1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game

1 in the UPI Coaches' poll, but was upset by UCLA in the Rose Bowl the previous year, entered the game ranked No.

The Fighting Irish, whose bid for a national championship two years earlier was snuffed out by Southern Cal, were hungry, while the Spartans had history and home-field advantage on their side.

However, in 1960, the Hawkeyes suddenly dropped the Irish from their schedule, from 1964 onward (the 1963 Notre Dame-Iowa game was cancelled following the assassination of John F. Kennedy).

[7] The ABC broadcast was watched by 33 million viewers and had a 22.5 rating, but it was not televised again for 37 years until ESPN Classic re-aired it on November 27, 2003.

Discovered in an ABC library vault two years earlier in 2001, the telecast footage is mostly intact with the exception of the missing first quarter.

[8] Before and during the game, Notre Dame was mired in injury problems: Irish quarterback Terry Hanratty was knocked out after getting sacked in the first quarter by Spartan defensive lineman Bubba Smith.

[4] Starting Notre Dame running back Nick Eddy was out entirely after hurting his shoulder by slipping on ice while getting off the train in East Lansing.

Michigan State jumped out to a 7–0 lead behind a five-yard touchdown run by Regis Cavender early in the second quarter.

But the Irish came back, quickly scoring a touchdown on a 34-yard pass thrown by backup quarterback Coley O'Brien over the outstretched hand of MSU safety Jess Phillips to halfback Bob Gladieux.

Notre Dame started the second half in prime position to score after recovering a fumble on the Michigan State 32-yard line on the Spartans' first play from scrimmage.

Tom Schoen's second interception on consecutive plays from scrimmage by Michigan State put Notre Dame in a position to take the lead, but Azzaro's 41-yard field goal attempt with 4:38 left on the clock missed by inches to the right.

But coach Ara Parseghian, not wanting to risk a turnover that could hand the game to the Spartans, chose to run the ball four times—including on fourth down, which Notre Dame converted from its own 39-yard line.

Michigan State called three time outs in an unsuccessful attempt to perhaps get the ball back and start a potential game-winning drive of their own.

Echoing one of the great idioms of Notre Dame lore, college football expert Dan Jenkins led off his article on the game for Sports Illustrated by sarcastically saying that Parseghian chose to "Tie one for the Gipper".

[4] Jenkins concluded that Parseghian "felt arrogantly sure that Notre Dame could win the polls with a tie, not just over Michigan State but also over an undefeated and untied Alabama".

According to the same article, Parseghian cited his team's field position and the dynamics of the game as reasons why he hadn't played more aggressively: "We'd fought hard to come back and tie it up.

"[4] The most famous president of each school, Notre Dame’s Father Theodore Hesburgh and MSU’s John Hannah, together went into each locker room to console and congratulate the players.

The two visionary leaders served for several years on the Civil Rights Commission beginning in the late 1950s and sat together during the MSU-Notre Dame battles.