1968 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

1968 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Eastern champion
Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 15–14 vs. Kansas
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 2
Record11–0
Head coach
Offensive schemeI formation
Defensive coordinatorJim O'Hora (3rd season)
Base defense4–3
Captains
Home stadiumBeaver Stadium
1968 NCAA University Division independents football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Penn State   –   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

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 21NavyNo. 10
W 31–649,273[1]
September 28Kansas StateNo. 4
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
W 25–945,024[2]
October 5at West VirginiaNo. 3
W 31–2034,500[3]
October 12at UCLANo. 3
ABCW 21–635,778[4]
October 26at Boston CollegeNo. 4
W 29–025,272[5]
November 21:00 p.m.ArmyNo. 4
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
W 28–2449,122[6]
November 9Miami (FL)No. 4
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
W 22–749,863[7]
November 16at MarylandNo. 3
W 57–1330,000[8]
November 23at PittsburghNo. 3
W 65–931,224[9]
December 7SyracuseNo. 3
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA (rivalry)
ABCW 30–1238,000[10]
January 1, 1969vs. No. 6 KansasNo. 3
NBCW 15–1477,719[11]

[12]

Game summaries

Miami (FL)

See also: 1968 Miami Hurricanes football team

Vs. Kansas (Orange Bowl)

Main article: 1969 Orange Bowl
See also: 1968 Kansas Jayhawks football team

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
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

  1. ^ "Navy no problem to Penn State, 31–6". Sunday Times Advertiser. September 22, 1968. Retrieved October 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Ranked Penn State beats Kansas State". Rocky Mount Telegram. September 29, 1968. Retrieved October 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Nittany Lions trip Mountaineers, 31–20". The Tampa Tribune. October 6, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Becker, Bill (October 13, 1968). "Penn State subdues U.C.L.A. by 21 to 6 for fourth straight". New York Times. ProQuest 118338789.
  5. ^ "Penn St. triumphs 29–0". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 27, 1968. Retrieved October 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Penn State given scare by Cadets". The Palm Beach Post-Times. November 3, 1968. Retrieved October 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Penn State wins over Hurricanes". Austin American-Statesman. November 10, 1968. Retrieved October 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "State still untouchable". The Sunday Times. November 17, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Penn State smashes hapless Pittsburgh". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 24, 1968. Retrieved October 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Penn State socks Syracuse by 30–12". The Salisbury Post. December 8, 1968. Retrieved October 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Second conversion try gives Penn State win". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. January 2, 1969. Retrieved October 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Schedule/Results (1968 Penn State)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
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