1966 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1966 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record4–6 (4–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPRon Guenther
Captains
  • Bo Batchelder
  • Kai Anderson
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1966 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Michigan State $ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 1
No. 7 Purdue 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Michigan 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
4 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Minnesota 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 5 – 1
Ohio State 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Northwestern 2 – 4 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Wisconsin 2 – 4 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Indiana 1 – 5 – 1 1 – 8 – 1
Iowa 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1966 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1966 Big Ten season. In their seventh year under head coach Pete Elliott, the Fighting Illini compiled a 4–6 record (4–3 in conference games), tied for third place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 193 to 173.[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Bob Naponic (998 passing yards, 43.2% completion percentage), running back Bill Huston (420 rushing yards, 4.7 yards per carry), and wide receiver John Wright (60 receptions for 831 yards).[2] Guard Ron Guenther was selected as the team's most valuable player.[3] Defensive end Ken Kmiec and defensive back Bruce Sullivan received first-team honors on the 1966 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[4][5]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 17at SMU*
L 7–2628,000[6]
September 24Missouri*
L 14–2155,378
October 1No. 1 Michigan State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 10–2657,747[7]
October 8Ohio State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (Illibuck)
W 10–951,069
October 15at Indiana
W 24–1039,339–39,399[8]
October 22Stanford*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 3–656,561
October 29at Purdue
L 21–2561,643
November 5at Michigan
W 28–2159,322[9]
November 12Wisconsin
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 49–1453,645
November 19at Northwestern
L 7–3537,625
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

  1. ^ "1966 Illinois Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  2. ^ "1966 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "MSU Dominates All-Big Ten Team". The Pantagraph. November 23, 1966. p. 13.
  5. ^ "Eight Spartans, Six From Michigan All Big Ten". The Holland, Michigan Evening Sentinel. November 23, 1966. p. 17.
  6. ^ "SMU shocks Illini in 26–7 upset win". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. September 18, 1966. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Roy Damer (October 2, 1966). "Battling Illini Beaten: Michigan State Thwarts Upset Bid, 26-10". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, 3 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Indiana Football 2023 Record Book" (PDF). Indiana University. p. 14. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  9. ^ Jack Saylor (November 6, 1966). "Pete Wins 1st From Bump In 28–21 Upset". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
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