# 1966 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

The 1966 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as a member of the Big Eight Conference in the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. The team was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 17 | 2:00 pm | TCU* | No. 3 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | | W 14–10 | 60,974 |
| September 24 | 2:00 pm | Utah State* | No. 4 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | | W 28–7 | 63,543 |
| October 1 | 12:30 pm | at Iowa State | No. 6 | Clyde Williams FieldAmes, IA | | W 12–6 | 25,548 |
| October 8 | 12:30 pm | at Wisconsin* | No. 7 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | | W 31–3 | 52,428 |
| October 15 | 2:00 pm | Kansas State | No. 6 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE (rivalry) | | W 21–10 | 64,108 |
| October 22 | 1:30 pm | at Colorado | No. 7 | Folsom FieldBoulder CO (rivalry) | | W 21–19 | 46,112 |
| October 29 | 12:15 pm | Missouri | No. 8 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE (rivalry) | ABC | W 35–0 | 64,489 |
| November 5 | 1:30PM | at Kansas | No. 6 | Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS (rivalry) | | W 24–13 | 40,881 |
| November 12 | 2:00PM | Oklahoma State | No. 4 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | | W 21–6 | 65,102 |
| November 24 | 2:00PM | at Oklahoma | No. 4 | Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK (rivalry) | ABC | L 9–10 | 42,884 |
| January 2, 1967 | 1:00 pm | vs. No. 3 Alabama* | No. 6 | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl) | NBC | L 7–34 | 82,000 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Roster

    Source:

## Depth chart

* HB
* Dennis Thorell
* Bob Best
* HB
* Larry Wachholtz
* Ronald Poggemeyer
| LB | LB |
| Rick Coleman | Lynn Senkbeil |
| Barry Alvarez | Leonard Janik |
* CB
* Marv Mueller
* Alan Kuehl
| DE | DT | NT | DT | DE |
| Jerry Patton | Carel Stith | Wayne Meylan | Jim McCord | Langston Coleman |
| Ivan Zimmer | John Strohmyer | Bob Lints | Harry Meagher | Bob Weinman |
* CB
* Kaye Carstens
* Ben Gregory
* TE
* Dennis Morrison
* Miles Kimmel
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Gary Brichacek | LaVerne Allers | Kelly Petersen | Joe Armstrong | Robert Pickens |
| Ed Hansen | Mel Brichacek | Robert Hill | James Osberg | Robert Taucher |
* TE
* Tom Penney
* Dennis Richnafsky
* QB
* Bob Churchich
* Wayne Weber
| LB | RB | FB |
| Ron Kirkland | Harry Wilson | Pete Tatman |
| Ben Gregory | Dick Davis | Charlie Winters |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Title | First year in this position | Years at Nebraska | Alma mater |
| Bob Devaney | Head coach | 1962 | 1962–1972 | Alma |
| Tom Osborne | | 1964 | 1964–1997 | Hastings |
| John Melton | Freshman | 1962 | 1962–1988 | Wyoming |
| Cletus Fischer | Freshman Line | 1960 | 1960–1985 | Nebraska |
| Mike Corgan | Offensive backs | 1962 | 1962–1982 | Notre Dame |
| George Kelly | Defensive line | 1960 | 1960–1968 | |
| Monte Kiffin | Graduate assistant | 1966 | 1966–1976 | Nebraska |
| Jim Ross | Defensive backs | 1962 | 1962–1976 | |
| Carl Selmer | Offensive line | 1962 | 1962–1972 | |
    Source:

## Game summaries
### TCU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| TCU | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| • #3 Nebraska | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |

### Utah State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Utah State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • #4 Nebraska | 7 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 28 |

### Iowa State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #6 Nebraska | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| Iowa State | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |

### Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #7 Nebraska | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |

### Kansas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kansas State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| • #6 Nebraska | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### Colorado

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #7 Nebraska | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Colorado | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 19 |

### Missouri

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Missouri | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • #8 Nebraska | 0 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 35 |

### Kansas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #6 Nebraska | 0 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 24 |
| Kansas | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |

### Oklahoma State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oklahoma State | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • #4 Nebraska | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |

### Oklahoma

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #4 Nebraska | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| • Oklahoma | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |

### Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #6 Nebraska | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • #3 Alabama | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 34 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Final |
| AP | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Coaches | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 7 |

## Awards

* NCAA 5th District Coach of the Year: Bob Devaney
* UPI Big 8 Player of the Year: Wayne Meylan
* All American: LaVerne Allers, Wayne Meylan, Larry Wachholtz
* All Big 8: LaVerne Allers, Kaye Carstens, Bob Churchich, Wayne Meylan, Kelly Petersen, Bob Pickens, Lynn Senkbeil, Carel Stith, Larry Wachholtz, Harry Wilson

## Future professional players

* Kaye Carstens, 1967 13th-round pick of the Chicago Bears
* Dick Czap, 1966 12th-round pick of the Cleveland Browns
* Dick Davis, 1969 12th-round pick of the Cleveland Browns
* Ben Gregory, 1968 5th-round pick of the Buffalo Bills
* Ron Kirkland, 1967 9th-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts
* Wayne Meylan, 1968 4th-round pick of the Cleveland Browns
* Bob Pickens, 1966 3rd-round pick of the Bears
* Carel Stith, 1967 4th-round pick of the Houston Oilers
* Bob Taucher, 1968 7th-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys
* Pete Tatman, 1967 10th-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings
* Harry Wilson, 1967 3rd-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles