# 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team

The 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University in the 1966 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 13th season under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled a 9–0–1 record (7–0 in conference games), outscored opponents by a total of 293 to 99, won the Big Ten championship, and were ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UPI polls. They played to a 10–10 tie against No. 1 Notre Dame. While the AP and UPI polls recognized Notre Dame as national champion, the College Football Researchers Association selected Michigan State as national champion, and the Helms Athletic Foundation, National Football Foundation (NFF), and Poling System selected the Irish and Spartans as co-national champions.$^{:113}$
The Spartans gained an average of 230.5 rushing yards and 124.4 passing yards per game, while holding opponents to an average of 51.4 rushing yards and 157.9 passing yards. The team's individual statistical leaders included halfback Clinton Jones (784 rushing yards), end Gene Washington (27 receptions for 677 yards), and quarterback Jimmy Raye (1,100 passing yards).
Three Spartans were consensus first-team All-Americans: Jones; defensive end Bubba Smith; and defensive back George Webster. End Gene Washinton and fullback Bob Apisa also received first-team All-America honors. Smith, Webster, and Washington were later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Four Spartans were among the first eight players picked in the 1967 NFL/AFL draft: Smith (first); Jones (second); Webster (fifth); and Washington (eighth).
Big Ten rules barred the same team from representing the conference in the Rose Bowl in consecutive seasons and barred teams from appearing in any bowl game other than the Rose Bowl. Accordingly, Michigan State was ineligible to play in the Rose Bowl or any other bowl game. The former rule was rescinded in 1972 and the latter in 1975.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 17 | NC State* | No. 2 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI | W 28–10 | 55,418 |
| September 24 | Penn State* | No. 1 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (rivalry) | W 42–8 | 65,763 |
| October 1 | at Illinois | No. 1 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | W 26–10 | 57,747 |
| October 8 | Michigan | No. 1 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (rivalry) | W 20–7 | 78,833 |
| October 15 | at Ohio State | No. 1 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | W 11–8 | 84,282 |
| October 22 | No. 9 Purdue | No. 2 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI | W 41–20 | 78,004 |
| October 29 | at Northwestern | No. 2 | Dyche StadiumEvanston, IL | W 22–0 | 44,304 |
| November 5 | Iowa | No. 2 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI | W 56–7 | 68,711 |
| November 12 | at Indiana | No. 2 | Seventeenth Street StadiumBloomington, IN (rivalry) | W 37–19 | 30,096 |
| November 19 | No. 1 Notre Dame* | No. 2 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (rivalry) | T 10–10 | 80,011 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Game summaries
### NC State
### Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolverines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • No. 1 Spartans | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 |

### At Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Spartans | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| Buckeyes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 |

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Boilermakers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
| • No. 2 Spartans | 7 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 41 |

### Notre Dame

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No.1 Fighting Irish | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| No. 2 Spartans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
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. The game was played in Michigan State's Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966. Michigan State entered the contest 9–0 and ranked No. 2, while Notre Dame entered the contest 8–0 and ranked No. 1. Notre Dame elected not to try to score on its final series, thus the game ended in a 10–10 tie. Notre Dame retained its No. 1 ranking in the AP and UPI polls.

## Team members in the NFL

* In the 1967 NFL/AFL 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 |