1966 Big Ten Conference football season
SportAmerican football
Number of teams10
Top draft pickBubba Smith
ChampionMichigan State
  Runners-upPurdue
Season MVPBob Griese
1966 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Michigan State $ 7 –0 –09 –0 –1
No. 7 Purdue 6 –1 –09 –2 –0
Michigan 4 –3 –06 –4 –0
Illinois 4 –3 –04 –6 –0
Minnesota 3 –3 –14 –5 –1
Ohio State 3 –4 –04 –5 –0
Northwestern 2 –4 –13 –6 –1
Wisconsin 2 –4 –13 –6 –1
Indiana 1 –5 –11 –8 –1
Iowa 1 –6 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1966 Big Ten Conference football season was the 71st season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1966 NCAA University Division football season.

The 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team, under head coach Duffy Daugherty, won the Big Ten football championship, compiled a 9–0–1 record, and was ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll. Four Spartans' players were among the first eight selections in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft: defensive tackle Bubba Smith (first); running back Clinton Jones (second); linebacker George Webster (fifth); and flanker Gene Washington (eighth).

The 1966 Purdue Boilermakers football team, under head coach Jack Mollenkopf, finished in second place with a 9–2 record and was ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll. The Boilermakers received the conference's berth to play in the 1967 Rose Bowl because of the Big Ten's "no-repeat" rule and defeated USC, 14–13. Purdue quarterback Bob Griese led the conference in passing yards and total yards and won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player and the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top collegiate passer. Griese also finished second behind Steve Spurrier in the voting for the 1966 Heisman Trophy.

Season overview

Results and team statistics

Conf. Rank Team Head coach AP final AP high Overall record Conf. record PPG PAG MVP
1Michigan StateDuffy Daugherty#2#19–0–17–029.39.9George Webster
2PurdueJack Mollenkopf#7#79–26–127.014.0Bob Griese
3 (tie)MichiganBump ElliottNR#86–44–323.613.8Jack Clancy
3 (tie)IllinoisPete ElliottNRNR4–64–317.319.3Ron Guenther
5MinnesotaMurray WarmathNRNR4–5–13–3–112.416.0Tim Wheeler
6Ohio StateWoody HayesNRNR4–53–412.013.7Ray Pryor
7 (tie)NorthwesternAlex AgaseNRNR3–6–12–4–113.721.3Roger Murphy
7 (tie)WisconsinMilt BruhnNRNR3–6–12–4–18.721.2Bob Richter
9IndianaJohn PontNRNR1–8–11–5–110.422.9Frank Stavroff
10IowaRay NagelNRNR2–81–68.625.3Dick Gibbs

Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1966 season[1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1966 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 1966 season include the following:[1]

Passing yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Bob GriesePurdue1,749
2Dick VidmerMichigan1,609
3Frank StavroffIndiana1,406
4William LongOhio State1,180
5Bill MelzerNorthwestern1,171

Rushing yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Clinton JonesMichigan State784
2Perry WilliamsPurdue689
3Mike KrivoshiaIndiana675
4Dave FisherMichigan672
5Curt WilsonMinnesota546

Receiving yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Jack ClancyMichigan1,077
2John WrightIllinois831
3Roger MurphyNorthwestern777
4Jim BeirnePurdue768
5Tom McCauleyWisconsin689

Total yards

Rank Name Team Yards[1]
1Bob GriesePurdue1,964
2Dick VidmerMichigan1,639
3Jimmy RayeMichigan State1,596
4Ed PodolakIowa1,491
5Frank StavroffIndiana1,328

Scoring

Rank Name Team Points[1]
1Jim DetwilerMichigan60
2Perry WilliamsPurdue54
2Bob ApisaMichigan State54
4Carl WardMichigan48
4Jim BeirnePurdue48

Awards and honors

All-Big Ten honors

The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1966 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

Offense

Position Name Team Selectors
QuarterbackBob GriesePurdueAP, UPI
Running backClinton JonesMichigan StateAP, UPI [halfback]
Running backJim DetwilerMichiganAP, UPI [halfback]
Running backDave FisherMichiganUPI [fullback]
Running backBob ApisaMichigan StateAP
EndGene WashingtonMichigan StateAP, UPI
EndJack ClancyMichiganAP, UPI
TackleJack CalcaterraPurdueAP, UPI
TackleJerry WestMichigan StateAP, UPI
GuardChuck ErlenbaughPurdueAP
GuardTom SchuetteIndianaAP
GuardDonald BaileyMichiganUPI
GuardAnthony ContiMichigan StateUPI
CenterRay PryorOhio StateAP, UPI

Defense

Position Name Team Selectors
Defensive endBubba SmithMichigan StateAP, UPI
Defensive endKen KmiecIllinoisAP
Defensive endGeorge OlionPurdueUPI
Defensive tackleLance OlssenPurdueAP, UPI
Defensive tackleNick JordanMichigan StateAP
Defensive tackleRichard HimesOhio StateUPI
Defensive guardChuck KylePurdueUPI
LinebackerFrank NunleyMichiganAP, UPI
LinebackerChuck ThornhillMichigan StateAP, UPI
LinebackerGeorge WebsterMichigan StateAP [def. back], UPI
LinebackerBob RichterWisconsinAP
Defensive backBruce SullivanIllinoisAP, UPI
Defensive backRich VolkMichiganAP, UPI
Defensive backPhil ClarkNorthwesternAP
Defensive backJess PhilipsMichigan StateUPI [safety]

All-American honors

At the end of the 1966 season, four Big Ten players secured consensus first-team honors on the 1966 College Football All-America Team.[3] The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:

Position Name Team Selectors
Offensive endJack ClancyMichiganAFCA, AP, CP, FWAA, NEA [split end], UPI, Time, TSN, WCFF
Running backClinton JonesMichigan StateAP, CP, NEA, Time, TSN, WCFF
Defensive endBubba SmithMichigan StateAFCA, AP, CP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, Time, TSN, WCFF
Defensive backGeorge WebsterMichigan StateAFCA, AP, CP [linebacker], FWAA, NEA [linebacker], UPI, Time, TSN, WCFF

Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:

Position Name Team Selectors
Offensive endGene WashingtonMichigan StateAFCA, UPI, Time, TSN
Offensive endJim BeirnePurdueCP
Offensive tackleJerry WestMichigan StateNEA
CenterRay PryorOhio StateFWAA
QuarterbackBob GriesePurdueAFCA [tie]
Defensive backRick VolkMichiganTime, TSN
Defensive backJohn CharlesPurdueTime, TSN

Other awards

Purdue quarterback Bob Griese received the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top collegiate passer. He also finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.[4]

1967 NFL/AFL Draft

The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft:[5]

Name Position Team Round Overall pick
Bubba SmithDefensive tackleMichigan State11
Clinton JonesRunning backMichigan State12
Bob GrieseQuarterbackPurdue14
George WebsterLinebackerMichigan State15
Gene WashingtonFlankerMichigan State18
Cas BanaszekTight endNorthwestern111
Jim DetwilerRunning backMichigan120
John CharlesDefensive backPurdue121
Rick VolkDefensive backMichigan245
Mike CurrentTackleOhio State358
Frank NunleyLinebackerMichigan362
Phil ClarkDefensive backNorthwestern376
John RowserDefensive backMichigan378
Carl WardRunning backMichigan483

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1966 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Vote Griese Big Ten's Most Valuable: 1st Boilermaker To Be Awarded Silver Football". Chicago Tribune. December 26, 1966. pp. 3–1.
  3. ↑ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. pp. 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  4. ↑ "1966 Heisman Trophy Voting". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  5. ↑ "1967 NFL Draft: Full Draft". NFL.com. National Football League. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
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