GBI Magazine

Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 2

Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.

Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/744300

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 108 of 123

VOLUME 27, ISSUE 2 97 BY ALAN KARPICK AKarpick@GoldandBlack.com I t's funny what the mind remembers. Through the lens of 50 years, there is little doubt that the members of the 1966 Rose Bowl team are flooded with those memories that com- prise the story of one of the greatest seasons in Purdue football history. And when they gathered for their 50-year anniversary celebration in mid-Octo- ber, those stories came out. A quick history lesson: The Boilermakers fin- ished 9-2 in 1966, with their only losses coming to Notre Dame and Michigan State, who finished No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the final rankings that year. Yes, Purdue benefited from the fact that the Spartans were not eligible for the Rose Bowl due to the Big Ten's no-repeat rule — teams couldn't make consecutive trips to Pasadena until the early 1970s — but this was a team that finished the season ranked No. 6. That ranking re- mains the team's best end-of-season ranking since World War II. Safety George Catavolos, the hero of the Boilermakers' 14-13 victory in Pasadena after his interception on USC's last-min- ute two-point conversion at- tempt, recalls the fateful play to be sure, but it was how he was put in position to make such an impactful play that remains ingrained in his memory. "A funny story that (All-America quarterback Bob) Griese and I always talk about is that his freshman year we had eight quarterbacks and as far as throwing ability, Bob couldn't match some of those guys," Catavolos recalled. "So Bob stayed all summer and worked and worked and worked and got his throwing motion, and sure enough PRESENTS: PURDUE'S GREATEST STORIES, TRADITIONS AND PEOPLE Rosey Memories Stories flow during 50-year anniversary celebration of Rose Bowl team Tom Campbell

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of GBI Magazine - Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 2