1964 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1964 Big Ten Conference football season was the 69th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1964 NCAA University Division football season. The 1964 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bump Elliott, won the Big Ten football championship, compiled a 9–1 record, led the conference in both scoring offense (23.5 points per game) and scoring defense (8.3 points allowed per game), was ranked No. 4 in the final AP and UPI polls, and defeated Oregon State, 34–7, in the  1965 Rose Bowl. Quarterback Bob Timberlake received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Big Ten's most valuable player. The 1964 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, finished in second place with a 7–2 record and was ranked No. 9 in the final AP and UPI polls. Four Ohio State defensive players (Jim Davidson, Ed Orazen, Ike Kelley and Arnie Chonko) received first-team All-American honors. The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders included Iowa's Gary Snook with 2,062 passing yards, Illinois' Jim Grabowski with 1,004 rushing yards, and Iowa's Karl  Noonan with 933 receiving yards. Illinois' center/linebacker Dick Butkus was the Big Ten's only consensus first-team All-American, finished third in voting for the 1964 Heisman Trophy, and was the first Big Ten player selected in the 1965 NFL Draft with the third overall pick. Season overview. Results and team statistics. Key AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1964 season AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1964 season PPG = Average of points scored per game PAG = Average of points allowed per  game 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 Preseason. On December 14, 1963, Ara Parseghian resigned as Northwestern's head football coach to take the same job at Notre Dame. Assistant coach Alex Agase was hired as his replacement at Northwestern. Illinois came into the 1964 season as the favorite to win the conference championship. The 1963 Illinois team was both the Big Ten and Rose Bowl champion and had stars Dick Butkus and  Jim Grabowski as returning veterans. Ohio State and Michigan were expected to be the toughest challengers to Illinois. Regular season. September 19. On September 19, 1964, two Big Ten teams began their season with victories over non-conference opponents. September 26. On September 26, 1964, all ten conference saw action in one conference game and eight non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in five victories and three losses, giving the conference a 7–3 record against conference opponents to that point in the season. October 3. On October 3, 1964, nine Big Ten teams saw action in two conference  games and five non-conference games. Wisconsin had a bye week. The non-conference games resulted in four victories and one loss, giving the conference a 10–4 record against conference opponents to that point in the season. October 10. On October 10, 1964, all 10 conference team met in five conference games. Heading into the October 10 games, four Big Ten teams were ranked in the top ten of that week's AP Poll: Illinois at No. 2; Ohio State at No. 4; Michigan at No. 7; and Michigan State at No. 9. October 17. On October 17, 1964, the  10 conference teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in one victory and one loss, giving the conference an 11–5 record against conference opponents to that point in the season. October 24. On October 24, 1964, the 10 conference teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two victories, giving the conference a 13–5 record against conference opponents to that point in the season. October 31. On October 31, 1964, all 10 conference teams met in conference games. November 7. On November 7, 1964 , the 10 conference teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two losses, giving the conference a 13–7 record against conference opponents to that point in the season. November 14. On November 14, 1964, the 10 conference teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two losses, giving the conference a 13–9 record against conference opponents to that point in the season. November 21. On November 21, 1964, nine conference teams played four conference games and one non-conference game. Northwestern had a bye  week. The non-conference game resulted in a loss, giving the conference a 13–8 record against conference opponents to that point in the season. Bowl games. On January 1, 1965, Michigan (ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll) played in the 1965 Rose Bowl, defeating the Oregon State Beavers (ranked No. 8), 34–7. The game marked Michigan's fourth appearance in the Rose Bowl. In its three prior appearances (1902, 1948, and 1951), Michigan was 3–0 and had outscored opponents 112–6. Michigan was selected as an 11-point favorite over Oregon State. After a scoreless first quarter, Oregon State  took a 7–0 lead with a five-yard touchdown pass from Paul Brothers to Doug McDougal. Later in the second quarter, Michigan scored its first touchdown of the game on an 84-yard run by Mel Anthony. Anthony's run broke the Rose Bowl record for the longest run from scrimmage. Dick Sygar missed the extra point, and Oregon State led 7–6. On Michigan's next drive, Carl Ward ran 43 yards for a touchdown. Michigan missed an attempted two-point conversion on an incomplete pass from Bob Timberlake to Ben Farabee, and Michigan led 12–7 at halftime. In the  second half, Michigan's defense shut out the Beavers, 22 to 0. Mel Anthony, who scored three touchdowns in the game, was named the player of the game. Michigan totaled 332 rushing yards, including 123 by Anthony and 88 by Carl Ward. The Michigan defense held Oregon State to 64 rushing yards in the game. After studying game film from the Rose Bowl, Oregon State coach Tommy Prothro said he was convinced that the 1964 Michigan team was "the greatest football team he has ever seen." Prothro added, "The pictures are really interesting. There were times when our players blasted  Michigan players at full speed and only wound up flat on their backs with the other people on top of them. I've never seen such hitting." Post-season developments. On December 1, 1964, both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) released their final college football polls. Both the AP and UPI picked Alabama (which went on to lose to Texas in the 1965 Orange Bowl) at the No. 1 spot, Michigan at No. 4 and Ohio State at No. 9. Two other Big Ten schools were ranked in the UPI's second ten, Illinois at No . 15 and Michigan State at No. 20. On December 22, 1964, Phil Dickens resigned as Indiana's head football coach and was given a new position as the university's general manager of off-campus physical facilities. In seven seasons, he compiled a 20-41-2 record with the Hoosiers. Due to over-zealous recruiting, he had been suspended for the 1957 season, and the team had been placed on probation from 1960 to 1963. Statistical leaders. The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders for the 1964 season include the following: 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 1964 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Offense Defense All-American honors. At the end of the 1964 season, Big Ten players secured only one of the consensus first-team picks for the 1964 College Football All-America Team. The Big Ten's consensus All-American was: Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were: Other awards. On December 3, 1964, the Heisman Trophy was awarded to John Huarte of Notre  Dame. Two Big Ten players finished among the top four in the voting for the trophy. They were: Illinois center/linebacker Dick Butkus (third) and Michigan quarterback Bob Timberlake (fourth). 1965 NFL Draft. The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1965 NFL Draft: