1965 Clemson Tigers football team

The 1965 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1965 NCAA University Division football season. In its 26th season under head coach Frank Howard, the team compiled a 5–5 record (5–2 against conference opponents), tied for the ACC championship, and was outscored by a total of 137 to 117.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

1965 Clemson Tigers football
ACC co-champion
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	5–5 (5–2[a] ACC)
Head coach	Frank Howard (26th season)
Captain	Bill Hecht, Floyd Rogers
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1964 1966 →

1965 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
NC State +	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0†
Clemson +	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0†
Duke	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Maryland	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
North Carolina	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Virginia	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0†
Wake Forest	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0†
South Carolina	0	–	6	–	0			5	–	5	–	0†
+ – Conference co-champions † South Carolina forfeited its 4 conference wins (Clemson, NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest) due to use of ineligible players. This improved Clemson and NC State from 4–3 to 5–2, making them co-champions. Overall records did not change due to the forfeits. Duke and South Carolina were originally co-champions with records of 4–2.

Bill Hecht and Floyd Rogers were the team captains. The team's statistical leaders included Thomas Ray with 1,019 passing yards, Hugh Mauldin with 664 rushing yards and 24 points scored (4 touchdowns), and Phil Rogers with 466 receiving yards.^[3]

Four Clemson players were selected by the Associated Press (AP) or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1965 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team: back Hugh Mauldin (AP-1, UPI-1); offensive tackle Johnny Boyette (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive end Butch Sursavage (AP-1, UPI-1); and linebacker Bill Hecht (AP-1, UPI-1).^[4][5]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 18	2:00 p.m.	NC State	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	W 21–7	30,000	[6]
September 25	1:30 p.m.	at Virginia	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 20–14	15,000	[7]
October 2	2:00 p.m.	at Georgia Tech*	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	L 6–38	46,736	[8]
October 9	2:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Georgia*	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	L 9–23	45,000	[9]
October 16	2:00 p.m.	at Duke	Duke Stadium Durham, NC	W 3–2	31,000	[10]
October 23	2:00 p.m.	TCU*	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 3–0	33,000	[11]
October 30	2:00 p.m.	Wake Forest	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 26–13	24,000	[12]
November 6	1:30 p.m.	at North Carolina	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	L 13–17	38,500	[13]
November 13	2:00 p.m.	Maryland	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 0–6	26,000	[14]
November 20	2:00 p.m.	at South Carolina	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	W 16–17[a]	44,500	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^a South Carolina was forced by the ACC to forfeit all conference games due to ineligible players. Clemson and NC State, who had both lost to South Carolina, were declared co-champions.^[16][17][18]

References

1. "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). clemsontigers.com. Clemson Athletics. 2016. pp. 200–208. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
2. "1965 Clemson Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "1965 Clemson Tigers Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Duke, State Top All-ACC Team; Wolfpacks' Golmont Pacesetter". Burlington (NC) Daily Times-News. November 26, 1965. p. 2B.
5. "ACC Co-Champs Get Seven Spots". The Daily Independent. November 26, 1965. p. 10A.
6. "Clemson grounds out 21–7 victory". Greensboro Daily News. September 19, 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Clemson downs Va. on second half TDs". The Progress-Index. September 26, 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Tech crushes Clemson 38–6". The Clarion-Ledger. October 3, 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Georgia rolls over Clemson". The Palm Beach Post-Times. October 10, 1965. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Clemson shocks Duke 3–2". The Rocky Mount Telegram. October 17, 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Clemson nips TCU 3–0 on field goal". The Danville Register. October 24, 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Clemson dumps Deacons". Florence Morning News. October 31, 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "North Carolina braces to halt Clemson, 17–13". The Roanoke Times. November 7, 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Maryland spills Clemson". The News and Observer. November 14, 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Jim Anderson (November 21, 1965). "USC Edges Clemson In A Thriller, 17 To 16". The Greenville News. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1965". Clemson University. 1965. p. 2. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
17. "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1966". Clemson University. 1966. p. 7. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
18. "ACC Champions" (PDF). 2007 Football Media Guide. Atlantic Coast Conference. p. 93. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.