1967 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
American college football season
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The 1967 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1967 Big Ten season. In their first year under head coach Jim Valek, the Fighting Illini compiled a 4–6 record (3–4 in conference games), finished in a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 213 to 143.[1]
- Jim Valek (1st season)
| 1967 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
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| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 4–6 (3–4 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Ellis Rainsberger (1st season) |
| MVP | John Wright |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Indiana + | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota + | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Purdue + | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 0 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 0 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 9 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Dean Volkman (1,005 passing yards, 42.1% completion percentage), running back Rich Johnson (768 rushing yards, 3.9 yards per carry), and wide receiver John Wright (52 receptions for 698 yards).[2] Wright was selected as the team's most valuable player.[3] Wright and defensive back Ron Bess received first-team honors on the 1967 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[4][5]
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23 | at Florida* | L 0–14 | 57,391 | [6] | |
| September 30 | Pittsburgh* | W 34–6 | 51,251 | [7] | |
| October 7 | Indiana |
| L 7–20 | 53,550 | [8] |
| October 14 | Minnesota |
| L 7–10 | 56,103 | [9] |
| October 21 | Notre Dame* |
| L 7–47 | 71,227 | [10] |
| October 28 | at Ohio State | W 17–13 | 83,928 | [11] | |
| November 4 | No. 6 Purdue |
| L 9–42 | 61,262 | [12] |
| November 11 | Michigan |
| L 14–21 | 44,236 | [13] |
| November 18 | at Northwestern | W 27–21 | 36,679 | [14] | |
| November 25 | at Iowa | W 21–19 | 35,714 | [15] | |
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[16] This was the first season since 1952 in which Illinois faced Iowa, following the chaos of their last matchup.[17]
