‘Leroy On The Loose’ … Golden Anniversary of Purdue as No. 1

[Born Boiler]

Fifty years ago, Sports Illustrated anointed Purdue as the No. 1 team in the country. The Associated Press did, too. That was in preseason. In season, Purdue proved so by overwhelming host Notre Dame 37-22 in “The Poll Bowl,” pitting college football’s No. 1 vs. No. 2.

That game was on Sept. 28, 1968. Of course, as Boilermaker historians well know, Purdue’s paramount period ended two weeks later with a 13-0 heart-breaker at No. 4 Ohio State, the eventual national champion. Four weeks after that came a shocking stumble at unranked Minnesota, leading to an 8-2, no-bowl finish. Those were the days of win your league or go home.

Purdue was no flash in the pan, though. The 1968 season was the fourth of five straight 2-loss seasons under Jack Mollenkopf -- 7-2-1, 9-2, 8-2, 8-2, 8-2 -- records reflecting “The Big Two, Little Eight.” More like “The Big Two and Purdue,” never finishing lower than third in the Big Ten. Jack left after the fifth, the 1969 season.

Purdue fans can relive and appreciate those weeks of ultimate glory days on the Golden [and Black] Anniversary of “Leroy On The Loose” -- the Notre Dame game story featured in the Oct. 7, 1968 edition of Sports Illustrated. That issue had a fold-out cover for “The Highest Paid Team In Baseball History,” plus an 11-page feature on the Cardinals’ 24th-year announcer, Harry Caray, and a piece on a rising young boxer, George Foreman. Best SI ever. For reading.

Thanks for the permanent memories, Leroy. And Mike, Chuck, Perry and all … Everyone loved seeing the guys at Homecoming. And a big tip of the hat to Jack.

https://www.si.com/vault/1968/10/07/550859/leroy-on-the-loose

https://www.si.com/vault/issue/43118/0

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/september-9-1968-sports-illustrated-cover-college-football-news-photo/107521700

 

[destewart]

That was my second trip to South Bend. The first was when I was 5 years old. That one was amazing as we dominated them and the unsung hero of the game was Bob Dillingham who had his game of a lifetime on
National television.

 

[ChuckJr]

Only trip to Notre Dame. The trip home was a blur. Saw a lot of great football and basketball from 64 to 69.

 

[Bluegrass Boiler]

Interesting closing of the "Leroy on the Loose" article concerning the expectations of a Leroy vs OJ battle for the Heisman at the Rose Bowl that season (which, of course, never happened).

That prior summer I had a summer job and also worked every odd job I could find to save money for school AND the inevitable trip to California over the holidays that everyone expected. When we missed out, I swore to myself I'd go the next year (or whenever we finally got there). Thanks again to Drew Brees and company for making my dreams come true over three decades later. It was considerably costlier to make that trip with a wife and two kids, but thankfully that bucket list item was finally accomplished.

Can't wait until we do it again!

 

[NVboiler]

I distinctly remember being Number 1 in mid-season for a very short time during my senior year at Purdue in 1965.

 

[destewart]

Only trip to Notre Dame. The trip home was a blur. Saw a lot of great football and basketball from 64 to 69.

I distinctly remember being Number 1 in mid-season for a very short time during my senior year at Purdue in 1965.

No. We had the huge upset of # 1 Notre Dame 25-21 on 9/25/65, but the following week tied Hayden Fry’s SMU Mustangs 14-14. We later lost the heartbreaker on Homecoming 14-10 on 10/24/65 to # 2 Michigan State. The following week we imploded in Champaign. 21-0 and finished 7-2-1. The only time we attained # 1 in the polls was 1968.

 

[NVboiler]

No. We had the huge upset of # 1 Notre Dame 25-21 on 9/25/65, but the following week tied Hayden Fry’s SMU Mustangs 14-14. We later lost the heartbreaker on Homecoming 14-10 on 10/24/65 to # 2 Michigan State. The following week we imploded in Champaign. 21-0 and finished 7-2-1. The only time we attained # 1 in the polls was 1968.

We were #2 in the AP poll that year. It must have been in another poll that we were #1, but it's difficult trying to pull up this information now. Perhaps the Harris poll, as I can't find historical information back then on it. I remember putting #1 on my senior cords and then having to put an X through it.

 

[Matt Tiger]

No. We had the huge upset of # 1 Notre Dame 25-21 on 9/25/65, but the following week tied Hayden Fry’s SMU Mustangs 14-14. We later lost the heartbreaker on Homecoming 14-10 on 10/24/65 to # 2 Michigan State. The following week we imploded in Champaign. 21-0 and finished 7-2-1. The only time we attained # 1 in the polls was 1968.

I thought Purdue was No1 for the week after beating ND in 1965.

 

[destewart]

I thought Purdue was No1 for the week after beating ND in 1965.

This should help

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_NCAA_University_Division_football_rankings

 

[NVboiler]

This should help

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_NCAA_University_Division_football_rankings

That really doesn't help as that is the AP poll and it doesn't give details for the UPI coaches poll or the Harris poll for the week in question. (But the voting was very close in the AP poll, and in another results could easily be different.) Both the AP and UPI were the major news organizations back then. As I stated before, finding this information is not easy and I've given up on it. Perhaps it's best pursued from a historical Purdue perspective, although I haven't had any luck there either. But Purdue was definitely #1 in one of the polls back then.

 

[destewart]

That really doesn't help as that is the AP poll and it doesn't give details for the UPI coaches poll or the Harris poll for the week in question. (But the voting was very close in the AP poll, and in another results could easily be different.) Both the AP and UPI were the major news organizations back then. As I stated before, finding this information is not easy and I've given up on it. Perhaps it's best pursued from a historical Purdue perspective, although I haven't had any luck there either. But Purdue was definitely #1 in one of the polls back then.

Never happened on any recognized poll. Our first and only # 1ranking in football was in 1968. If it had happened you would have heard about it here long ago.

 

[destewart]

We were #2 in the AP poll that year. It must have been in another poll that we were #1, but it's difficult trying to pull up this information now. Perhaps the Harris poll, as I can't find historical information back then on it. I remember putting #1 on my senior cords and then having to put an X through it.

That one week. And then tied by unranked SMU and then lost to end of season #1 MSU and then collapsed against Illinois.

 

[NVboiler]

The September 28, 1965 Lafayette Journal Courier has a smaller headline Purdue , Texas rate #1 spots, but without a subscription it's hard to get a good view of it on line and other possibly pertinent articles. And the Purdue Exponent is useless as you cannot view most articles on line except way back almost in pre-history. But having actually lived then and attended Purdue, I know that Purdue was rated #1 in at least one poll in 1965.

 

[NVboiler]

Oh, and here's another newspaper article from back then stating that Purdue was #1 in the UPI poll, as much regarded as the AP one. So much for your incomplete internet search.


https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-sep-29-1965-p-21/

 

[destewart]

Oh, and here's another newspaper article from back then stating that Purdue was #1 in the UPI poll, as much regarded as the AP one. So much for your incomplete internet search.


https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-sep-29-1965-p-21/

My apology. I think you should send that to the Purdue information office to help them prepare for the next time we are ranked # 1. I had no recollection of that one week positioning atop the UPI poll. It was a very disappointing season punctuated by the terrible roughing the passer penalty against MSU QB Steve Juday
called on Jack Calcaterra which resulted the the Spartan’s winning TD. The game against the Illini was just classic letdown after the MSU loss.

 

[Born Boiler]

Only trip to Notre Dame. The trip home was a blur. Saw a lot of great football and basketball from 64 to 69.

A blur ... sounds like the 60s, all right.

 

[Born Boiler]

Purdue’s only time as No. 1 in the AP poll were those first five weeks of 1968, including the preseason poll, according to the Purdue Football Records Book.

The Associated Press rankings are the only ones listed by Purdue, including those in the all-time series and season results. The record book also has a list of weekly AP rankings for each time Purdue has been ranked, from the first year for the AP poll in 1936 to Purdue’s most recent Top 25 appearance, on Oct. 1, 2007.
https://purduesports.com/documents/2018/8/27/2018_Purdue_Records_Book.pdf

Before 1965, Purdue was ranked in the AP Top Ten 34 times in 29 years. In the 50 years since 1968, Purdue has appeared in the Top Ten 13 times … total … including No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10 [twice] in 1969 [Jack Mollenkopf’s last of 14 years], No. 6, No. 5 and No. 10 [twice] in 1979 [Jim Young’s third of five years], No. 9 in 1980 [Young], No. 9 in 2000 [Joe Tiller’s fourth of 12 years], No. 10 in 2003 [Tiller] and No. 9 and No. 5 in 2004 [Tiller].

So, flash back to the mid-60s … Purdue was a Top Ten team for seven weeks in 1965, for eight weeks in 1966 and for all 10 weeks in 1967. Purdue continued its Top Ten run for nine weeks through 1968, until the Minnesota game, falling from No. 6 to No. 15 before finishing the year at No. 10.

That’s 35 Top Ten appearances inside four years. That, folks, is one heckuva nice run … for anybody. Certainly worth remembering here.

Again, whenever you see Griese, Phipps, Keyes and the boys, let them know about it.

 

[jsglenn4]

That really doesn't help as that is the AP poll and it doesn't give details for the UPI coaches poll or the Harris poll for the week in question. (But the voting was very close in the AP poll, and in another results could easily be different.) Both the AP and UPI were the major news organizations back then. As I stated before, finding this information is not easy and I've given up on it. Perhaps it's best pursued from a historical Purdue perspective, although I haven't had any luck there either. But Purdue was definitely #1 in one of the polls back then.

I don't think the UPI (coaches) poll was weekly until sometime in the 70's. I may be wrong, but I believe it was only issued after the last regular season game prior to that.

 

[NVboiler]

Your wrong. Here's a weekly poll result-

Oh, and here's another newspaper article from back then stating that Purdue was #1 in the UPI poll, as much regarded as the AP one. So much for your incomplete internet search. I'm sure that if you do a search of any newspaper back then you'll see the weekly UPI poll. By the way, the Las Vegas Sun has an excellent search site for past newspaper articles.


https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-sep-29-1965-p-21/

 

[Pu71indy]

Fifty years ago, Sports Illustrated anointed Purdue as the No. 1 team in the country. The Associated Press did, too. That was in preseason. In season, Purdue proved so by overwhelming host Notre Dame 37-22 in “The Poll Bowl,” pitting college football’s No. 1 vs. No. 2.

That game was on Sept. 28, 1968. Of course, as Boilermaker historians well know, Purdue’s paramount period ended two weeks later with a 13-0 heart-breaker at No. 4 Ohio State, the eventual national champion. Four weeks after that came a shocking stumble at unranked Minnesota, leading to an 8-2, no-bowl finish. Those were the days of win your league or go home.

Purdue was no flash in the pan, though. The 1968 season was the fourth of five straight 2-loss seasons under Jack Mollenkopf -- 7-2-1, 9-2, 8-2, 8-2, 8-2 -- records reflecting “The Big Two, Little Eight.” More like “The Big Two and Purdue,” never finishing lower than third in the Big Ten. Jack left after the fifth, the 1969 season.

Purdue fans can relive and appreciate those weeks of ultimate glory days on the Golden [and Black] Anniversary of “Leroy On The Loose” -- the Notre Dame game story featured in the Oct. 7, 1968 edition of Sports Illustrated. That issue had a fold-out cover for “The Highest Paid Team In Baseball History,” plus an 11-page feature on the Cardinals’ 24th-year announcer, Harry Caray, and a piece on a rising young boxer, George Foreman. Best SI ever. For reading.

Thanks for the permanent memories, Leroy. And Mike, Chuck, Perry and all … Everyone loved seeing the guys at Homecoming. And a big tip of the hat to Jack.

https://www.si.com/vault/1968/10/07/550859/leroy-on-the-loose

https://www.si.com/vault/issue/43118/0

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/september-9-1968-sports-illustrated-cover-college-football-news-photo/107521700

I was at the game at OSU. We took rolls of toilet paper to throw when we scored(was the thing to do back then). We left them in our seats as we left the game. OSU had a stifling defense that we just could not solve.