Head coach Jack Mollenkopf faced a sizeable challenge as the Purdue football team embarked on the 1966 season. With the departure of three All-Americans from a team that finished 7-2-1 in 1965, the Boilermakers returned just four starters on offense. Among them, however, was consensus All-America quarterback Bob Griese. With Griese leading the offense and eight returning starters on defense, including veteran linebackers Pat Conley and Bob Yunaska, the Boilermakers were ready for all comers. And they were primed to make history.

The season began spectacularly with a 42-6 romp over Ohio University at Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue racked up a then-school-record 30 first downs on the day as they scored 42 unanswered points after surrendering an early field goal. Defensively, the Boilermakers held the Bobcats to just 86 yards of total offense.

Next up for Purdue: the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, in South Bend. Griese compiled more 200 yards of total offense, and sophomore defensive halfback Leroy Keyes recorded 11 tackles and had a 95-yard fumble return for a touchdown, but it wasn't enough. The seventh-ranked Boilermakers lost 26-14.

The Boilermakers responded with a three-game winning streak: a 35-23 defeat of Southern Methodist, a 35-0 blanking of Iowa, and a nail-biting 22-21 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor when Frank Burke blocked a Wolverine punt in the fourth quarter and returned it for a touchdown.

Purdue traveled to East Lansing for its next game, taking on the second-ranked Michigan State Spartans. The Boilermakers saw early turnovers lead to a 28-0 Spartan lead, and Purdue could not recover. The defending national champions defeated Purdue 41-20, knocking the Boilermakers from the national polls for the first time all season. But it would be the last time Purdue would taste defeat in the fall of '66.

The Boilermakers finished the season with three strong wins against conference foes Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota before hosting Indiana in an Old Oaken Bucket game for the ages. Purdue established school records for total offense with 525 yards, including a school-record 303 yards passing. Griese was masterful in the final home game of his career, passing for three touchdowns, running for two more scores and kicking six extra points. Only a touchdown in the final minute of play enabled the Hoosiers to avoid the shutout, as Purdue cruised to a 51-6 victory and saw the goal posts of Ross-Ade Stadium pulled to the ground in the postgame celebration.

The Boilermakers finished the season ranked fifth in the nation with a record of 8-2, the only two losses coming to eventual co-national champions Michigan State and Notre Dame. And the squad's 6-1 Big Ten record was enough to propel Purdue to Pasadena for the school's first-ever Rose Bowl, thanks to a conference rule preventing Michigan State from playing in consecutive Rose Bowls.

Purdue continued its roll in Pasadena, capping the season with a 14-13 win over USC on Jan. 2, 1967. Sophomore fullback Perry Williams, who led Purdue in rushing (750 yards) and touchdowns (10) for the season, found the end zone twice, with Griese adding both extra points. Defensively, senior back George Catavolos intercepted a two-point conversion pass attempt late in the fourth quarter to preserve the lead and Purdue's only Rose Bowl championship. Senior defensive back John Charles led the Boilermakers with 11 tackles and garnered game Most Valuable Player honors.

The stellar 1966 season led to numerous postseason accolades for the Boilermakers. Griese again was voted an All-American and was joined by Charles and split end Jim Beirne. Six Boilermakers were named first team All-Big Ten: Griese, guard Jack Calcaterra, guard Chuck Erlenbaugh, defensive lineman Chuck Kyle, end George Olion and tackle Lance Olssen. Griese finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting, the highest finish ever for a Purdue player to date.

Seven players from the 1966 team went on to play professional football, including Griese, who enjoyed a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins. Griese is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, as are Keyes and Mollenkopf.

To this day, the 1966 season remains one of the most glorious in the history of Purdue football, when dreams were realized and legends were born.