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1965 Idaho Vandals football team


1965 Idaho Vandals football
Big Sky Conference
5–5 (3–1 Big Sky)
Steve Musseau (1st season)
Steve Buratto
Joe Dobson
Neale Stadium

The 1965 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1965 NCAA University Division football season. The Vandals were led by first-year head coach Steve Musseau and played in the Big Sky Conference for the first time; they played the previous six seasons as an independent in the NCAA University Division. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.

Musseau was previously the defensive coach and was promoted after the February departure of Dee Andros for Oregon State.

Led on the field by quarterback John Foruria and fullback Ray McDonald, both juniors, the Vandals were 5–5 overall and 3–1 in conference play. Idaho won the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State for the second straight year, this time by a score of 17–13 at Rogers Field in Pullman. It was the first time Idaho logged consecutive wins over the Cougars in forty years. The Vandals lost close games to the other three Northwest teams of the AAWU (Pac-8).

The other two quarterbacks were Jerry Ahlin and Joe Rodriguez, who both started games in 1965.

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 181:30 pmat Washington*Husky StadiumSeattle, WAL 9–1454,500–54,682
September 251:30 pmSan Jose State*Neale StadiumMoscow, IDW 17–710,500
October 21:30 pmat Washington State*Rogers FieldPullman, WA (rivalry)W 17–1322,600
October 912:30 pmat Utah State*old Romney StadiumLogan, UTL 19–3013,732
October 1612:30 pmvs. Oregon State*old Bronco StadiumBoise, IDL 14–1613,000
October 2312:30 pmat MontanaDornblaser FieldMissoula, MT (rivalry)W 35–77,100
October 301:30 pmat Oregon*Hayward FieldEugene, ORL 14–1715,500
November 612:30 pmat Weber StateWildcat StadiumOgden, UTL 7–148,029
November 131:30 pmIdaho StateNeale StadiumMoscow, IDW 15–712,250
November 201:30 pmMontana StateNeale StadiumMoscow, IDW 54–03,500
*Non-conference gameHomecomingAll times are in Pacific time

Source:

Seven Vandals were selected to the all-conference team: fullback Ray McDonald, guard Dave Triplett, center Steve Buratto, defensive end Tom Stephens, defensive tackle Dick Arndt, linebacker Jerry Campbell, and defensive back Bill Scott.

On the second team were tackle Joe Dobson, guard Steve Ulrich, running back Tim Lavens, defensive end Ray Miller, middle guard John Boisen, linebacker LaVerle Pratt, and defensive back Jerry Ahlin. Honorable mention were defensive tackle John Daniel, defensive back Byron Strickland, tight end John Whitney, wide receivers Joe Chapman and Rich Toney, and tackle Gary Fitzpatrick.

McDonald was a second-team AP All-American.

Four Vandals were selected in the 1966 NFL draft, which lasted 20 rounds (305 selections).

PlayerPositionRoundOverallFranchise
Dick ArndtT5th77Los Angeles Rams
Ray MillerDE7th108Green Bay Packers
LaVerle PrattLB14th210St. Louis Cardinals
Joe DobsonT15th218Pittsburgh Steelers
  • The first three were futures picks and played in the 1966 season for Idaho.

Four Vandal juniors were selected in the 1967 NFL/AFL draft, the first common draft, which lasted 17 rounds (445 selections).

PlayerPositionRoundOverallFranchise
Ray McDonaldRB1st13Washington Redskins
Ron PorterLB5th126Baltimore Colts
John ForuriaQB8th192Pittsburgh Steelers
Tim LavensTE9th212New Orleans Saints
  • Gem of the Mountains: 1966 University of Idaho yearbook – 1965 football season
  • Go Mighty Vandals – 1965 football season
  • Idaho Argonaut – student newspaper – 1965 editions
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