1966_Michigan_State_Spartans_football_team
1966 Michigan State Spartans football team
American college football season
The 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1966 Big Ten Conference football season. Michigan State lodged a 9–0–1 record, with a season-concluding tie against Notre Dame in the "game of the century", considered among the greatest games in college football history.
Quick Facts Michigan State Spartans football, Conference ...
| 1966 Michigan State Spartans football | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Captain | Clinton Jones, George Webster |
| Home stadium | Spartan Stadium |
Seasons | |
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More information Conf, Overall ...
| 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 College Football Researchers Association selected Michigan State as national champion, while the Helms Athletic Foundation, National Football Foundation (NFF), and Poling System selected them as co-national champion.[1]: 113 Notre Dame was selected as national champion by the AP and Coaches polls.[2]
More information Date, Opponent ...
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17 | NC State* | No. 2 | W 28–10 | 55,418 | [3] | |
| September 24 | Penn State* | No. 1 |
| W 42–8 | 65,763 | |
| October 1 | at Illinois | No. 1 | W 26–10 | 57,747 | ||
| October 8 | Michigan | No. 1 |
| W 20–7 | 78,833 | |
| October 15 | at Ohio State | No. 1 | W 11–8 | 84,282 | ||
| October 22 | No. 9 Purdue | No. 2 |
| W 41–20 | 78,004 | |
| October 29 | at Northwestern | No. 2 | W 22–0 | 44,304 | ||
| November 5 | Iowa | No. 2 |
| W 56–7 | 68,711 | |
| November 12 | at Indiana | No. 2 | W 37–19 | 30,096 | ||
| November 19 | No. 1 Notre Dame* | No. 2 |
| T 10–10 | 80,011 | |
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More information Players, Coaches ...
| 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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Main article: 1966 NCAA University Division football rankings
NC State
See also: 1966 NC State Wolfpack football team
Penn State
At Illinois
Michigan
More information Total, Scoring summary ...
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See also: 1966 Michigan Wolverines football team and Paul Bunyan Trophy
At Ohio State
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See also: 1966 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
Purdue
More information Total, Scoring summary ...
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See also: 1966 Purdue Boilermakers football team
At Northwestern
See also: 1966 Northwestern Wildcats football team
Iowa
See also: 1966 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
At Indiana
See also: 1966 Indiana Hoosiers football team and Old Brass Spittoon
Notre Dame
More information Total, Scoring summary ...
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Main article: 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game
See also: 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Megaphone Trophy, and Game of the Century (college football)
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.[7] The game was played in Michigan State's Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966. Michigan State entered the contest 9–0 and ranked #2, while Notre Dame entered the contest 8–0 and ranked #1. Notre Dame elected not to try to score on its final series, thus the game ended in a 10–10 tie with both schools receiving national champion selections.[8]
- In the 1967 NFL 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 |
- 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- "Past Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I FBS) National Champions (formerly called Division I-A)". ncaa.org. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- "Jones, Apisa, Raye spark MSU, 28–10". Battle Creek Enquirer. September 18, 1966. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Football Statistics Summary for 1966". msuspartans.com. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- Jack Saylor (October 9, 1966). "Spartans Explode on U-M: Finish Strong in 20–7 Romp". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 7C – via Newspapers.com.
- "Spartans Win Easily Over Purdue, 41-20." Palm Beach Post. 1966 Oct 23.
- Jenkins, Dan (November 28, 1966). "An Upside-Down Game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- "1967 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
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