The Wayne State Tartars football program, 1960–1969 represented Wayne State University during the 1960s as a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). The team was led by three head coaches during the decade: Harold D. Willard (1960–1963); Stanley Marshall (1964); and Vernon Gale (1965–1971).
1960
The 1960 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University of Detroit. In their first year under head coach Harold D. Willard, the Tartars compiled a 4–3 record (3–2 in conference games), tied for third place in the PAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 140 to 119.
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1961
The 1961 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University of Detroit. In their second year under head coach Harold D. Willard, the team compiled a 1–6 record (1–4 against PAC opponents), was outscored by a total of 271 to 37, and finished seventh in the PAC.
Wayne State linebacker Barry Sarver was named to the 1961 All-Presidents Athletic Conference football team.
On October 28, Wayne State suffered the worst defeat in PAC history, losing, 62-0, against John Carroll. The Tartars tallied minus-nine yards rushing in the game. Three weeks later, the team then lost to Wittenberg by a 77-0 margin.
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1962
The 1962 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University of Detroit. In their third year under head coach Harold D. Willard, the Tartars compiled a 0–6–1 record (0–4–1 in conference games), finished last in the PAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 197 to 53.
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1963
The 1963 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University of Detroit. In their fourth year under head coach Harold D. Willard, the Tartars compiled a 3–4 record (3–3 in conference games), finished in fourth place in the PAC, and were outscored by a total of 102 to 76.
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1964
The 1964 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University as a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. In their first and only year under head coach Stanley Marshall, the Tartars compiled a 4–3–1 record (4–1–1 in conference games), won the PAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 79 to 77.
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1965
The 1965 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University as a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) during the 1965 NCAA College Division football season. In their first year under head coach Vernon Gale, the Tartars compiled a 3–4–1 record (3–2–1 in conference games), finished in fourth place in the PAC, and were outscored by a total of 126 to 91.
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1966
The 1966 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University as a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) during the 1966 NCAA College Division football season. In their second year under head coach Vernon Gale, the Tartars compiled a 2–6 record and were outscored by a total of 233 to 128.
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1967
The 1967 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University as an independent during the 1967 NCAA College Division football season. The team compiled a 7–2 record, averaged 376.1 yard of total offense per game, and scored 275 points and 40 touchdowns, each of which was a school record at the time.2016 Football Media Guide, p. 105. Vernon Gale was in his third year as the team's head coach.2016 Media Guide, p. 115. The team's tallies of 48 points against Michigan Tech and 49 points against were the highest point totals by a Wayne football team since 1951.
The team began the season with seven consecutive victories. In the sixth victory against Eastern Michigan, a capacity crowd was drawn to Tartar Field, leading Detroit Free Press columnist Joe Falls to write: "They were standing on rooftops, fence tops, car tops and tree tops – anything that would hold them. They jammed into those rickety old porches along Hobart Street and they climbed telephone poles and held on for dear life. . . . This was backyard football at its best – maybe the finest moment in the history of Wayne State University."
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback A. J. "Apple Juice" Vaughn with 1,090 passing yards and 776 rushing yards and Paul Hay with 253 receiving yards.2016 Media Guide, p. 109. Vaughn set school records (since broken) with 17 touchdown passes, 207.3 yards of total offense per game, 1,882 yards of total offense, and a 142.01 passing efficiency rating.2016 Media Guide, p. 103. In Wayne's victory over , Vaughn set a national NCAA College Division record with 555 yards of total offense (271 rushing yards on 26 carries and 284 passing yards with 11 completions on 21 passes). At the end of the 1967 season, the Detroit Free Press joked that "the Wayne State crew turned out more records in the past nine weeks than Motown, let alone the RCA victors."
The 1967 season was the last year in which Wayne State played its home games at Tartar Field. WSU Stadium opened in 1968.2016 Media Guide, p. 117.
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Players The following players were awarded letters for their participation on Wayne State's 1967 football team:2016 Media Guide, pp. 118-121.
Leonard Boehm Jeffrey Cetlinski Wilfred Cortis Jr. George Crawford Alan Faigin Gregory Gargulinski Peter Garrisi Richard Goranowski Edward Grewe Paul Hay Louis Howson Restine Jackson III Leit Jones Charles Kirkland James Konopka David Krupski - co-captain David Lillvis Ronald Lock Edward Pavoris Joseph Piersante David Redman Douglas Rynaert Mark Rich Douglas Rowe Kenneth Semelsberger Marshall Shencopp Thomas Sheppard Ronald Solack Alexander Tischler A. J. Vaughn - co-captain Thomas Wilson
1968
The 1968 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University as an independent during the 1968 NCAA College Division football season. In their fourth year under head coach Vernon Gale, the Tartars compiled a 3–6 record and were outscored by a total of 232 to 144.
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1969
The 1969 Wayne State Tartars football team represented Wayne State University as an independent during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season. In their fifth year under head coach Vernon Gale, the Tartars compiled a 4–4 record and outscored opponents by a total of 155 to 147.
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References