In their 14th year under head coach Andy Gustafson, the Hurricanes compiled a 7–4 record, outscored opponents by a total of 146 to 85, and were ranked No.
They defeated Penn State (25–8), Georgia (32–7), and Florida (15–6) in the regular season and lost to Syracuse (14–15) in the 1961 Liberty Bowl.
[13] Miami players led the State of Florida in passing, total offense, rushing, and receiving: [14] End Bill Miller was a consensus first-team pick on the 1961 All-America college football team, receiving first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), among others.
[15] Miller and quarterback George Mira were unanimous picks on the 1961 all-state football team selected in a poll of 12 Florida sports writers.
Five Miami players were named to the second team: end Larry Wilson; tackle Billy Watts; guard Jerry Reynolds; center Charley Livingston; and fullback Jim Vollenweider.