1966 Michigan State Spartans football team
American college football season
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The 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University in the 1966 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 13th season under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled a 9–0–1 record (7–0 in conference games), outscored opponents by a total of 293 to 99, won the Big Ten championship, and were ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UPI polls. They played to a 10–10 tie against No. 1 Notre Dame. While the AP and UPI polls recognized Notre Dame as national champion, the College Football Researchers Association selected Michigan State as national champion, and the Helms Athletic Foundation, National Football Foundation (NFF), and Poling System selected the Irish and Spartans as co-national champions.[1]: 113 [2]
| 1966 Michigan State Spartans football | |
|---|---|
NFF co-national champion Big Ten champion | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 2 |
| AP | No. 2 |
| Record | 9–0–1 (7–0 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | George Webster |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Spartan Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Michigan State $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Purdue | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Spartans gained an average of 230.5 rushing yards and 124.4 passing yards per game, while holding opponents to an average of 51.4 rushing yards and 157.9 passing yards. The team's individual statistical leaders included halfback Clinton Jones (784 rushing yards), end Gene Washington (27 receptions for 677 yards), and quarterback Jimmy Raye (1,100 passing yards).[3]
Three Spartans were consensus first-team All-Americans: Jones; defensive end Bubba Smith; and defensive back George Webster. End Gene Washington and fullback Bob Apisa also received first-team All-America honors. Smith, Webster, and Washington were later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Four Spartans were among the first eight players picked in the 1967 NFL/AFL draft: Smith (first); Jones (second); Webster (fifth); and Washington (eighth).
Big Ten rules barred the same team from representing the conference in the Rose Bowl in consecutive seasons and barred teams from appearing in any bowl game other than the Rose Bowl. Accordingly, Michigan State was ineligible to play in the Rose Bowl or any other bowl game. The former rule was rescinded in 1972 and the latter in 1975.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17 | NC State* | No. 2 | W 28–10 | 55,418 | [4][5] | |
| September 24 | Penn State* | No. 1 |
| W 42–8 | 65,763 | [6] |
| October 1 | at Illinois | No. 1 | W 26–10 | 57,747 | [7] | |
| October 8 | Michigan | No. 1 |
| W 20–7 | 78,833 | [8] |
| October 15 | at Ohio State | No. 1 | W 11–8 | 84,282 | [9] | |
| October 22 | No. 9 Purdue | No. 2 |
| W 41–20 | 78,004 | [10] |
| October 29 | at Northwestern | No. 2 | W 22–0 | 44,304 | [11] | |
| November 5 | Iowa | No. 2 |
| W 56–7 | 68,711 | [12] |
| November 12 | at Indiana | No. 2 | W 37–19 | 30,096 | [13] | |
| November 19 | No. 1 Notre Dame* | No. 2 |
| T 10–10 | 80,011 | [14] |
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Rankings
Game summaries
NC State
Penn State
At Illinois
Michigan
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • No. 1 Spartans | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
- Date: October 8
- Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
- Game attendance: 78,833
| Q1 | MSU | Raye 5 yard run (Kenney kick) | MSU 7–0 | |
| Q4 | MSU | Apisa 7 yard run (kick failed) | MSU 13–0 | |
| Q4 | MSU | Washington 25 yard pass from Raye (Kenney kick) | MSU 20–0 | |
| Q4 | MICH | Detwiler 15 yard pass from Vidmer (Sygar kick) | MSU 20–7 | |
At Ohio State
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Spartans | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| Buckeyes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 |
- Date: October 15
- Location: Ohio Stadium
- Game attendance: 84,282
- Game weather: Rain, wind SE 20-35, 69 °F (21 °C)
| Q1 | 8:09 | OSU | Safety, center pass through end zone | OSU 2–0 |
| Q3 | 6:02 | MSU | Kenny 27-yard field goal | MSU 3–2 |
| Q4 | 14:53 | OSU | Long 47-yard pass to Anders (kick failed) | OSU 8–3 |
| Q4 | 7:09 | MSU | Apisa 1-yard run (Kenney pass to Wedemeyer) | MSU 11–8 |
Purdue
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 9 Boilermakers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
| • No. 2 Spartans | 7 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 41 |
- Date: October 22
- Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
- Game attendance: 70,014
- TV announcers: ABC
| Q1 | MSU | Lee 3 yard run (Kenney kick) | MSU 7–0 | |
| Q2 | MSU | Raye 16 yard run (Kenney kick) | MSU 14–0 | |
| Q2 | MSU | Apisa 6 yard pass from Raye (Kenney kick) | MSU 21–0 | |
| Q3 | MSU | Apisa 2 yard run (Kenney kick) | MSU 28–0 | |
| Q3 | PUR | Griese 6 yard run (Griese kick) | MSU 28–7 | |
| Q3 | MSU | Apisa 10 yard run (Kenney kick) | MSU 35–7 | |
| Q4 | PUR | Hurst 2 yard run (kick failed) | MSU 35–13 | |
| Q4 | MSU | Cavender 2 yard run (pass failed) | MSU 41–13 | |
| Q4 | PUR | Griese 2 yard run (Griese kick) | MSU 41–20 | |
At Northwestern
Iowa
At Indiana
Notre Dame
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.1 Fighting Irish | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| No. 2 Spartans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
- Date: November 19
- Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
- TV announcers (ABC): Chris Schenkel, Bud Wilkinson
| 2 | MSU | Cavender 4-yard run (Kenney kick) | MSU 7-0 | |
| 2 | MSU | Kenney 47-yard field goal | MSU 10-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Gladieux 34-yard pass from O'Brien (Azzaro kick) | MSU 10-7 | |
| 4 | ND | Azzaro 28-yard field goal | Tied 10-10 | |
The 1966 Michigan State vs. Notre Dame football game ("The Game of the Century") remains one of the greatest, and most controversial, games in college football history.[18] The game was played in Michigan State's Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966. Michigan State entered the contest 9–0 and ranked No. 2, while Notre Dame entered the contest 8–0 and ranked No. 1. Notre Dame elected not to try to score on its final series, thus the game ended in a 10–10 tie. Notre Dame retained its No. 1 ranking in the AP and UPI polls.[19]
Roster
| 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Team members in the NFL
- In the 1967 NFL/AFL draft, four of the top eight picks in the draft were players from Michigan State.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL franchise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubba Smith | Defensive end | 1 | 1 | Baltimore Colts |
| Clinton Jones | Running back | 1 | 2 | Minnesota Vikings |
| George Webster | Linebacker | 1 | 5 | Houston Oilers |
| Gene Washington | Wide receiver | 1 | 8 | Minnesota Vikings |
| Jeff Richardson | Defensive end | 6 | 146 | New York Jets |
| James Summers | Defensive back | 9 | 217 | Denver Broncos |
| Charlie Thornhill | Defensive back | 9 | 232 | Boston Patriots |
| Dick Kenney | Kicker | 14 | 358 | Philadelphia Eagles |