1963 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

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1963 Penn State Nittany Lions football
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 16
Record7–3
Head coach
CaptainRalph Baker
Home stadiumBeaver Stadium
Seasons
← 1962
1964 →
1963 NCAA University Division independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 14 Memphis State   –   9 – 0 – 1
No. 3 Pittsburgh   –   9 – 1 – 0
No. 2 Navy   –   9 – 2 – 0
No. 12 Syracuse   –   8 – 2 – 0
Utah State   –   8 – 2 – 0
Oregon   –   8 – 3 – 0
No. 16 Penn State   –   7 – 3 – 0
Army   –   7 – 3 – 0
Air Force   –   7 – 4 – 0
Boston College   –   6 – 3 – 0
Buffalo   –   5 – 3 – 1
Southern Miss   –   5 – 3 – 1
Idaho   –   5 – 4 – 0
Villanova   –   5 – 4 – 0
Oregon State   –   5 – 5 – 0
San Jose State   –   5 – 5 – 0
Xavier   –   5 – 4 – 1
West Texas State   –   4 – 4 – 1
Florida State   –   4 – 5 – 1
Colgate   –   3 – 4 – 1
New Mexico State   –   3 – 6 – 1
Colorado State   –   3 – 7 – 0
Miami (FL)   –   3 – 7 – 0
Texas Western   –   3 – 7 – 0
Detroit   –   2 – 6 – 1
Holy Cross   –   2 – 6 – 1
Notre Dame   –   2 – 7 – 0
Pacific (CA)   –   2 – 8 – 0
Houston   –   2 – 8 – 0
Boston University   –   1 – 6 – 1
Dayton   –   1 – 7 – 2
Rankings from Coaches Poll

The 1963 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. Led by fourteenth-year head coach Rip Engle, the Nittany Lions were 7–3 and were 16th in the final coaches' poll. Home games were played on campus at Beaver Stadium in University Park; Penn State was independent in football until 1993.

The Nittany Lions were led on the field in 1963 by fifth-year senior quarterback Pete Liske,[1][2] who had been selected in the NFL and AFL drafts the previous December and went on to play a dozen seasons in pro football. The regular season finale against rival Pittsburgh was postponed two weeks following the assassination of President Kennedy.[3][4][5]

Although scoring was off in the 1963 season, the team's defense, headed by 230-pound middle guard (nose tackle in a five man line) Glenn Ressler,[6] was particularly stout, giving up just 92 points in the first 9 games of the season. The Nittany Lions came within a single point of an upset victory over Pitt in the season finale.

Schedule[edit]

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 21at Oregon
W 17–730,355[1][2]
September 28UCLA
W 17–1434,800[7][8]
October 5Ricedagger
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
W 28–738,200[9]
October 12ArmyNo. 9
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
L 7–1048,850[10]
October 19at Syracuse
L 0–939,687[11]
October 26West Virginia
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA (rivalry)
W 20–945,750[12]
November 2at Maryland
W 17–1535,500[13]
November 9at No. 10 Ohio State
W 10–783,519[14]
November 16Holy Cross
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
W 28–1424,200[15]
December 7at No. 4 Pittsburgh
L 21–2252,349[3][4][5]
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Uhrhammer, Jerry (September 20, 1963). "Ducks open against Penn State". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 3B.
  2. ^ a b Uhrhammer, Jerry (September 22, 1963). "Penn State outpunches Oregon in opener, 17-7". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1B.
  3. ^ a b Jordan, Jimmy (November 22, 1963). "57,331 sellout for Pitt-Penn State tilt". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 25.
  4. ^ a b Jordan, Jimmy (December 7, 1963). "55,000 to see Pitt battle Penn State at stadium today". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 12.
  5. ^ a b "Pitt rallies to edge Penn State 22-21". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. December 8, 1963. p. 40.
  6. ^ Dave Leherr, "Ressler Sparks Penn State's Defensive Line," Somerset [PA] Daily American, Nov. 21, 1963, p. 6.
  7. ^ "Penn State edges UCLA on field goal, 17-14". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. September 29, 1963. p. 59.
  8. ^ McHugh, Roy (September 29, 1963). "Penn State squeezes". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, sec. 4.
  9. ^ "Penn State gridders trounce Rice by 28-7". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. October 6, 1963. p. 57.
  10. ^ "Army hands Penn State first defeat, 10-7". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. October 13, 1963. p. 63.
  11. ^ "Syracuse shuts out Penn State". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. October 20, 1963. p. 53.
  12. ^ "Weber nets TD as Penn State defeats Mounts". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. October 27, 1963. p. 33.
  13. ^ "Penn State edges Maryland in 17-15 battle". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. November 3, 1963. p. 41.
  14. ^ "Underdog Penn State nips Ohio State, 10-7". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. November 10, 1963. p. 34.
  15. ^ "Penn State trounces Holy Cross". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. November 17, 1963. p. 37.
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