1965 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
American college football season
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The 1965 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1965 Big Ten season. In their sixth season under head coach Pete Elliott, the Fighting Illini compiled a 6–4 (4–3 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents 235 to 118.[1]
| 1965 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 6–4 (4–3 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Jim Grabowski |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Michigan State $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fullback Jim Grabowski led the Big Ten with 252 rushing carries and 1,258 rushing yards.[2] He won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten and was a consensus pick for the 1965 All-America team.[3][4] Grabowski, linebacker Don Hansen, and defensive back Ron Acks received first-team honors on the 1965 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[5] [6]
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Fred Custardo (1,124 passing yards, 52.9% completion percentage) and wide receiver John Wright (47 receptions for 755 yards).[2]
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | Oregon State* | L 10–12 | 34,149 | [7] | |
| September 25 | SMU* |
| W 42–0 | 45,175 | [8] |
| October 2 | at No. 9 Michigan State | L 12–22 | 71,237 | [9] | |
| October 9 | at Ohio State | L 14–28 | 83,712 | [10] | |
| October 16 | Indiana |
| W 34–13 | 61,257 | [11] |
| October 23 | Duke* |
| W 28–14 | 47,077 | [12] |
| October 30 | No. 6 Purdue |
| W 21–0 | 59,507 | [13] |
| November 6 | Michigan |
| L 3–23 | 50,136 | [14] |
| November 13 | at Wisconsin | W 51–0 | 55,192 | [15] | |
| November 20 | at Northwestern | W 20–6 | 41,348 | [16] | |
Awards and honors
1966 NFL draft
| Player | Round | Pick | Position | Club |
| Jim Grabowski | 1 | 9 | Running back | Green Bay Packers |
| Don Hansen | 3 | 42 | Linebacker | Minnesota Vikings |
| Ron Acks | 4 | 57 | Defensive end | Minnesota Vikings |
| Sam Price | 16 | 240 | Defensive end | New York Giants |
| Gary Eickman | 17 | 254 | Defensive end | New York Giants |
| Kai Anderson | 18 | 268 | Defensive end | New York Giants |
| Dale Greco | 18 | 270 | Defensive tackle | Minnesota Vikings |
- Jim Grabowski was also the first pick overall in the 1966 American Football League draft. He was the first ever draft pick of the Miami Dolphins.
