The 1961 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team represented Prairie View A&M College of Texas (now known as Prairie View A&M University) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1961 college football season. Led by 13th-year head coach Billy Nicks, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 5–4–1, with a conference record of 3–4, and finished fifth in the SWAC.