The 1961 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1961 college football season.
In its third season under head coach Charlie Snyder, the Thundering Herd compiled a 2–7–1 record (1–4 against conference opponents), finished in sixth place out of seven teams in the MAC, and was outscored by a total of 183 to 62.
Ralph May and Rucker Wickline were the team captains.
[1] Marshall played home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.
Two Marshall players were selected by the conference coaches as first-team players on the 1961 All-MAC football team: halfback Millard Fleming and center Rucker Wickline.