5Charlie MilsteadTexas A&M1088167.5271135115
6Dick LongfellowWest Virginia1079156.506943126
7Bob NicoletStanford1077146.52772453
8Dick NormanStanford1076133.57171773
9Arnold DempseyVirginia1074152.487697112
10Jack LeeCincinnati1071130.546951115

[25]

Minor college

RankPlayerTeamGamesCompl.Att.Pct.
Compl.
Yds.Int.TDs
1Stan JacksonCal Poly Pomona10123256.48019941416
2AlvaroCollege of Idaho10112225.4981485179
3NewhouseSt. Norbert9104211.49313101813
4WebbSt. Ambrose8100202.4951494710
5JohnsonNew Mexico A&M1097179.5421184119
6BradyBaldwin-Wallace989183.48614901516
9CampbellWhittier987139.6261237713

Rushing

The following players were the individual leaders in rushing yards during the 1958 season:
Major college

RankPlayerTeamGamesYdsRushesAvg
1Dick BassPacific1013612056.63
2Bob WhiteOhio State98592183.94
3Dwight NicholsIowa State108152203.70
4Pete HartHardin-Simmons107851634.81
5Bill AustinRutgers97471455.15
6Jake CrouthamelDartmouth97221235.86
7Weldon JacksonBYU106981016.91
8Billy CannonLSU106861155.96
9Larry HickmanBaylor106701514.43
10Johnny SaundersSouth Carolina106531285.10

[25]

Minor college

RankPlayerTeamGamesYdsRushesAvg
1Dale MillsNortheast Missouri State918613587.30
2Brad HustadLuther920613546.57
3Elbert DubenionBluffton915112908.54
4George DixonBridgeport915511067.14
5Ed MeadorArkansas Tech913510968.12
14FinderSt. Benedict's101009179.17

[26]

Scoring

The following players were the individual leaders in scoring during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankPlayerTeamPtsTDPATFG
1Dick BassPacific1161880
2Bill AustinRutgers10616100
3Ron BurtonNorthwestern761240
4Billy CannonLSU741180
5Frank FinneyBrown7410140
6Pete DawkinsArmy741220
7Bob WhiteOhio State721200
8Leon BurtonArizona State701140
9Calvin BirdKentucky651050
10Bob SimmsRutgers649100

[25]

Minor college

RankPlayerTeamPtsTDPATFG
1Carl HerakovichRose Poly16825180
2Corky BridgesCentral Washington14821220
3Bill ShockleyWest Chester13215420
4Dale MillsNortheast Missouri1222020
5Claire BoroffKearney State12114370

Team

Total offense

The following teams were the leaders in total offense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamGames
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1Iowa96493653405.9
2Pacific106573804380.4
3Arizona State106943795379.5
4Army96303380375.6
5Notre Dame107103697369.7
6Air Force107323605360.5
7Oklahoma107623517351.7
8Baylor107153356335.6
9Brown96223019335.4
10West Virginia107203319331.9

[27]

Rushing offense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing offense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamYards
per game
1Pacific259.6
2Oklahoma257.4
3Arizona State253.9
4BYU249.7
5Colorado249.5

[27]

Passing offense

The following teams were the leaders in passing offense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamYards
per game
1Army172.2
2Iowa170.0
3San Jose State169.8
4Baylor168.7
5SMU165.2

[27]

Total defense

The following teams were the leaders in total defense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamGames
played
Total
plays
Yards
gained
Yards
per game
1Auburn105211575157.5
2Purdue94851590176.7
3Army95611643182.6
4Harvard95121720191.1
5LSU106241934193.4
6Boston College105581942194.2
7Pittsburgh105691961196.1
8North Texas State105422017201.7
9Georgia Tech105522018201.8
10Tulsa105952030203.0

[27]

Rushing defense

The following teams were the leaders in rushing defense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamYards
per game
1Auburn79.6
2Tulsa82.5
3Pittsburgh91.3
4Army93.0
5Syracuse94.3

[27]

Passing defense

The following teams were the leaders in passing defense during the 1958 season:

Major college

RankTeamYards
per game
1Iowa State39.0
2Brown44.8
3Georgia Tech57.1
4Harvard58.4
5Colorado59.0

[27]

See also

References