1966 National Champions
November 19, 1966 “Kill Bubba Kill!”
Every Notre Dame fan knows the legacy of “The Greatest Game Ever” as #1 ND and #2 MSU battled to a 10-10 tie in 1966 to provide the platform for another National Championship for the Irish.
The game was noteworthy in so many ways including:
- the 1st nationally televised blockbuster match-up of the modern era ( on ABC-TV)
- both teams were undefeated
- rising coaching legends Ara Parseghian vs. Duffy Daugherty
- 10 future 1st round draft picks took the field
- 33 players in this game went on to the NFL
- 25 players made All-American… simply incredible!!
And after ND tied Sparty to remain undefeated, there was no letdown as ND traveled on the road again to USC and pulverized the #10 Trojans 51-0!
There was no dispute how great this team was. And to this day, there may be discussion…but little dispute.
It is a fitting tribute that the ND ’66 National Championship team will be honored this weekend 45 years after the historic season in which the highlight was the rumble with Sparty in East Lansing.
The list of gridiron luminaries returning to campus is overwhelming….Terry Hanratty, Rocky Bleier. Jim Seymour, Nick Eddy, Big John Lium… the list goes on. But as of the current count, 85 former players have RSVP’ed to join Coach Ara and others in celebration.
We are honored. Welcome back… So many 66- year olds from 1966!
Commonly called the “Biggest Game of Them All” or “The Game of the Century” or “A Gridiron Classic”…all equalling a great and historic college football match-up where the good guys prevailed again.
1966 was Ara Parseghian’s third season at ND after being wooed away from Northwestern. In the previous first two seasons, Ara was 9-1 and 7-2-1. There was a lot of anticipation for the 1966 season with many upperclasmen and senior leadership, including ND Captain great Jim Lynch.
An All-American at ND, Jim also had a highly athletic brother who was a football star at the Naval Academy. Tom Lynch was also an All-American and unlike Jim, rose to the rank of Admiral. He is now retired from the Navy and remains a very successful business executive in Philadelphia–where we have played golf together several times.
People have asked me if it is intimidating to play golf with a college football All-American, a war hero, an Admiral, the former Superintendant of the U.S. Naval Academy and an outstanding business man. Answer: was never intimidating and I was confident and bold…especially while ND enjoyed its decades-long undefeated streak vs. the Middies.
But back to Ara, and as previously reported, he is fit, sprite and engaging. Ara lives in South Bend and Naples and is a regular at Armando’s where his hair has also been perfect since at least 1966–as Time Magazine noted on its cover.
Do you recall how many greats took the field on that gray and overcast November day in East Lansing in 1966? Take a look at the starting line-ups here. Wow.
We have invited, and are expecting a few ND and MSU players from the ’66 teams at our tailgater. They have aged well and their memories and stories are always lively.
A TIE IS A WIN! A WIN IS A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!
Whenever anyone says the score of “1o-10″…all ND fans know the significance.
GO IRISH
Out for now,
Abe