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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 which is considered among the greatest games in college football history. The College Football Researchers Association selected Michigan State as national champion, while Helms , NFF , and Poling selected them as co-national champion.[1] : 113 Notre Dame claimed the AP and Coaches selections and earned a consensus title with a majority of selectors.[2]
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance September 17 NC State * No. 2 W 28–1055,418
September 24 Penn State * No. 1 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry ) W 42–865,763
October 1 at Illinois No. 1 W 26–1057,747
October 8 Michigan No. 1 W 20–778,833
October 15 at Ohio State No. 1 W 11–884,282
October 22 No. 9 Purdue No. 2 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI W 41–2078,004
October 29 at Northwestern No. 2 W 22–044,304
November 5 Iowa No. 2 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI W 56–768,711
November 12 at Indiana No. 2 W 37–1930,096
November 19 No. 1 Notre Dame * No. 2 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry ) T 10–10 80,011
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Schedule Source: [3]
Personnel
1966 Michigan State Spartans football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
K
42
Dick Kenney
Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Rankings
Game summaries
NC State
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
2–1
1929
W 40–6
Penn State
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
7–1–1
1965
W 23–0
at Illinois
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
4–5
1965
W 22–12
Michigan
Michigan at Michigan State
1
2 3 4 Total
Wolverines
0
0 0 7
7
• No. 1 Spartans
7
0 0 13
20
Scoring summary 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
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
17–36–5
1965
W 24–7
[4]
at Ohio State
Michigan State at Ohio State
1
2 3 4 Total
• Spartans
0
0 3 8
11
Buckeyes
2
0 0 6
8
Date: October 15Location: Ohio Stadium Game attendance: 84,282Game weather: Rain, wind SE 20-35, 69°F
Scoring summary 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
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
4–2
1965
W 32–7
Purdue
Purdue at Michigan State
1
2 3 4 Total
No. 9 Boilermakers
0
0 7 13
20
• No. 2 Spartans
7
14 14 6
41
Scoring summary 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
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
10–9–1
1965
W 14–10
[5]
at Northwestern
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
7–3
1965
W 49–7
Iowa
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
2–3
1965
W 35–0
at Indiana
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
14–5–1
1965
W 27–13
Notre Dame
Notre Dame at Michigan State
1
2 3 4 Total
No.1 Fighting Irish
0
7 0 3
10
No. 2 Spartans
0
10 0 0
10
Scoring summary 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
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
14–17
1965
W 12–3
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.[6] 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.[7]
Team members in the NFL
In the 1967 NFL Draft , four of the top eight picks in the draft were players from Michigan State.
[8]
References
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
1936–1949 1950s 1960s
1960 : Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF ) / Ole Miss (FWAA)
1961 : Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA)
1962 : USC
1963 : Texas
1964 : Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF)
1965 : Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
1966 : Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF)
1967 : USC
1968 : Ohio State
1969 : Texas
1970s 1980–1991
Western Conference Big Ten Big Nine Big Ten National championships in bold