1966 Syracuse Orangemen football team

1966 Syracuse Orangemen football
Eastern champion
Gator Bowl, L 12–18 vs. Tennessee
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 16
Record	8–3
Head coach	Ben Schwartzwalder (18th season)
Captain	Floyd Little, Herb Stecker[1]
Home stadium	Archbold Stadium

1966 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–				9	–	0	–	1
Colgate		–		–				8	–	1	–	1
No. 8 Georgia Tech		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
Army		–		–				8	–	2	–	0
Dayton		–		–				8	–	2	–	0
Houston		–		–				8	–	2	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				7	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Miami (FL)		–		–				8	–	2	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–				8	–	2	–	1
Syracuse		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Colorado State		–		–				7	–	3	–	0
New Mexico State		–		–				7	–	3	–	0
West Texas State		–		–				7	–	3	–	0
Villanova		–		–				6	–	3	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				6	–	3	–	1
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	4	–	0
Texas Western		–		–				6	–	4	–	0
Tulane		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
Florida State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Buffalo		–		–				5	–	5	–	0
Penn State		–		–				5	–	5	–	0
Air Force		–		–				4	–	6	–	0
Boston College		–		–				4	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–				4	–	6	–	0
Utah State		–		–				4	–	6	–	0
Xavier		–		–				4	–	6	–	0
Pacific		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
San Jose State		–		–				3	–	7	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				1	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1966 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. The Orangemen were led by 18th-year head coach Ben Schwartzwalder and played their home games at Archbold Stadium in Syracuse, New York. After losing their first two games of the season, Syracuse won the next eight games, finishing the regular season with a record of 8–2 and ranked 16th in the Coaches Poll. They were invited to the 1966 Gator Bowl, where they lost to Tennessee.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	at Baylor	No. 7	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	L 12–35	31,000
September 24	No. 2 UCLA		Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	L 12–31	35,000
October 1	Maryland		Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 28–7	24,000	[2]
October 8	Navy		Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 28–14	39,000
October 15	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 30–0	24,500
October 22	at Holy Cross		Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 28–6	19,000	[3]
October 29	Pittsburgh		Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY (rivalry)	W 33–7	30,000
November 5	at Penn State		Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	W 12–10	46,314
November 12	Florida State		Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 37–21	35,405
November 19	at West Virginia		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	W 34–7	19,000	[4]
December 31	vs. Tennessee		Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	L 12–18	60,213	[5]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[6][1]

References

1. 2017 Syracuse football media guide. pg. 149
2. "Syracuse trounces Maryland". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 2, 1966. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Strauss, Michael (October 23, 1966). "Syracuse Gains 28-6 Victory Over Holy Cross After Scoreless First Half". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S7.
4. "Syracuse thumps West Va., 34–7, for eighth straight". Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel. November 20, 1966. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Vols squeeze Orange behind Warren, 18–12". The Palm Beach Post. January 1, 1967. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "1966 Syracuse Orange Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2018.