Each of Indiana football’s three coaching changes since Bo McMillin left in 1947 has been made by a different Indiana athletic director.
That trend continued in 1964 after Phil Dickens resigned as head coach of the Hoosiers. The man who hired Dickens’ successor is on a very short list of Indiana’s all-time best athletic directors.
Bill Orwig came to Bloomington in 1961 as Indiana’s athletic director. He had previously spent seven years in the same role at Nebraska and was a star as a Big Ten finalist for Michigan from 1927 to 1930.
Orwig’s new hires at Indiana included track coach Sam Bell, swim coach Doc Counsilman, football coach Jerry Yeagley and, oh yeah, a certain men’s basketball coach named Bob Knight.
Orwig hired two football coaches as athletic directors from 1961 to 1975, and both had significant influence on the Hoosiers.
The first coach Orwig hired? John Pont – to date the only Indiana coach to lead the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl.
WHY CHANGE?
Dickens started his first season in 1958 well with a 5-3-1 record. However, he continued to run into recruiting difficulties – and the repercussions for Indiana would extend far beyond the football program.
The bomb exploded in April 1960.
After the Big Ten suspended Dickens in 1957, the NCAA largely stayed out of that particular case, except for a suspended sentence for Indiana in 1958. The NCAA did, however, keep an eye on Indiana.
It turned out that Indiana allegedly paid its recruits bonuses of up to $800. The NCAA was particularly outraged because five of the violations occurred in 1958, when the Hoosiers were on probation.
On April 27, the NCAA relaxed the fine. Indiana University was sentenced to four years’ probation, the harshest punishment ever imposed on a single university.
Note that it was not “football” that was on probation, but “Indiana University” – the entire athletic department.
For a period of four years, no Indiana team was allowed to participate in the NCAA postseason games, even though the recruiting violations were exclusively related to the football program.
The Hoosiers were banned from sharing in the Big Ten’s television revenue and were fined $85,000.
This time, the Big Ten – which conducted its own investigation and found no wrongdoing – appealed to the NCAA on Indiana’s behalf. Indiana lobbied for the league to withdraw from the NCAA entirely.
“Let’s face it. We’re dead unless the Big Ten decides it’s had enough of the NCAA and its Star Chamber sessions,” an unnamed Indiana recruiter told the Indianapolis Star.
Dickens was back in the hot seat. His continued employment depended on a vote in the Big Ten, which he did not receive until July 31, 1960.
Once again, Indiana supported Dickens’ cause, but the consequences of the parole were far-reaching.
This ruined the final years of Branch McCracken’s tenure as basketball coach. Indiana’s planned new arena next to Memorial Stadium was put on hold.
The Hoosiers played at the New Fieldhouse throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, which was originally intended to serve as a temporary facility before Assembly Hall finally opened.
Football never recovered under Dickens. From 1960 to 1964, Indiana never won more than three games and finished 3-28 in Big Ten play. As the losing streak continued, fan and university support waned. Dickens resigned in December 1964 with Indiana’s record of 20-41-2.
With only one winning season since 1947, the Hoosiers’ eternal quest for consistent winning seemed further away than ever.
ENTER PONT
Orwig reportedly wanted to go all out. Army coach Paul Dietzel and recently retired Oklahoma coaching legend Bud Wilkinson were considered targets. But it became clear that Orwig was going to a familiar place to find a replacement for Dickens. Orwig had his sights set on Nebraska coach Bob Devaney.
Orwig hadn’t hired Devaney – he started at Nebraska after Orwig traded Lincoln for Bloomington – but Devaney quickly turned the Cornhuskers into a national power. He had an overall record of 28-4 at Nebraska when Orwig officially approached Nebraska to interview Devaney.
The speculation about Devaney continued until mid-January 1965. When Devaney left for vacation in Acapulco shortly after Nebraska’s 7-10 loss to Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, the prospect of a big stir for Indiana was foreseeable.
But then it seemed as if Bob Hicks, who was “coach in charge” in 1957 when Dickens was suspended, might get a second chance as head coach.
However, Orwig looked east and identified Pont.
The Canton, Ohio native coached Miami of Ohio from 1956 to 1962. It was the first time Indiana received the famous “Cradle of Coaches” award in Miami, but it would not be the last.
Pont, 37, had a 43-22-2 record at Miami before transferring to Yale, which was still considered a major college job in the 1960s. Pont had a 12-5-1 record in two seasons as coach of the Bulldogs.
Pont’s Indiana experience didn’t start off very promisingly. When he arrived in Indiana for his interview, the Indianapolis airport parking lot was covered in snow. Orwig accidentally hit a log buried in a snowbank, and Pont slammed into the windshield. When he was introduced as the Hoosiers’ coach a week later, he had a black eye and stitches on his face.
Regardless, Pont was excited about the opportunity.
“I would never have taken the job if I hadn’t seen a glimmer of hope and been optimistic about IU’s chances,” Pont told the Indianapolis News shortly after his hiring.
YEAR ONE
What stands out more than the results of Indiana’s 1965 season are some of the players who stood out as contributors.
Indiana had a 2-8 record in Pont’s first season. The Hoosiers beat Kansas State 19-7 in Pont’s first game, promptly lost five straight games, won their only Big Ten game against Iowa on Oct. 30, and then lost three more to end the season.
The Hoosiers have put in an impressive performance despite losses – including a respectable 27-12 loss to No. 1 Texas in October and a 27-13 loss to top-ranked Michigan State in November.
Meanwhile, some future Indiana stars were getting their start. Sophomore Terry Cole was Indiana’s best runner. Fellow running back Mike Krivoshia played a few games. Doug Crusan, a tackle and later a defensive tackle, caught three passes in 1965.
Other sophomores on the squad included Ken Kaczmarek, Dave Kornowa, Brown Marks, Harold Mauro, Bob Russell and Rick Spickard, all of whom would flourish with the Hoosiers two years later.
“One day IU, yes, that’s right, IU, will make a trip to Pasadena, California,” predicted the 1966 Arbutus Yearbook.
It would prove to be a prescient observation.
