The team starred two-time All American end Dave Schreiner and halfback Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch, finished with an 8–1–1 record, ranked third in the final AP Poll, and was named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation.

The Badgers beat the AP national champion, Ohio State, 17–7, but lost to unheralded Iowa, 6–0 and tied Notre Dame, 7–7.

That glorious Badger season was played in a final-fling atmosphere on campus with many students, including football players, already enlisted in the service and awaiting their callups to active duty during World War II.

In the unarmed version of the P-38, he made solo or tandem flights over Japanese targets to take photographs in advance of bombing missions.

Two starters (Schreiner and tackle Bob Baumann) were killed in action on Okinawa and the Badgers compiled a stunning collection of military honors in various service branches and around the world.

[7] When Casanova became athletic director, Frei was named UO's 25th head coach in January 1967,[8][9] the first year at the new Autzen Stadium, north of campus.

[17] In a pattern that would continue for most of his NFL coaching and administrative career, his official Oregon coaching biography published in media guides and programs made no mention of his military service during World War II and made no attempt to explain the four-year gap between his sophomore and junior seasons as a Wisconsin player.

The final game was a 30–29 home loss to Oregon State in the Civil War, with halfback Ahmad Rashad (then known as Bobby Moore) unable to play because a bruised thigh.

Radical student body president Iain Moore issued a statement to the Oregon media, declaring: "In an un-ideal situation, Jerry Frei ran as ideal a program as possible with the broad interests of the participants pre-eminent in his mind and actions.