The 1961 Northwest Conference football season was the season of college football played by the six member schools of the Northwest Conference (NWC) as part of the 1961 college football season. The 1961 Linfield Wildcats football team won the conference championship with an undefeated 9–0 record in the regular season. They advanced to the NAIA playoffs where they defeated Whittier in the semifinals and lost to Pittsburg State in the Camellia Bowl, the NAIA national championship game.

The 1961 Linfield Wildcats football team represented the Linfield University of McMinnville, Oregon. In their 14th year under head coach Paul Durham, the team compiled a 10–1 record (5–0 against NWC opponents) and won the Northwest Conference championship. The Wildcats advanced to the NAIA playoffs, defeated Whittier in the semifinals and lost to Pittsburg State in the Camellia Bowl, the NAIA national championship game.^[1][2]

Back Steve Beguin received third-team honors on the 1961 Little All-America college football team.^[3]

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	at Southern Oregon*		Ashland, OR	W 34–25		[4]
September 30	Oregon College of Education*		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 13–7		[5]
October 7	at Lewis & Clark		Portland, OR	W 33–9		[6]
October 14	Chico State*		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 34–7	1,200	[7]
October 21	Whitman		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 52–0		[8]
October 28	at College of Idaho		Caldwell, ID	W 44–7
November 4	at Pacific (OR)		Forest Grove, OR	W 46–0		[9]
November 11	Portland State*		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 55–19		[10]
November 18	Willamette		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR	W 34–12		[11]
November 25	Whittier*		Maxwell Field McMinnville, OR (NAIA semifinals)	W 18–7		[12]
December 9	vs. No. 1 Pittsburg State*	No. 7	Sacramento, CA (NAIA Championship Game—Camellia Bowl)	L 7–12	10,000	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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The 1961 Lewis & Clark Pioneers football team represented Lewis & Clark College of Portland, Oregon. In their 15th year under head coach Joe Huston, the Pioneers compiled a 6–3 record (3–2 in conference games) and finished in a tie for second place in the conference.

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The 1961 College of Idaho Coyotes football team represented the College of Idaho of Caldwell, Idaho. In their fourth year under head coach James A. Brown, the team compiled a 5–4 record (3–2 against NWC opponents) and tied for second place in the Northwest Conference.

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The 1961 Willamette Bearcats football team epresented the Willamette University of Salem, Oregon. In their tenth season under head coach Ted Ogdahl, the team compiled a 4–4 record (3–2 against NWC opponents) and finished in fourth place in the conference.

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The 1961 Whitman Fighting Missionaries football team represented Whitman College of Walla Walla, Washington. In their seventh season under head coach Robert Thomsen, the team compiled a 1–7 record (1–4 against NWC opponents) and finished in fifth place in the Northwest Conference.

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The 1961 Pacific Badgers football team represented Pacific University of Forest Grove, Oregon. In their first season under head coach Noah G. Allen, the team compiled a 0–9 record (0–5 against NWC opponents) and finished in last place in the Northwest Conference.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	Pacific Lutheran*	Forest Grove, OR	L 9–12
September 30	at Chico State*	College Field Chico, CA	L 17–20	3,700
October 7	College of Idaho	Forest Grove, ID	L 0–32
October 14	Oregon College of Education*	McCready Stadium Forest Grove, OR	L 14–27		[26]
October 21	Willamette		L 14–31
October 28	at Whitman	Walla Walla, WA	L 13–19
November 4	Linfield	Forest Grove, OR	L 0–46
November 11	vs. Southern Oregon*	McCready Stadium Forest Grove, OR	L 0–33		[27][28]
November 18	at Lewis & Clark	Portland, OR	L 7–36
*Non-conference game Homecoming

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