1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
American college football season
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The 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. The Irish, coached by Ara Parseghian, ended the season undefeated with a record of 9–0–1, and won a national championship. The Fighting Irish earned a consensus title after beating No. 10 Oklahoma, 38–0, in Norman, tying unbeaten and No. 2 Michigan State, 10–10, and ending the season defeating No. 10 USC, 51–0, in the Coliseum[1] The 1966 squad became the eighth Irish team to win the national title and the first under Parseghian. The Irish outscored their opponents 362–38.[1] The 10–10 tie between The Spartans and the Irish remains one of the controversial games of college football, and is considered today to be one of the great "games of the century".[2]
ConferenceIndependent
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record9–0–1
| 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
|---|---|
Consensus national champion NFF co-national champion | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 1 |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 9–0–1 |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | T formation |
| Base defense | 4–4 |
| Captain | Jim Lynch |
| Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Notre Dame | – | – | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colgate | – | – | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Georgia Tech | – | – | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Army | – | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dayton | – | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston | – | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis State | – | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Miami (FL) | – | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | – | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | – | – | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | – | – | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | – | – | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Texas State | – | – | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Villanova | – | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holy Cross | – | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | – | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Western | – | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | – | – | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | – | – | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | – | – | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | – | – | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force | – | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | – | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | – | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah State | – | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | – | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific (CA) | – | – | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Jose State | – | – | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | – | – | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | No. 7 Purdue | No. 8 | W 26–14 | 59,075 | [3] | |
| October 1 | at Northwestern | No. 4 | W 35–7 | 55,356 | [4] | |
| October 8 | Army | No. 3 |
| W 35–0 | 59,075 | [5] |
| October 15 | North Carolina | No. 2 |
| W 32–0 | 59,075 | [6] |
| October 22 | at No. 10 Oklahoma | No. 1 | W 38–0 | 63,439 | [7] | |
| October 29 | vs. Navy | No. 1 | W 31–7 | 70,101 | [8] | |
| November 5 | Pittsburgh | No. 1 |
| W 40–0 | 59,075 | [9] |
| November 12 | Duke | No. 1 |
| W 64–0 | 59,075 | [10] |
| November 19 | at No. 2 Michigan State | No. 1 | T 10–10 | 80,011 | [11] | |
| November 26 | at No. 10 USC | No. 1 | W 51–0 | 88,520 | [12] | |
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Roster
| 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 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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Rankings
Game summaries
Purdue
Purdue at Notre Dame
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Boilermakers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • No. 6 Fighting Irish | 7 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 26 |
- Date: September 24
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
- Game start: 1:15 pm CDT
- Game attendance: 59,075
- Game weather: Fair, 67 degrees
- TV announcers (ABC (national)): Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson
| 1 | PUR | Leroy Keyes 94-yard fumble return (kick good) | PUR 7-0 | |
| 1 | ND | Nick Eddy 96-yard kickoff return (kick good) | Tied 7-7 | |
| 2 | ND | Jim Seymour 84-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good) | ND 14-7 | |
| 4 | ND | Jim Seymour 39-yard pass from Terry Hanratty | ND 20-7 | |
| 4 | PUR | Perry Williams 1-yard run (kick good) | ND 20-14 | |
| 4 | ND | Jim Seymour 7-yard pass from Terry Hanratty | ND 26-14 | |
Northwestern
Notre Dame at Northwestern
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • No. 4 Fighting Irish | 7 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 35 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
- Date: October 1
- Location: Dyche Stadium, Evanston, IL
- Game start: 1:30 pm CDT
- Game attendance: 55,356
- Game weather: Partly sunny, 60 degrees
| 1 | ND | Nick Eddy 56-yard run (kick good) | ND 7-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Larry Conjar 1-yard run (kick failed) | ND 13-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Rocky Bleier 12-yard run (2-pt. good) | ND 21-0 | |
| 4 | ND | Frank Criniti 2-yard run (kick good) | ND 28-0 | |
| 4 | ND | Tom Schoen 37-yard interception return (kick good) | ND 35-0 | |
| 4 | NU | Roger Murphy 22-yard pass from Bill Melzer (kick good) | ND 35-7 | |
Army
Army at Notre Dame
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 3 Fighting Irish | 21 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
- Date: October 8
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
- Game start: 1:30 pm CDT
- Game attendance: 59,075
- Game weather: Fair, 76 degrees
| 1 | ND | Rocky Bleier 2-yard run (kick good) | ND 7-0 | |
| 1 | ND | Jim Seymour 33-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good) | ND 14-0 | |
| 1 | ND | Terry Hanratty 7-yard run (kick good) | ND 21-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Nick Eddy 3-yard run (kick good) | ND 28-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Nick Eddy 3-yard run (kick good) | ND 35-0 | |
North Carolina
North Carolina at Notre Dame
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tar Heels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 2 Fighting Irish | 7 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 32 |
- Date: October 15
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
- Game start: 1:30 pm CDT
- Game attendance: 59,075
- Game weather: Cloudy, 50 degrees, wind 22-40 MPH
| 1 | ND | Larry Conjar 1-yard run (kick good) | ND 7-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Larry Conjar 1-yard run (kick failed) | ND 13-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Jim Seymour 56-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good) | ND 20-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Nick Eddy 52-yard run (2-pt. failed) | ND 26-0 | |
| 4 | ND | Bob Gladieux 5-yard run (2-pt. failed) | ND 32-0 | |
Oklahoma
Notre Dame at Oklahoma
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • No. 1 Fighting Irish | 0 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 38 |
| No. 10 Sooners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Date: October 22
- Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK
- Game start: 2:30 pm CDT
- Game attendance: 63,439
- Game weather: Fair, 66 degrees
| 2 | ND | Nick Eddy 3-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 7-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Terry Hanratty 2-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 14-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Joe Azzaro 32-yard field goal | ND 17-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Nick Eddy 1-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 24-0 | |
| 3 | 3:30 | ND | Rocky Bleier 9-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 31-0 |
| 3 | ND | Coley O'Brien 5-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 38-0 | |
Navy
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • No. 1 Fighting Irish | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| Midshipmen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
- Date: October 29
- Location: JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA
- Game start: 1:30 pm EDT
- Game attendance: 70,101
- Game weather: Fair, 70 degrees
| 1 | ND | Azzaro 42-yard field goal | ND 3-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Conjar 7-yard run (Azzaro kick) | ND 10-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Hanratty 1-yard run (Azzaro kick) | ND 17-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Gladieux 1-yard run (Azzaro kick) | ND 24-0 | |
| 4 | NAVY | Bergner recovered blocked punt in end zone (Church kick) | ND 24-7 | |
| 4 | ND | Hanratty 6-yard run (Azzaro kick) | ND 31-7 | |
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh at Notre Dame
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 1 Fighting Irish | 0 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 40 |
- Date: October 8
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
- Game start: 1:30 pm CST
- Game attendance: 59,075
- Game weather: Cloudy, 40 degrees
| 2 | ND | Terry Hanratty 3-yard run (kick good) | ND 7-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Nick Eddy 85-yard kickoff return (kick failed) | ND 13-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Tom Schoen 63-yard punt return (2-pt. good) | ND 21-0 | |
| 4 | ND | Larry Conjar 1-yard run (2-pt. failed) | ND 27-0 | |
| 4 | ND | Bob Gladieux 19-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (2-pt. failed) | ND 33-0 | |
| 4 | ND | Bob Gladieux 5-yard run (kick good) | ND 40-0 | |
Duke
Duke at Notre Dame
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Devils | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 1 Fighting Irish | 22 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 64 |
- Date: October 15
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
- Game start: 1:30 pm CST
- Game attendance: 59,075
- Game weather: Cloudy, 42 degrees
| 1 | ND | Nick Eddy 77-yard run (2-pt. good) | ND 8-0 | |
| 1 | ND | Tom O'Leary 30-yard return on lateral from John Horney after 25-yard interception return (kick good) | ND 15-0 | |
| 1 | ND | Rocky Bleier 4-yard run (kick good) | ND 22-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Rocky Bleier 45-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good) | ND 29-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Larry Conjar 2-yard run (kick good) | ND 36-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Jim Seymour 10-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good) | ND 43-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Dave Haley 9-yard run (kick good) | ND 50-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Coley O'Brien 3-yard run (kick good) | ND 57-0 | |
| 4 | ND | Frank Criniti 10-yard run (kick good) | ND 64-0 | |
Michigan State
Notre Dame at Michigan State
| 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
- Game start: 1:30 pm EST
- Game attendance: 80,010
- Game weather: Cloudy, 32 degrees
- Referee: Howard Wirtz
- TV announcers (ABC (regional)): Chris Schenkel and 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 | |
USC
Notre Dame at USC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • No. 1 Fighting Irish | 14 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 51 |
| No. 10 Trojans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Date: November 26
- Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
- Game start: 1:30 pm PST
- Game attendance: 88,520
- Game weather: Sunny, 70 degrees
| 1 | ND | Larry Conjar 2-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 7-0 | |
| 1 | ND | Tom Schoen 40-yard interception return (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 14-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Joe Azzaro 38-yard field goal | ND 17-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Jim Seymour 13-yard pass from Coley O'Brien (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 24-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Jim Seymour 39-yard pass from Coley O'Brien (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 31-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Dan Harshman 23-yard pass from Coley O'Brien (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 38-0 | |
| 3 | ND | Nick Eddy 9-yard run (kick failed) | ND 44-0 | |
| 4 | ND | Dave Martin 33-yard interception return (Joe Azzaro kick) | ND 51-0 | |
Post-season
Award winners
Heisman Voting:
- Nick Eddy, 3rd,[28]
- Terry Hanratty, 6th[28]
| Name | AP | UPI | NEA | FC | SN | L | T | CP | FN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| † Nick Eddy, HB | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| † Jim Lynch, LB | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ‡ Tom Regner, G | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Alan Page, DE | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Pete Duranko, DT | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Kevin Hardy, DT | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Jim Seymour, E | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Paul Seiler, T | 3 | 2 | |||||||
| George Goeddeke, C | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||||
| Tom Schoen, DB | 3 | 2 | |||||||
| Larry Conjar, FB | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | |||||
| Terry Hanratty, QB | 3 | 3 | |||||||
| † denotes unanimous selection ‡ denotes consensus selection | |||||||||
Source:[1]
| Name | Position | Year Inducted |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Lynch | Linebacker | 1992 |
| Alan Page | Defensive End | 1993 |
| Ara Parseghian | Coach | 1980 |
Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.[29]
1967 NFL draft
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Seiler | Guard | 1(12) | 12 | New York Jets |
| † Alan Page | Defensive End | 1(15) | 15 | Minnesota Vikings |
| Thomas Regner | Guard | 1(23) | 23 | Houston Oilers |
| Larry Conjar | Running Back | 2(20) | 46 | Cleveland Browns |
| Jim Lynch | Linebacker | 2(21) | 47 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| George Goeddeke | Center | 3(6) | 59 | Denver Broncos |
| Tom Rhoads | Defensive End | 3(17) | 70 | Buffalo Bills |
| Allen Sack | Linebacker | 16(15) | 408 | Los Angeles Rams |
| † Pro Football Hall of Famer | ||||
Source:[30]