1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Consensus national champion
NFF co-national champion
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record9–0–1
Head coach
Offensive schemeT formation
Base defense4–4
CaptainJim Lynch
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
1966 NCAA University Division independents football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Notre Dame – – 9–0–1
Colgate – – 8–1–1
No. 8 Georgia Tech – – 9–2–0
Army – – 8–2–0
Dayton – – 8–2–0
Houston – – 8–2–0
Memphis State – – 7–2–0
No. 9 Miami (FL) – – 8–2–1
Virginia Tech – – 8–2–1
Syracuse – – 8–3–0
Colorado State – – 7–3–0
New Mexico State – – 7–3–0
West Texas State – – 7–3–0
Villanova – – 6–3–0
Holy Cross – – 6–3–1
Southern Miss – – 6–4–0
Texas Western – – 6–4–0
Tulane – – 5–4–1
Florida State – – 6–5–0
Buffalo – – 5–5–0
Penn State – – 5–5–0
Air Force – – 4–6–0
Boston College – – 4–6–0
Navy – – 4–6–0
Utah State – – 4–6–0
Xavier – – 4–6–0
Pacific (CA) – – 4–7–0
San Jose State – – 3–7–0
Pittsburgh – – 1–9–0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Ara Parseghian, the Irish compiled a 9–0–1 record, shut out six of ten opponents, outscored all opponents by a total of 362 to 38, and were ranked No. 1 in the final AP and UPI Polls. In four games against ranked opponents, they defeated No. 7 Purdue (26–14), No. 10 Oklahoma (38–0), and No. 10 USC (51–0), and tied with No. 2 Michigan State (10–10).[1] [2] The 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game is considered one of the great "games of the century".[3]

Notre Dame linebacker Jim Lynch won the Maxwell Award as the best all-around player in college football. Lynch, guard Tom Regner, halfback Nick Eddy, and defensive end Alan Page were consensus first-team selections on the 1966 All-America college football team.[4] Defensive tackles Pete Duranko and Kevin Hardy also received first-team All-America honors from multiple seectors. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Terry Hanratty (1,247 passing yards), Eddy (553 rushing yards, 60 points scored), end Jim Seymour (862 receiving yards), and Lynch (106 tackles).[5]

The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 24No. 7 PurdueNo. 8
W 26–1459,075[6]
October 1at NorthwesternNo. 4
W 35–755,356[7]
October 8ArmyNo. 3
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 35–059,075[8]
October 15North CarolinaNo. 2
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 32–059,075[9]
October 22at No. 10 OklahomaNo. 1
W 38–063,439[10]
October 29vs. NavyNo. 1
W 31–770,101[11]
November 5PittsburghNo. 1
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 40–059,075[12]
November 12DukeNo. 1
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
W 64–059,075[13]
November 19at No. 2 Michigan StateNo. 1
T 10–1080,011[14]
November 26at No. 10 USCNo. 1
W 51–088,520[15]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[16][17]

Roster

1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
QB 2 Bob Belden So
RB 28 Rocky Bleier Jr
RB 32 Larry Conjar
RB 21 Frank Criniti
RB 38 Ron Dushney
RB 47 Nick Eddy
G 68 Roger Fox
RB 20 Bob Gladieux So
TE 80 Don Gmitter
C 54 George Goeddeke
G 57 Tim Gorman
RB 22 Dave Haley
WR 86 Curt Heneghan
QB 5 Terry Hanratty So
C 58 Gerald Kelly
OT 73 Rudy Konieczny
G 75 Bob Kuechenberg So
TE 78 Mike Kuzmicz
G 69 Joe Marsico
RB 31 Paul May
OT 79 Tom McKinley
C 55 Tim Monty
QB 3 Coley O’Brien
G 62 Steve Quinn
WR 89 Kevin Rassas
G 76 Tom Regner
OT 70 Fred Schnurr
OT 71 Paul Seiler
WR 85 Jim Seymour
WR 49 Brian Stenger
G 59 Dick Swatland
TE 96 Jim Winegardner
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DT 77 Harry Alexander
S 33 Mike Burgener
DT 64 Pete Duranko
DT 75 Kevin Hardy
CB 34 Dan Harshman
LB 51 John Horney
LB 65 Ron Jeziorski
DE 93 Chick Lauck
LB 41 John Lavin
CB 40 Tom O’Leary
LB 61 Jim Lynch Sr
LB 56 Dave Martin
LB 60 Mike McGill
DT 72 Eric Norri
DE 81 Alan Page Sr
LB 50 John Pergine Jr
CB 19 Tom Quinn
DB 30 Jim Kelly
DE 87 Tom Rhoads
DE 88 Allen Sack
S 7 Tom Schoen Jr
DE 94 Bill Skoglund
CB 25 Jim Smithberger
LB 89 Al VanHuffel
LB 54 Ed Vuillemin
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
P 90 Joe Azzaro
K 11 Jim Ryan
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Rankings

Game summaries

Purdue

Purdue at Notre Dame
Team 1 234Total
No. 8 Boilermakers 7 007 14
• No. 6 Fighting Irish 7 7012 26
Scoring summary
1PURLeroy Keyes 94-yard fumble return (kick good)PUR 7-0
1NDNick Eddy 96-yard kickoff return (kick good)Tied 7-7
2NDJim Seymour 84-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good)ND 14-7
4NDJim Seymour 39-yard pass from Terry HanrattyND 20-7
4PURPerry Williams 1-yard run (kick good)ND 20-14
4NDJim Seymour 7-yard pass from Terry HanrattyND 26-14

[18]

Northwestern

Notre Dame at Northwestern
Team 1 234Total
• No. 4 Fighting Irish 7 6814 35
Wildcats 0 007 7
Scoring summary
1NDNick Eddy 56-yard run (kick good)ND 7-0
2NDLarry Conjar 1-yard run (kick failed)ND 13-0
3NDRocky Bleier 12-yard run (2-pt. good)ND 21-0
4NDFrank Criniti 2-yard run (kick good)ND 28-0
4NDTom Schoen 37-yard interception return (kick good)ND 35-0
4NURoger Murphy 22-yard pass from Bill Melzer (kick good)ND 35-7

[19]

Army

Army at Notre Dame
Team 1 234Total
Cadets 0 000 0
• No. 3 Fighting Irish 21 1400 35
  • Date: October 8
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
  • Game start: 1:30 pm CDT
  • Game attendance: 59,075
  • Game weather: Fair, 76 degrees
Scoring summary
1NDRocky Bleier 2-yard run (kick good)ND 7-0
1NDJim Seymour 33-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good)ND 14-0
1NDTerry Hanratty 7-yard run (kick good)ND 21-0
2NDNick Eddy 3-yard run (kick good)ND 28-0
2NDNick Eddy 3-yard run (kick good)ND 35-0

[20]

North Carolina

North Carolina at Notre Dame
Team 1 234Total
Tar Heels 0 000 0
• No. 2 Fighting Irish 7 1366 32
  • Date: October 15
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
  • Game start: 1:30 pm CDT
  • Game attendance: 59,075
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 50 degrees, wind 22-40 MPH
Scoring summary
1NDLarry Conjar 1-yard run (kick good)ND 7-0
2NDLarry Conjar 1-yard run (kick failed)ND 13-0
2NDJim Seymour 56-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good)ND 20-0
3NDNick Eddy 52-yard run (2-pt. failed)ND 26-0
4NDBob Gladieux 5-yard run (2-pt. failed)ND 32-0

[21]

Oklahoma

Notre Dame at Oklahoma
Team 1 234Total
• No. 1 Fighting Irish 0 17210 38
No. 10 Sooners 0 000 0
Scoring summary
2NDNick Eddy 3-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 7-0
2NDTerry Hanratty 2-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 14-0
2NDJoe Azzaro 32-yard field goalND 17-0
3NDNick Eddy 1-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 24-0
33:30NDRocky Bleier 9-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 31-0
3NDColey O'Brien 5-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 38-0

[22]

Team 1 234Total
• No. 1 Fighting Irish 3 7147 31
Midshipmen 0 007 7
Scoring summary
1NDAzzaro 42-yard field goalND 3-0
2NDConjar 7-yard run (Azzaro kick)ND 10-0
3NDHanratty 1-yard run (Azzaro kick)ND 17-0
3NDGladieux 1-yard run (Azzaro kick)ND 24-0
4NAVYBergner recovered blocked punt in end zone (Church kick)ND 24-7
4NDHanratty 6-yard run (Azzaro kick)ND 31-7

[23]

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame
Team 1 234Total
Panthers 0 000 0
• No. 1 Fighting Irish 0 71419 40
  • Date: October 8
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
  • Game start: 1:30 pm CST
  • Game attendance: 59,075
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 40 degrees
Scoring summary
2NDTerry Hanratty 3-yard run (kick good)ND 7-0
3NDNick Eddy 85-yard kickoff return (kick failed)ND 13-0
3NDTom Schoen 63-yard punt return (2-pt. good)ND 21-0
4NDLarry Conjar 1-yard run (2-pt. failed)ND 27-0
4NDBob Gladieux 19-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (2-pt. failed)ND 33-0
4NDBob Gladieux 5-yard run (kick good)ND 40-0

[24]

Duke

Duke at Notre Dame
Team 1 234Total
Blue Devils 0 000 0
• No. 1 Fighting Irish 22 21147 64
  • Date: October 15
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
  • Game start: 1:30 pm CST
  • Game attendance: 59,075
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 42 degrees
Scoring summary
1NDNick Eddy 77-yard run (2-pt. good)ND 8-0
1NDTom O'Leary 30-yard return on lateral from John Horney after 25-yard interception return (kick good)ND 15-0
1NDRocky Bleier 4-yard run (kick good)ND 22-0
2NDRocky Bleier 45-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good)ND 29-0
2NDLarry Conjar 2-yard run (kick good)ND 36-0
2NDJim Seymour 10-yard pass from Terry Hanratty (kick good)ND 43-0
3NDDave Haley 9-yard run (kick good)ND 50-0
3NDColey O'Brien 3-yard run (kick good)ND 57-0
4NDFrank Criniti 10-yard run (kick good)ND 64-0

[25]

Michigan State

Notre Dame at Michigan State
Team 1 234Total
No.1 Fighting Irish 0 703 10
No. 2 Spartans 0 1000 10
Scoring summary
2MSUCavender 4-yard run (Kenney kick)MSU 7-0
2MSUKenney 47-yard field goalMSU 10-0
2NDGladieux 34-yard pass from O'Brien (Azzaro kick)MSU 10-7
4NDAzzaro 28-yard field goalTied 10-10

[26]

[27]

USC

Notre Dame at USC
Team 1 234Total
• No. 1 Fighting Irish 14 17137 51
No. 10 Trojans 0 000 0
Scoring summary
1NDLarry Conjar 2-yard run (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 7-0
1NDTom Schoen 40-yard interception return (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 14-0
2NDJoe Azzaro 38-yard field goalND 17-0
2NDJim Seymour 13-yard pass from Coley O'Brien (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 24-0
2NDJim Seymour 39-yard pass from Coley O'Brien (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 31-0
3NDDan Harshman 23-yard pass from Coley O'Brien (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 38-0
3NDNick Eddy 9-yard run (kick failed)ND 44-0
4NDDave Martin 33-yard interception return (Joe Azzaro kick)ND 51-0

[28][29]

Post-season

Award winners

Heisman Voting:

Nick Eddy, 3rd,[31]
Terry Hanratty, 6th[31]
All-Americans
Name AP UPI NEA FC SN L T CP FN
† Nick Eddy, HB11112111
† Jim Lynch, LB111111111
‡ Tom Regner, G11111111
Alan Page, DE22111111
Pete Duranko, DT3112
Kevin Hardy, DT223111
Jim Seymour, E32231
Paul Seiler, T32
George Goeddeke, C3233
Tom Schoen, DB32
Larry Conjar, FB3331
Terry Hanratty, QB33
† denotes unanimous selection
‡ denotes consensus selection

Source:[2]

College Football Hall of Fame Inductees
Name Position Year Inducted
Jim LynchLinebacker1992
Alan PageDefensive End1993
Ara ParseghianCoach1980

Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.[32]

1967 NFL draft

Player Position Round Pick Franchise
Paul SeilerGuard1(12)12New York Jets
† Alan PageDefensive End1(15)15Minnesota Vikings
Thomas RegnerGuard1(23)23Houston Oilers
Larry ConjarRunning Back2(20)46Cleveland Browns
Jim LynchLinebacker2(21)47Kansas City Chiefs
George GoeddekeCenter3(6)59Denver Broncos
Tom RhoadsDefensive End3(17)70Buffalo Bills
Allen SackLinebacker16(15)408Los Angeles Rams
† Pro Football Hall of Famer

Source:[33]

References

  1. ↑ "1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  3. ↑ Celzic, Mike (1992). The Biggest Game of Them All: Notre Dame, Michigan State and the Fall of 1966. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-75817-9.
  4. ↑ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 10. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  5. ↑ "1966 Notre Dame Football Review" (PDF). The Notre Dame Scholastic. p. 38. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Irish sophomores bombard Purdue". The Wichita Eagle & Beacon. September 25, 1966. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Irish smash 'Cats, 35–7". The Grand Rapids Press. October 2, 1966. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Irish passes click again, 35–0". The Des Moines Register. October 9, 1966. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Parseghian's Irish notch another win, North Carolina falls, 32–0". The Kokomo Tribune. October 16, 1966. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Notre Dame routs Oklahoma". The Saginaw News. October 23, 1966. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "70,101 watch Notre Dame repulse Navy". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 30, 1966. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Notre Dame keeps on rolling, 40–0". The Ventura County Star-Free Press. November 6, 1966. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Duke tops Navy 9–7". Tallahassee Democrat. November 6, 1966. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Bob Hoerner (November 20, 1966). "Deadlock Fails to Settle National Title: No. ? Irish, No. ? State Tie, 10–10". Lansing State Journal. pp. G1, G2 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Irish bombard U.S.C., 51–0". The Kansas City Star. November 27, 1966. Retrieved November 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  17. ↑ "Schedule/Results (1966 Notre Dame)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Irish Uncover Soph Aerial Attack, Smash Purdue." Eugene Register-Guard. 1966 Sep 25.
  19. ↑ South Bend Tribune, Oct. 2, 1966, p. 1
  20. ↑ South Bend Tribune, Oct. 9, 1966, p. 1
  21. ↑ South Bend Tribune, Oct. 16, 1966, p. 1
  22. ↑ "ND Stomps Sooners." Palm Beach Post. 1966 Oct 23.
  23. ↑ South Bend Tribune, Oct. 30, 1966, p.
  24. ↑ South Bend Tribune, Nov. 6, 1966, p. 1
  25. ↑ South Bend Tribune, Nov. 13, 1966, p. 1
  26. ↑ Jenkins, Dan (November 28, 1966). "An Upside-Down Game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Ocala Star-Banner - Google News Archive Search".
  28. ↑ "Irish Trouncing of U.S.C. Worst in Trojans' History". The New York Times. November 27, 1966. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Army Borrows 'Air Force'; Irish Rout Troy." Eugene Register-Guard. 1966 Nov 27.
  30. ↑ "The Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year: Past Recipients". The Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  31. 1 2 "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  32. ↑ "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  33. ↑ "Notre Dame NFL Draft History". uhnd.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
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