The 1959 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1959. The six selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1959 season are (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), (2) the Associated Press (AP), (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), (4) the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), (5) The Sporting News (TSN), and (6) the United Press International (UPI).
Billy Cannon of LSU, Charlie Flowers of Ole Miss, Dan Lanphear of Wisconsin, and Roger Davis of Syracuse were the only four players to be unanimously named first-team All-Americans by all six official selectors. Cannon won the 1959 Heisman Trophy.
For the year 1959, the NCAA recognizes six published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.
Bill Carpenter, Army (AP-3, UPI-1, NEA-1, WC, AFCA, FWAA, CP-2, TSN)
Monty Stickles, Notre Dame (AP-2, TSN, UPI-1, CP-1, WC)
Marlin McKeever, USC (AP-1, FWAA, NEA-3, UPI-3)
Chris Burford, Stanford (AFCA, NEA-3, UPI-2, CP-2, Time)
Carroll Dale, Virginia Tech (AP-2, NEA-1, FWAA)
Jim Houston, Ohio State (CP-1, NEA-2, UPI-2, Time)
Don Norton, Iowa (FWAA, NEA-2, UPI-3, CP-3)
Fred Mautino, Syracuse (AP-1)
Paul Maguire, The Citadel (AP-3)
Mike Ditka, Pittsburgh (CP-3)
Dan Lanphear, Wisconsin (AP-1, UPI-1, NEA-1, CP-1, WC, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, Time)
Don Floyd, TCU (AP-1, NEA-3, UPI-1, CP-1, WC, AFCA)
Ken Rice, Auburn (AP-2, FWAA, NEA-1, UPI-3)
Bob Yates, Syracuse (TSN)
Lou Cordileone, Clemson (NEA-3, Time)
Mike Magac, Missouri (AP-2, NEA-2, CP-2)
Dan Ficca, USC (UPI-2, CP-3)
Gene Gossage, Northwestern (NEA-2, UPI-2, CP-2)
Lou Cordileone, Clemson (AP-3, UPI-3)
Jerry Thompson, Oklahoma (AP-3)
Harry Olivar, Yale (CP-3)
Roger Davis, Syracuse (AP-1, UPI-1, NEA-1, CP-1, WC, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, Time)
Bill Burrell, Illinois (AP-1, NEA-3, UPI-1, CP-1, WC, FWAA)
Zeke Smith, Auburn (AFCA, TSN, UPI-2, CP-3)
Mike McGee, Duke (FWAA, NEA-2, UPI-3, CP-3, Time)
Mike McKeever, USC (AP-3, NEA-1, UPI-2)
Maurice Doke, Texas (AP-2, FWAA)
Pat Dye, Georgia (FWAA, NEA-2)
Marvin Terrell, Mississippi (AP-3, FWAA, NEA-3, CP-2)
Jerry Stalcup, Wisconsin (AP-2, UPI-3, CP-2)
Maxie Baughan, Georgia Tech (AP-1, UPI-1, CP-1, WC, AFCA, TSN, Time)
E. J. Holub, Texas Tech (AP-2, NEA-1, FWAA, CP-2)
Jim Andreotti, Northwestern (AP-3, FWAA)
Jackie Burkett, Auburn (UPI-2)
Tom Goode, Mississippi State (NEA-2)
Max Fugler, LSU (UPI-3, CP-3)
Bob Peterson, Oregon (NEA-3)
Richie Lucas, Penn State (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, NEA-1, TSN, UPI-1, CP-1, WC)
Don Meredith, Southern Methodist (AP-3, FWAA, NEA-2, UPI-2, Time)
Bob Schloredt, Washington (AP-1, CP-3)
Billy Cannon, LSU (AP-1, UPI-1, NEA-1, CP-1, WC, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, Time)
Ron Burton, Northwestern (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, NEA-1, TSN, UPI-1, CP-1, WC, Time)
Jim Mooty, Arkansas (AP-1, NEA-3)
Dean Look, Michigan State (FWAA, NEA-3 [qb], UPI-2)
Dwight Nichols, Iowa State (AP-3, FWAA, NEA-2, UPI-3)
Fran Curci, Miami (AP-2)
Dale Hackbart, Wisconsin (UPI-2, CP-2 [qb])
Ernie Davis, Syracuse (UPI-2)
Keith Lincoln, Washington State (NEA-2)
Jake Crouthamel, Dartmouth (CP-2)
Tom Moore, Vanderbilt (AP-3)
Prentice Gautt, Oklahoma (UPI-3)
Gerhard Schwedes, Syracuse (UPI-3, CP-2)
Jack Collins, Texas (NEA-3, CP-3)
Bob Jeter, Iowa (CP-3)
Charlie Flowers, Mississippi (AP-1, UPI-1, NEA-1, CP-1, WC, AFCA, FWAA, TSN)
Bob White, Ohio State (Time)
Jack Spikes, TCU (AP-2, FWAA, NEA-2, UPI-3, CP-2)
Don Perkins, New Mexico (AP-3)
Sam Horner, VMI (NEA-3)
Tom Watkins, Iowa State (CP-3)
Bold – Consensus All-American
-1 – First-team selection
-2 – Second-team selection
-3 – Third-team selection
AFCA = American Football Coaches Association
AP = Associated Press, "selected on the basis of recommendations of 12 regional boards composed of newspapermen and newscasters"
FWAA = Football Writers Association of America
NEA = Newspaper Enterprise Association
TSN = The Sporting News
UPI = United Press International
CP = Central Press Association
Time = Time magazine
WC = Walter Camp Football Foundation
