In November of 1966, Michigan State and Notre Dame were in a virtual dead heat atop all the wire service polls for the No. 1 ranking. The Spartans were 9-0 going into their final game against the Fighting Irish, who were 8-0, and still had USC to play a week later.
No game before or since had the build up that this one had. It was labeled The Game of the Century. ABC was rubbing it’s hands in anticipation, as it was obviously going to be the highest rated program on television that week, and perhaps for the year. The first Super Bowl was a few months away.
The entire nation was talking about this game. As a high school junior in southern California, I can remember there being much talk about this game among mostly UCLA & USC fans. The pregame suspense was torture.
This game had everything on the line. Neither team was going to a bowl game. At the time, the Big 10 had an idiotic “no-repeat” rule. Michigan State had gone to the Rose Bowl the previous year, thus was ineligible for any post season play, as only the conference champion could go to a bowl, and only to Pasadena.
Notre Dame had not gone to any bowl since the 1924 Rose Bowl. The Irish had a “no-bowl” policy, period. They just played the regular season, and that was it, win, lose, or draw.
Finally, Game Day. You couldn’t beg, borrow, buy, or steal a ticket to Spartan Stadium in East Lansing that day. People outside the stadium were supposedly offering as much as $2000 to ticketholders for their ducats.
After spotting MSU a 10-0 lead, Notre Dame scratched and clawed it’s way back to even the score in the fourth quarter. With about 3 minutes left in the game, the Spartans punted, figuring they’d get the ball back.
Then it happened. Or should I say, it didn’t happen. Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian ordered QB Coley O’Brien to run the ball. No passes whatsoever. Even though deep in their own territory, the Irish ran repeated safe running plays. The crowd smelled the rodent immediatly, and the game ended in a 10-10 tie to a monsoon of boos. Even Notre Dame boosters were observed booing. The next day, Sunday sports editions nationwide were about ready to construct a cross for a coaching crucifiction.
In Notre Dame’s defense (I can’t believe I’m saying that), Parseghian made what he felt was the correct call. Starting QB Terry Hanratty had been knocked out of the game in the 2nd quarter by Bubba Smith. Backup QB O’Brien was worn out from defensive pressure, late hits, and was diabetic.
The general thinking in the era of tie games was that a tie was just as good as a win for the road team. The next week, Notre Dame, leaving it’s starters in the entire game, beat USC in Los Angeles 51-0. Notre Dame was overwhelmingly voted as the National Champions.
Things have obviously changed since then. After many years of one proposal or another, the NCAA finally got rid of tie games in college football. The new overtime rules should have been called The Ara Parseghian Rule in his honor. Parseghian himself now refuses to talk about that game. When he turned down an ABC interview request for the 40th anniversary of the game in 2006, he said that he’s done all the talking about it that he’s ever going to do. He still gets grief from people about that game.
Michigan State coach Hugh (Duffy) Daugherty went to his grave kicking himself over this game. He blamed himself for making the decision to punt. An unimaginative offensive plan, which was typical in the Big 10 in those days, didn’t help either.
This was the game that made nobody happy.
Tags: Big 10, College Football, Football, Michigan State, Notre Dame
