[Xs & Joes #46] Bill Murphy Part 2 - The 1967 Rose Bowl Journey
The conversation picks up with the 1967 team’s journey to Pasadena and weaves through decades of IU football lore.
Bob Moats and Mike Wiemuth welcome back IU historian Bill Murphy for part two of their deep dive into Indiana football history, perfectly timed as the Hoosiers prepare for their first Rose Bowl appearance in nearly 60 years.
The conversation picks up with the 1967 team’s journey to Pasadena and weaves through decades of IU football lore.
The 1967 Rose Bowl Journey
Bill shares fascinating details about how the ‘67 team learned of their Rose Bowl invitation—John Pont called Harold Morrow around 7:30 PM after the Purdue victory.
The hosts discuss the historic irony that had the Big Ten started sending teams to the Rose Bowl in 1945 instead of 1946, Indiana would’ve been first rather than last. Bill reveals that IU sent 35 charter jets to Pasadena, the largest airplane migration of any school that year, and recounts how Hoosiers literally founded Pasadena in 1874 as “the Indiana Colony” before T.B. Elliott renamed it with a Chippewa word meaning “Valley Between the Hills.”
OJ Simpson, USC, and What Could Have Been
The conversation turns to the Rose Bowl matchup against USC’s dominant team featuring OJ Simpson and Ron Yary. B
ill shares player accounts that Simpson was so fierce he bent face masks while being tackled, though multiple players insist OJ didn’t actually cross the goal line on the second touchdown. The 14-3 final score was respectable against what Bill calls one of the best teams in the nation—USC had demolished top-five teams Notre Dame and Texas that season, making IU’s performance far less embarrassing than the score might suggest.
Deep Cuts: The 1945 Team and Eisenhower
The trio uncovers a remarkable piece of history: in 1945, Army wanted to play undefeated Indiana to determine the national champion, but Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower refused to let the game happen.
Bill discusses his definitive book on the ‘45 team and shares memories of George Taliaferro, who signed a book for him “To Murph” at a 2007 homecoming signing, recounting Taliaferro’s profound impact on both IU and civil rights.
Herman Wells and the NCAA Probation Era
The conversation takes a serious turn as Bill explains the Phil Dickens era and NCAA probation. Dr. Robert Mizon once corrected Bill’s understanding: Dickens had proof that Purdue, Michigan, and Ohio State were doing the same recruiting violations but Herman Wells refused to expose them, throwing away the evidence and insisting IU follow the rules regardless of others.
Bob shares personal stories of Wells’ presence and character, including how Wells integrated Bloomington restaurants in the late 1940s by threatening to make the Gables off-limits to all students if George Taliaferro couldn’t eat there.
1968 Robbery at Purdue
Bill recounts the controversial 1968 game at West Lafayette where Purdue was given a first down after officials measured twice, moving the chains between measurements to give Purdue the yardage they needed—what Bob diplomatically calls “recalibration” but Bill calls what it is: cheating.
This episode brought to you by the Back Home Network and Homefield Apparel.
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