1967 Big Ten Conference football season

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Teams10
Top draft pickJohn Williams
Co-championsIndiana, Minnesota, Purdue
1967 Big Ten Conference football season
SportAmerican football
Teams10
1968 NFL/AFL draft
Top draft pickJohn Williams
Co-championsIndiana, Minnesota, Purdue
Season MVPLeroy Keyes
Seasons
1967 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Indiana +610920
Minnesota +610820
No. 9 Purdue +610820
Ohio State520630
Illinois340460
Michigan340460
Michigan State340370
Northwestern250370
Iowa061181
Wisconsin061091
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1967 Big Ten Conference football season was the 72nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1967 NCAA University Division football season.

The season resulted in a three-way tie for the conference championship, as Indiana, Purdue, and Minnesota each finished with a conference record of 6–1. Each team was 1–1 against the others; as Indiana defeated Purdue, Purdue defeated Minnesota, and Minnesota defeated Indiana. As of December 6th 2025, this was the last conference championship for Minnesota. Purdue has won one conference title since then, in 2000.

The 1967 Indiana Hoosiers football team, under head coach John Pont, was ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll. The Hoosiers lost to USC in the 1968 Rose Bowl. Quarterback Harry Gonso was selected as the team's most valuable player.

The 1967 Purdue Boilermakers football team, under head coach Jack Mollenkopf, was ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll. Purdue running back Leroy Keyes led the conference with 114 points scored, was a consensus first-team All-American, won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the conference, and finished third in the voting for the 1968 Heisman Trophy.

The 1967 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, under head coach Murray Warmath, was unranked in the final AP Poll (which ranked only ten teams at the time), but was 14th in the final Coaches Poll. Offensive tackle John Williams was the first Big Ten player selected in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft with the 23rd overall pick.

Due to Big Ten's "no-repeat" policy barring teams from making consecutive Rose Bowl appearances, Purdue was ineligible. The next tiebreaker was the team which had gone the longest since last playing in Pasadena. Since Indiana had never been, and Minnesota appeared following the 1960 and '61 seasons, the Hoosiers got the nod despite their loss to the Gophers.

Results and team statistics

Conf. Rank Team Head coach AP final AP high Overall record Conf. record PPG PAG MVP
1 (tie)IndianaJohn Pont#4#49–26–117.914.5Harry Gonso
1 (tie)MinnesotaMurray WarmathNRNR8–26–116.310.6Tom Sakal
1 (tie)PurdueJack Mollenkopf#9#28–26–129.115.4Leroy Keyes
4Ohio StateWoody HayesNRNR6–35–216.113.3Dick Worden
5 (tie)IllinoisJim ValekNRNR4–63–414.321.3John Wright
5 (tie)MichiganBump ElliottNRNR4–63–414.417.9Ron Johnson
5 (tie)Michigan StateDuffy DaughertyNR#33–73–417.319.3Dwight Lee
8NorthwesternAlex AgaseNRNR3–72–514.921.3Bruce Gunstra
9 (tie)IowaRay NagelNRNR1–8–10–6–116.127.7Silas McKinnie
9 (tie)WisconsinJohn CoattaNRNR0–9–10–6–112.022.4Tom Domres

Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1967 season[1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1967 season[1]
PPG = Average of points scored per game[1]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[1]
MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold[2]

Preseason

Regular season

Bowl games

Post-season developments

Statistical leaders

The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders for the 1967 season include the following:[1]

Passing yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Mike PhippsPurdue1,800
2Bill MelzerNorthwestern1,146
3Ed PodolakIowa1,014
4Dean VolkmanIllinois1,005
5John BoyajianWisconsin966

Rushing yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Ron JohnsonMichigan1,005
2Leroy KeyesPurdue986
3Rich JohnsonIllinois768
4Perry WilliamsPurdue746
5Silas McKinnieIowa588

Receiving yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Leroy KeyesPurdue758
2Al BreamIowa703
3John WrightIllinois698
4Jim BeirnePurdue643
5Jim BerlineMichigan624

Total yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Mike PhippsPurdue2,020
2Harry GonsoIndiana1,443
3Ed PodolakIowa1,337
4Dennis BrownMichigan1,286
5Bill MelzerNorthwestern1,205

Scoring

Rank Name Team Points[1]
1Leroy KeyesPurdue114
2Perry WilliamsPurdue66
3Jade ButcherIndiana60
4Curt WilsonMinnesota48
5Ron JohnsonMichigan42
5Chico KurzawskiNorthwestern42

Awards and honors

1968 NFL/AFL Draft

References

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