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
Conf. RankTeamHead coachAP finalAP highOverall recordConf. recordPPGPAGMVP1MichiganBump Elliott#4#49–16–123.58.3Bob Timberlake2Ohio StateWoody Hayes#9#17–25–116.28.4Ed Orazen3PurdueJack MollenkopfNR#176–35–218.716.2Bob Hadrick4 (tie)IllinoisPete ElliottNR#26–34–315.811.1Dick Butkus4 (tie)MinnesotaMurray WarmathNRNR5–44–315.114.6Joe Pung6Michigan StateDuffy DaughertyNR#94–53–315.115.7Dick Gordon7 (tie)NorthwesternAlex AgaseNRNR3–62–510.618.2Pat Riley7 (tie)WisconsinMilt BruhnNRNR3–62–510.921.1Carl Silvestri9 (tie)IowaJerry BurnsNRNR3–61–518.923.2Karl Noonan9 (tie)IndianaPhil DickensNRNR2–71–517.220.9Rich Badar 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.
Northwestern 7, Oregon State 3. Northwestern defeated Oregon State, 7–3, before a crowd of 35,805 at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. In the first quarter, Northwestern quarterback Tom Myers led the Wildcats on a 95-yard scoring drive in which he completed six of eight passes. Steve Murphy scored on a two-yard run for the game's only touchdown. Wisconsin 17, Kansas State 7. Wisconsin defeated Kansas State, 17–7, before a crowd of 46,445 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin scored two touchdowns in the second quarter. Wisconsin fullback Ralph Kurek scored on a one-yard run, and June scored when he recovered quarterback Harold Brandt's fumble in the end zone. Kaye also kicked a field goal for Wisconsin in the fourth quarter.
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.
Illinois 20, California 14. Illinois (ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll) defeated California, 20–14, before a crowd of 44,704 at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California. With less than a minute remaining in the game, California quarterback Craig Morton appeared to have completed a touchdown pass, but the receiver was ruled out of bounds. Fred Custardo scored two touchdowns for Illinois, and Jim Grabowski scored one. Ohio State 27, SMU 8. Ohio State (ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll) defeated SMU, 27–8, before a crowd of 80,737 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Bob Funk kicked two field goals and three extra points for Ohio State. Ohio State also intercepted three SMU passes. Michigan 24, Air Force 7. Michigan defeated Air Force, 24–7, before a crowd of 69,888 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan quarterback Bob Timberlake scored on a one-yard touchdown run and led Michigan on two 80-yard touchdown drives. Mel Anthony scored a touchdown on a four-yard run in the second quarter, and Timberlake kicked a 26-yard field goal at the end of the first half. Michigan also recovered three Air Force fumbles. Purdue 17, Ohio 0. Purdue defeated Ohio, 17–0, before a crowd of 45,321 at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. In his college football debut, Bob Griese scored every point in the game with two touchdowns on quarterback sneaks, a 36-yard field goal, and two extra point kicks. Ohio was held to 93 yards combined passing and rushing. Nebraska 26, Minnesota 21. In a nationally televised game, Nebraska defeated Minnesota, 26–21, before a crowd of 50,237 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Minnesota led, 21–12, with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining, but Nebraska scored two touchdowns in the closing minutes. Notre Dame 31, Wisconsin 7. Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin, 31–7, before a crowd of 64,398 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Northwestern 14, Indiana 13. Northwestern defeated Indiana, 14–13, before a crowd of 30,727 at Seventeenth Street in Bloomington, Indiana. Iowa 34, Idaho 24. Iowa defeated Idaho, 34–24, before a crowd of 43,300 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Idaho led, 21–14, at halftime and 24–21 at the start of the fourth quarter. Iowas scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Halfback Dalton Kimble scored three Iowa touchdowns, and Gary Snook passed for 226 yards. North Carolina 21, Michigan State 15. North Carolina defeated Michigan State, 21-15, at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
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.
Michigan State 17, USC 7. Michigan State defeated USC (ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll), 17–7, before a crowd of 70,104 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State took a 3–0 lead at halftime on a 49-yard field goal by Dick Kenney. Clinton Jones scored a touchdown to give Michigan a 10–0 lead in the third quarter. USC closed the gap with its own third quarter touchdown, and 1965 Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett rushed for 94 yards on 26 carries. In the end, the Spartans' defense held the Trojans, which had scored 40 points against No. 2 Oklahoma the prior week, to the lone touchdown. Illinois 17, Northwestern 6. Illinois (ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll) defeated Northwestern, 17–6, before a crowd of 52,062 at Dyche Stadium in Evanston. Illinois quarterback Fred Custardo completed 10 of 13 passes and kicked a field goal and two extra points. Sammy Price scored two touchdowns for the Illini. Northwestern quarterback Tommy Myers completed only nine of 28 passes and was intercepted four times. Ohio State 17, Indiana 9. Ohio State (ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll) defeated Indiana, 17–9, before a crowd of 81,834 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Indiana quarterback Rich Badar passed for 227 yards and a touchdown, but Ohio State defensive back Arnie Chonko intercepted three passes, the third coming with 14 seconds remaining in the game and Indiana at Ohio State's eight-yard line. In a departure from Ohio State's usual focus on the run game, Buckeye quarterback completed 15 of 22 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Indiana fullback Tom Nowatzke rushed for 75 yards kicked a Big Ten record 50-yard field goal. Michigan 21, Navy 0. Michigan (ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll) defeated Navy (ranked No. 6), 21–0, before a crowd of 70,608 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The game was marked by 11 turnovers, six by Navy and five by Michigan. Navy quarterback Roger Staubach completed 16 of 30 passes for 166 yards but was intercepted twice. Staubach was eventually forced from the game, limping after being knocked to the turf by Michigan defensive tackle Bill Yearby. The game broke a 20-game streak during which the Midshipmen had not been shut out under Staubach. The New York Times wrote that the Wolverines "brought Roger Staubach, the heroic middie quarterback, back into focus as an ordinary mortal." Michigan wingback Carl Ward rushed for 74 yards on 18 carries and scored two of Michigan's three touchdowns. Michigan linebacker Tom Cecchini had two fumble recoveries and an interception in the game. Notre Dame 34, Purdue 15. Notre Dame (ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll) defeated Purdue, 34–15, before a crowd of 59,611 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Iowa 28, Washington 18. Iowa defeated Washington (ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll), 28–18, before a crowd of 47,906 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Minnesota 26, California 20. Minnesota defeated California, 26-20, before a crowd of 53,000 at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California.
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.
Ohio State 26, Illinois 0. Ohio State (ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll) defeated Illinois (ranked No. 2), 26–0, before a crowd of 71,227 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. Ohio State scored in the early minutes of the game after John Fill intercepted a pass and returned it 48 yards. Ohio State fullback Willard Sander scored two touchdowns. Quarterback Don Unverferth ran for a touchdown and completed eight of 18 passes for 130 yards. Illinois had not beaten Ohio State since 1950. Michigan 17, Michigan State 10. Michigan (ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll) defeated Michigan State (ranked No. 9), 17–10, before a crowd of 78,234 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Michigan had not defeated Michigan State since 1955. The game attracted "the largest crowd ever assembled at Spartan Stadium" up to that time. Michigan State scored its only touchdown in the first quarter after recovering a fumble recovery off an errant pitch from Bob Timberlake to Mel Anthony. Michigan State led, 10–3, halfway through the fourth quarter, but Michigan scored 14 points in the final seven minutes on a comeback led by sophomore halfback Rick Sygar. With seven minutes remaining, Sygar caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Timberlake. On the final drive, he took a pitch from Timberlake at the Michigan State 31-yard line and threw a touchdown pass to John Henderson. Having missed a two-point conversion attempt on the first Michigan touchdown, Timberlake threw to Steve Smith for the two-point conversion on the final score. Purdue 28, Wisconsin 7. Purdue defeated Wisconsin, 28–7, before a crowd of 44,396 at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.