1959 Eastern Michigan Hurons football team

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1959 Eastern Michigan Hurons football
ConferenceInterstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
1959 record1–7 (1–5 IIAC)
Head coach
MVPAlbert E. Day
CaptainDave L. Longridge
Home stadiumWalter O. Briggs Field
Seasons
← 1958
1960 →
1959 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
 Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Western Illinois $ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0
Northern Illinois State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Central Michigan 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Southern Illinois 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Eastern Illinois 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
Eastern Michigan 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0
Illinois State Normal 0 – 5 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1959 Eastern Michigan Hurons football team represented Eastern Michigan University in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. In their eighth season under head coach Fred Trosko, the Hurons compiled a 1–7 record (1–5 against IIAC opponents) and were outscored by their opponents, 217 to 50. In the second game of the season, the Hurons defeated Illinois State by a 14–7 score, but then lost the six remaining games. Dave L. Longridge was the team captain and also led the team with 513 passing yards and 517 yards of total offense.[1]

Albert Day led the team with 226 rushing yards and was a first-team selection for the All-IIAC team; he was also selected for the team's most valuable player awar.[2] The team totaled only 645 net yards of offense.[3]

The Hurons had great success in the 1950s, winning IIAC conference championships in 1954, 1955 and 1957.

However, by 1959, Eastern Michigan had ceased granting athletic scholarships, even though IIAC rules permitted member schools to do so. The school also banned recruiting and drastically reduced the football program's budget to $15,300. University vice president William Lawrence explained: "We feel athletics here are for students with students the participants.

We don't think it's our job to go out and hire a troop of athletes to entertain our students."[4] Using non-scholarship athletes against IIAC schools with scholarship athletes, Trosko's Eastern Michigan teams were unable to compete and suffered a 29-game winless streak (0–27–2) between October 7, 1959, and October 27, 1962.[5][6]

Schedule[]

DateOpponentSiteResult
September 30Youngstown State
  • Briggs Field
  • Ypsilanti, MI
L 3–21
October 7Illinois State
  • Briggs Field
  • Ypsilanti, MI
W 13–7
October 14at Northern MichiganMarquette, MIL 6–39
October 17Central Michigan dagger
  • Briggs Field
  • Ypsilanti, MI (rivalry)
L 8–21
October 24at Eastern IllinoisCharleston, ILL 6–32
October 31Southern Illinois
  • Briggs Field
  • Ypsilanti, MI
L 14–41
November 7at Northern Illinois
L 0–34
November 14at Western Illinois
L 0–22[7]
  • daggerHomecoming

References[]

  1. ^ "2014 Digital Media Guide: Eastern Michigan University" (PDF). Eastern Michigan University Football. pp. 169, 176, 178, 184. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  2. ^ 2014 Media Guide, pp. 148, 150, 191.
  3. ^ 2014 Media Guide, p. 205.
  4. ^ Jack Berry (October 1, 1959). "Hurons Are Real Amateurs". Detroit Free Press. p. 37.
  5. ^ "Fred Trosko Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  6. ^ "Former Eastern grid coach Trosko dies". Ludington Daily News. 1999-02-11.
  7. ^ "West. Illinois Wins Ninth in Row, 22 to 0". Chicago Tribune. November 15, 1959. p. 2:6. Retrieved November 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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