Adding three-inch thick-style
navy blue numerals to the sides of the helmet dressed up the uniforms a bit in
this significant season. The jump to 8-2 was fueled by young, aggressive players
including ten sophomores who cracked the starting lineup and who pushed the
upperclassmen ahead of them. The names on the Penn State roster would now appear
in the pro ranks in significant numbers and on a yearly basis. Tom Sherman ran
the show at QB and after two years in the NFL later reappeared with the N.Y.
Stars of the WFL and his target was often junior All American Ted Kwalick, now a
220 pound TE with the agility of a running back. Jack Curry came back for
another solid season opposite Kwalick. The sophomore running backs Charlie
Pittman, who stepped in as the leading rusher had pounding Don Abbey a do-it-all
FB in front of him. Reserve QB Frank Spaziani was moved to defensive end and
later in his career safety, moves which gave him the experience to eventually
become the head coach at Long Island's Hempstead H.S. and he current defensive
coordinator at Boston College. Rich Buzin and Bill Lenkaitis were solid in
prepping for their eventual NFL careers. The defense had an influx of Super-Sophs
with Dennis Onkotz following Ralph Baker as the pipeline to the pros for Penn
State linebackers. Onkotz was in on the game-saving tackle that preserved the
13-8 win over Number Three ranked North Carolina State (QB'ed by future Marshall
and Georgia head coach Jim Donnan) that brought more national attention and a
Gator Bowl bid to Penn State. The defense also featured soph starters Steve
Smear, John Ebersole, and Mike Reid, all of whom had the NFL in their future.
The shaven-headed Lions closed out the season with a 17-17 tie in the Gator Bowl
against a loaded Ron Sellers-led Florida State team and Paterno knew he could
tweak his young talent and take them even further. As the '67 soph class
matured, Paterno had the makings of a dynasty and his juggernaut stoned all ten
opponents before playing in one of the most exciting Orange Bowl games ever.
Onkotz, Reid, and Pittman played at All American level and TE Ted Kwalick, later
to take his wares to the 49ers, was everyone's All American. Steve Smear at DT
lived up to his name, teaming with future Jet John Ebersole and Mike Reid to
lead an awesome defense. Between them, Reid and Smear had 108 tackles, 62
assists, four recovered fumbles, and two blocked kicks. The constant pass rush
helped shutdown defensive backs Pete Johnson and Neal Smith to numerous
interceptions. A growing talent opposite Onkotz was outside linebacker Jack
Ham. Center Warren Koegel from Seaford (LI) H.S. and Chuck Burkhart provided
offensive stability and leadership with Bob Campbell again the all around back
who augmented the brilliance of Pittman. The Lions first 10-0 season was
followed by a heart-stopping Orange Bowl contest against a Kansas team featuring
John Riggins, Bobby Douglas, and Don Shanklin. The tense, hard-fought game was
7-7 at the half, and with less than two minutes to play, 14-7 Kansas. With 1:20
remaining, the Lions blocked a punt with a ten man charge and then drove to the
Jayhawk three where a Burkhart rollout made the score 14-13. Electing to go for
the win, Burkhart's pass was deflected by a group of jubilant defenders but
flags were down indicating that Kansas had twelve men on the field. Films later
showed that Kansas had twelve men on the field for the final eighty seconds of
the tense finish! Linebacker Rick Abernethy never left the field when his sub
came in. Now facing eleven men, Campbell swept to his left for the 15-14 victory
that left Penn State ranked number two in the nation with an undefeated and
untied 11-0 season.
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