1966 Purdue Boilermakers football team

1966 Purdue Boilermakers football
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 14–13 vs. USC
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 7
Record9–2 (6–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPBob Griese
Captains
Home stadiumRoss–Ade Stadium
1966 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
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
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1966 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 1966 Big Ten Conference football season. The Boilermakers, led by future National Football League (NFL) quarterback Bob Griese, won the 1967 Rose Bowl. Griese led Purdue to a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference and the school's first appearance in the Rose Bowl Game. The Boilermakers were the runner-up in the Big Ten behind Michigan State, but received the conference's Rose Bowl berth because of the Big Ten's "no-repeat" rule at the time. Griese was a two-time All-American at Purdue and was the runner-up to Steve Spurrier for the Heisman Trophy in 1966.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 17Ohio*No. 8W 42–347,172[1]
September 24at No. 8 Notre Dame*No. 7ABCL 14–2659,075[2]
October 1SMU*
  • Ross–Ade Stadium
  • West Lafayette, IN
W 35–2346,116[3]
October 8Iowa
  • Ross–Ade Stadium
  • West Lafayette, IN
W 35–052,715[4]
October 15at MichiganNo. 9W 22–2179,642[5]
October 22at No. 2 Michigan StateNo. 9ABCL 20–4178,014[6]
October 29Illinois
  • Ross–Ade Stadium
  • West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)
W 25–2161,643[7]
November 5at WisconsinW 23–056,475[8]
November 12at MinnesotaW 16–049,085[9]
November 19IndianaNo. 10
W 51–662,197[10]
January 1vs. USC*No. 7NBCW 14–13101,455[11]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • Source: [12]

[13]

Roster

1966 Purdue Boilermakers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB Bob Baltzell
OL Mike Barnes
WR 81 Jim Beirne Jr
OL Jim Bonk
OL Jack Calcaterra
WR Bob Dillingham
QB Mike Engelbrecht
OL Charles Erlenbaugh
WR Jim Finley
QB 12 Bob Griese (C) Sr
TE Marion Griffin
RB Dave Herrick
RB Bob Hurst
RB 23 Leroy Keyes So
OL Chuck Kuzneski
OL Pat Labus
TE Rich Ruble
G 65 Bob Sebeck Jr
RB Lou Sims
RB 47 Perry Williams So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB Francis Burke
DB 86 George Catavolos (C) Sr
DB 25 John Charles Sr
DB Dennis Cirbes
LB Pat Conley
DB 45 Bob Corby Jr
DL Robert Holmes
DL Chuck Kyle
DL George Olion
DL Lance Olssen
DL Fred Rafa
LB Bob Yunaska
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Game summaries

Ohio

At Notre Dame

Purdue at Notre Dame
Team 1 234Total
No. 8 Boilermakers 7 007 14
No. 6 Fighting Irish 7 7012 26

SMU

Iowa

At Michigan

Purdue at Michigan
Team 1 234Total
No. 9 Boilermakers 7 726 22
Wolverines 0 1470 21

At Michigan State

Purdue at Michigan State
Team 1 234Total
No. 9 Boilermakers 0 0713 20
No. 2 Spartans 7 14146 41

Illinois

At Wisconsin

At Minnesota

Indiana

USC (Rose Bowl)

Purdue vs. USC
Team 1 234Total
No. 7 Boilermakers 0 770 14
Trojans 0 706 13

Team players in the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Bob Griese Quarterback 1 4 Miami Dolphins
John Charles Defensive back 6 145 New England Patriots
Mike Barnes Defensive back 8 194 Pittsburgh Steelers
Pat Conley Linebacker 14 359 Baltimore Colts
George Catavolos Defensive back 17 437 Philadelphia Eagles

[15]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ "Bob Griese unlimbers arm". The Saginaw News. September 18, 1966. Retrieved March 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Irish sophomores bombard Purdue". The Wichita Eagle & Beacon. September 25, 1966. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Purdue smothers Mustangs, 35–23". The Kilgore News Herald. October 2, 1966. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Purdue rolls past Iowa with last half assault". Council Bluffs Nonpareil. October 9, 1966. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Purdue squeezes Michigan, 22–21". Evansville Sunday Courier & Press. October 16, 1966. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Bob Hoerner (October 23, 1966). "Spartans' Balance Overcomes Griese: State Runs, Passes Over Purdue, 41–20". Lansing State Journal. pp. G1, G2 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Griese heroic as Purdue rebounds". The South Bend Tribune. October 30, 1966. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Bowl-bound Purdue rips Badgers, 23–0". Eau Claire Leader. November 6, 1966. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Boilermakers end Gophers' bowl hopes, 16–0". The Forum. November 13, 1966. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Griese, Purdue shatter Hoosiers, 51–6". The Kansas City Star. November 20, 1966. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "USC loses 14–13 gamble". The Sacramento Union. January 3, 1967. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Schedule/Results (1966 Purdue)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  13. ^ "2022 Purdue Football Record Book" (PDF). Purdue University Athletics. p. 88. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "Purdue Official Big 10 Rose Bowl Rep". Palm Beach Post. 1966 Nov 20. 2014-Sep-20.
  15. ^ "1967 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.
  16. ^ "Awards". www.touchdownclubofcolumbus.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.