1968 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

1968 Penn State Nittany Lions football
1968 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Eastern champion; Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 15–14 vs. Kansas
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 2
Record	11–0
Head coach	Joe Paterno (3rd season);
Offensive scheme	I formation
Defensive coordinator	Jim O'Hora (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	John Kulka; Mike Reid; Steve Smear;
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium

1968 NCAA University Division independents football records
	Conf.			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 2		–		11	–	0	–	0
Rutgers		–		8	–	2	–	0
West Texas State		–		8	–	2	–	0
No. 5 Notre Dame		–		7	–	2	–	1
Florida State		–		8	–	3	–	0
Air Force		–		7	–	3	–	0
Army		–		7	–	3	–	0
Buffalo		–		7	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Houston		–		6	–	2	–	2
Utah State		–		7	–	3	–	0
Boston College		–		7	–	3	–	0
West Virginia		–		7	–	3	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		7	–	4	–	0
Syracuse		–		6	–	4	–	0
Villanova		–		6	–	4	–	0
Xavier		–		6	–	4	–	0
Colgate		–		5	–	5	–	0
Dayton		–		5	–	5	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		5	–	5	–	0
New Mexico State		–		5	–	5	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		4	–	6	–	0
Southern Miss		–		4	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		3	–	6	–	1
San Jose State		–		3	–	7	–	0
Navy		–		2	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		2	–	8	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		1	–	9	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1968 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University as an independents the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Led by third-year head coach Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions compiled a perfect record of 11–0 with a win in the Orange Bowl over Kansas. The team played home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

The 1968 team was Paterno's first perfect season. Despite going 11–0, the Nittany Lions finished behind 10–0 Ohio State in the final AP poll (conducted after bowl season), and behind Ohio State and 9–0–1 USC in the final Coaches Poll (conducted before bowl season).

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21		Navy	No. 10	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 31–6	49,273
September 28		Kansas State	No. 4	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 25–9	45,024
October 5		at West Virginia	No. 3	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)		W 31–20	34,500	^[1]
October 12		at UCLA	No. 3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	ABC	W 21–6	35,772
October 26		at Boston College	No. 4	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		W 29–0	25,272
November 2	1:00 p.m.	Army	No. 4	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 28–24	49,653
November 9		Miami (FL)	No. 4	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 22–7	49,863–50,132
November 16		at Maryland	No. 3	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD (rivalry)		W 57–13	30,000	^[2]
November 23		at Pittsburgh	No. 3	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)		W 65–9	31,224
December 7		Syracuse	No. 3	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 30–12	41,393
January 1, 1969		vs. No. 6 Kansas	No. 3	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	NBC	W 15–14	77,719
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Miami (FL)

Vs. Kansas (Orange Bowl)

Roster

1968 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`80`	Leon Angevine	Sr
OT	`73`	Dave Bradley	Sr
QB	`22`	Chuck Burkhart	Sr
WR	`23`	Bob Campbell	Sr
QB	`25`	Mike Cooper	So
WR	`88`	Greg Edmonds	So
RB		Fran Ganter	So
G	`63`	Tom Jackson	Jr
C	`56`	Warren Koegel	So
RB	`24`	Charlie Pittman	Jr
TE	`82`	Ted Kwalick	Sr
G	`60`	Charlie Zapiec	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DT	`72`	John Ebersole	Jr
LB	`33`	Jack Ham	So
LB	`51`	Gary Hull	So
DE	`15`	Mark Koiwai	So
LB	`35`	Dennis Onkotz	Jr
DT	`68`	Mike Reid	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Head coach

Joe Paterno

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

After the season

1969 NFL/AFL draft

Five Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft.

Round	Pick	Overall	Name	Position	Team
1st	7	7	Ted Kwalick	Tight end	San Francisco 49ers
2nd	12	38	Dave Bradley	Offensive guard	Green Bay Packers
4th	4	82	Bob Campbell	Wide receiver	Pittsburgh Steelers
7th	18	174	John Kulka	Offensive guard	Miami Dolphins
15th	3	367	Leon Angevine	Running back/Wide receiver	Philadelphia Eagles

References

^ "Nittany Lions trip Mountaineers, 31–20". The Tampa Tribune. October 6, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "State still untouchable". The Sunday Times. November 17, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[1] "Nittany Lions trip Mountaineers, 31–20". The Tampa Tribune. October 6, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "State still untouchable". The Sunday Times. November 17, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[1]

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Penn State Nittany Lions football
Venues	Old Main lawn (until 1891) Beaver Field (1892–1908) New Beaver Field (1909–1959) Beaver Stadium (1960–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota: Governor's Victory Bell Ohio State Old Ironsides Pittsburgh Syracuse West Virginia
Culture & lore	Nittany Lion "Fight On, State" Penn State Blue Band Uplifting Athletes Joe Paterno statue Something for Joey 1982 Nebraska game Child sex abuse scandal 2016 Ohio State game Paterno White Out 2021 Illinois game
People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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National championship seasons in bold