Members of Indiana’s 1968 Rose Bowl Team Tell Stories of Historic Season

Harold Mauro and Ken Kaczmarek were key players on the Indiana football team that made the program’s lone Rose Bowl appearance in 1968. They talked exclusively with Indiana Hoosiers On SI this week, leading up to Indiana’s Big Ten opener against UCLA on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Indiana quarterback Harry Gonso (16) dives forward against USC in the 1986 Rose Bowl. / Indiana University Archives

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –– It's been a long time since Indiana has played a football game in the Rose Bowl. But for those who were involved in that 1968 game – perhaps the biggest game in program history – plenty of memories remain.

The Hoosiers were coached by John Pont, who was hired before the 1965 season, following Indiana's 20-41 run across seven seasons under coach Phil Dickens. Pont came from Yale, where he went 12-5-1 in two seasons, and he coached Miami of Ohio to an 8-2-1 record in his lone season.

Pont had a 3-16-1 record his first two seasons at Indiana, but the 1967 roster returned a core of seasoned veterans, plus a few talented young players at key positions.

The 1967 Indiana football team pictured at Memorial Stadium. / Indiana University Archives

Indiana’s 1968 Rose Bowl team earned the nickname “The Cardiac Kids” because of its seven wins by one possession during the 1967 season. They remain the only Indiana football team to make the Rose Bowl, and they're one of just two-nine win teams in program history.

New Indiana coach Curt Cignetti brings Indiana back to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1968 as the Hoosiers face UCLA on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Stakes are different this time. Indiana opens Big Ten play at UCLA, thanks to conference expansion, as opposed to playing for national prominence as it did in 1968.

Here’s the story of Indiana’s 1967 season, told through exclusive interviews with members of that Indiana team, Harold Mauro and Ken Kaczmarek.

Hoosiers and Trojans collide during the 1968 Rose Bowl game. / Indiana University Archives

The beginnings of a turnaround

Pont’s first two seasons at Indiana didn’t align with his winning ways at previous schools. The Hoosiers went 2-8 in year one, then 1-8-1 in 1966. 

Harold Mauro, Indiana’s starting center in 1967, recalls sportswriters visiting each Big Ten campus before the season to make their preseason rankings. 

“The prediction was to be last or next to last,” Mauro told Indiana Hoosiers On SI.

Something had to change. Prior to the 1967 season, Pont and members of his staff went to several schools around the country to observe practice. They went to Alabama, which was coached by six-time national champion coach Bear Bryant, and Texas A&M with coach Gene Stallings. Indiana linebacker Ken Kaczmarek recalled Pont coming back with new tackling drills that he believes helped the Hoosiers.

Pont also made a few schematic changes. Doug Crusan had the potential to be an All-American offensive tackle, but he moved to the defensive side of the ball. Indiana switched to a 4-4-3 defense, which helped it become a formidable unit.

“That was the key, I think, to our season,” Mauro said. “Most teams had a hard time preparing for us because everyone else played a 50 defense, where you had a man over the center.”

Mauro’s return for a fifth-year senior season was crucial, too. He suffered a knee injury that required surgery after the first game of the 1966 season, giving him another year of eligibility. 

Indiana center Harold Mauro returned for his fifth-year senior season in 1967. / photo courtesy Harold Mauro

Mauro said he and a few teammates decided to return to Indiana because of Pont’s coaching style. He was demanding and motivating, but not in a degrading way. Kaczmarek described Pont as tough, yet personable and approachable.

Some coaches put tape with a player’s last name on their helmet, but not Pont. Mauro believes Pont impressed and gained the respect of many Hoosiers by calling them by their first name, even at their very first practices.

The Hoosiers also benefited from continuity, Mauro said. The team returned a veteran offensive and defensive line, sparked by talented sophomores who wanted to win. Pont brought his staff with him from Yale to Indiana, and the 1967 season would be the staff’s fifth year together. 

“They were all very cohesive,” Mauro said. “They were very positive with us.”

Though outside expectations said otherwise, there was internal belief brewing in Bloomington.

The Cardiac Kids

Indiana opened the season with nonconference wins at home over Kentucky, overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Wildcats 12-10, and Kansas thanks to a game-winning field goal in the 18-15 victory. Those wins were a sign of things to come. Big Ten play began the following week at Illinois, and Indiana was determined to keep things rolling.

Kaczmarek called this a grudge match for the Hoosiers, due to their 24-10 home loss to the Illini the year before. He recalls a move from an Illinois player during the 1966 matchup that certainly provided motivation a year later.

“He ran with the ball and hoisted the ball above his head for 30 yards,” Kaczmarek said. “Well, after watching that 200 times getting ready for the game, he wasn’t catching a pass, I can tell you that. We were going to pound him to death.” 

Indiana headed back to Bloomington with a 20-7 win over Illinois, a win that Kaczmarek said “really sparked us on.” Kaczmarek got his revenge by returning an interception for a touchdown in the win. 

Mauro could feel people starting to take notice of the Hoosiers after their 3-0 start, with Iowa coming to town next. 

Indiana trailed by three points as the clock wound down, needing a game-changing play. As the team’s center, Mauro lined up to snap the ball for a field goal, but the team’s holder and quarterback, Harry Gonso, faked the field goal and ran the ball for a first down. 

A few plays later, Gonso threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jade Butcher for the game-winning touchdown in the 21-17 win.

“People then started to say, ‘These kids make my heart rate go,’ ” Mauro said. “So there was a line in the [Herald-Times], people were calling us the Cardiac Kids, and that’s how that name and term became famous with our ‘67 team.”

Indiana's Jade Butcher (40) runs past the Iowa defense during the 1967 season. / Indiana University Archives

Michigan was next, and Indiana jumped out to a 20-0 lead in Ann Arbor. Michigan came all the way back to tie the game, but tailback John Isenbarger’s second touchdown gave the Cardiac Kids a 27-20 win. Indiana hasn’t won in Ann Arbor since, and it has only beaten Michigan twice since then.

That win propelled Indiana to a No. 10 ranking entering its sixth game. Indiana fans’ hearts found relief, albeit just for one week, when the Hoosier traveled to Arizona. The Hoosiers dominated both sides of the ball in a 42-7 win, with 435 yards of offense and a pick-six. 

That win, too, came with some pregame motivation. As Indiana’s plane landed, Mauro recalls a tractor waiting on the runway with a scarecrow stuffed with hay and a straw hat. That angered the midwestern Hoosiers and provoked them toward a blowout win out west.

Indiana returned to Bloomington the following week for its homecoming game against Wisconsin. The Badgers nearly ruined homecoming, but Indiana’s defense came up with a defensive stop near the goal line on the final play. Another narrow, 14-9 win for the Cardiac Kids.

Kaczmarek considers the next game Indiana’s toughest. Now ranked No. 6 in the nation, the Hoosiers traveled to a cold, wintery East Lansing, Mich. to take on Michigan State, the defending Big Ten champions and 1966 co-national champions. The Spartans were on one of their winningest runs in program history, going 10-1 in 1965 and 9-0-1 in 1966.

The Hoosiers trailed 13-7 late in the game, but like much of the season, their defense gave them a chance to win. Kaczmarek remembers he and his fellow defenders blitzing every way possible to confuse their opponents.

“I’ll never forget this Michigan State lineman saying ‘Geez, we know they’re coming, but we don’t know where,’ ” Kaczmarek said.

Ken Kaczmarek became the first Indiana linebacker to earn All-American honors, making 118 tackles as a senior during the 1967 season. / Indiana University Archives

That defensive effort kept Indiana in the game just long enough for its offense to engineer a late drive, finished off by an Isenbarger rushing touchdown. That secured a 14-13 Indiana victory and improved the Hoosiers to 8-0 on the season.

Mauro and Kaczmarek have a few reasons why Indiana was able to win so many close games that season. 

Mauro believes the 1967 Indiana team was much faster than past teams he was on, perhaps because of Pont’s practice regimen. He made the Hoosiers run 40-yard sprints after two-hour practices, and players had to repeat those sprints until they met the required time. The result was a quick team that was in very good shape, Mauro said.

Kazmarek said they became physically tough through Tuesday and Wednesday scrimmages, and they were fundamentally well-prepared through film study and walkthroughs later in the week, crucial factors in close games.

“That’s why we won those close games because we just outplayed the teams in the end,” Mauro said. “And we had young guys, young bucks – Gonso, Isenbarger and Butcher – those three guys were pretty dynamic.”

Indiana's John Isenbarger (17) runs the ball against Minnesota. / Indiana University Archives

An emotional swing

Indiana’s historic 1967 season wasn’t without adversity.

At 5-0 in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers traveled to Minnesota, which had a 4-1 conference record entering the game. A win over Minnesota would give Indiana a chance to win the Big Ten title with one game remaining against Purdue, which began Big Ten play with a 6-0 record.

It was close at first, with Minnesota on top 13-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Then everything went downhill.

“We made every mistake in the world,” Mauro said, recalling fumbled kickoffs, penalties that wiped away touchdowns and 20 fourth-quarter points allowed.

Dejected, the Hoosiers went home with a 33-7 loss, its first of the season.

Though it came off the field, Pont’s next move was one of his most memorable. As Indiana arrived back in Bloomington, cars lined the streets in the heart of campus.

“OK, we’re going to head to the fieldhouse,” Mauro recalls Pont telling the team.

Mauro and the Hoosiers thought they were going there to practice because of how badly they had played against Minnesota. But as they walked into the fieldhouse — now named Bill Garrett Fieldhouse, located near the Indiana Memorial Union — the Hoosiers were greeted by thousands of fans.

“They're cheering us and screaming and yelling,” Mauro said. “And John [Pont] puts us all on stage, and he guaranteed a victory against Purdue that night.” 

Indiana football coach John Pont pictured alongside Terry Cole (48) and Bob Russell (64). / Indiana University Archives

The team used to watch film and have dinner at the union on Sunday nights. That session after the Minnesota loss and going into the Purdue game was especially notable to Kaczmarek.

“We got there, and all of a sudden there’s champagne on the table,” Kaczmarek said. “Coach gave us a toast for ‘You almost did it. But you still have a shot.’ ”

Despite the tough loss, Pont knew Indiana still had plenty to play for — a Big Ten title. Before Monday’s practice, Kaczmarek remembers Pont gathered the seniors and motivated them to lead the team, describing the opportunity they had to finish the season in a special way.

Kaczmarek said the team’s confidence grew throughout the week of practice leading up to the Purdue game. Under Pont, Indiana always spent the night before games at a McCormick’s Creek State Park lodge, located about 15 miles northwest of Bloomington. He wanted no distractions. 

“Everybody was nervous, but everybody was confident,” Kaczmarek said. “We went in there Saturday saying, ‘We’re gonna beat these guys.’ So it was a week that built up, and by the end, we knew we were going to win.”

Fans hold a sign saying "Snoopy Says John Pont And Team Have Gained More Fame Than Boiler Coach Jack What's-His-Name. Go IU...Beat PU" at Memorial Stadium in 1967. / Indiana University Archives

Against Purdue in Bloomington, Indiana jumped out to a 19-7 lead at halftime, thanks to touchdowns by Butcher, Mike Krivoshia and Terry Cole. But the third-ranked Boilermakers wouldn’t go away easily, though.

Purdue cut Indiana’s lead to 19-14 and had a chance to take a late lead with the ball on Indiana’s three-yard line. Running back Perry Williams, an All-American who later played six NFL seasons, came close to putting Purdue on top, but Kaczmarek jarred the ball loose near the goal line and Indiana recovered the fumble.

Kaczmarek and the Indiana defense left Williams, as well as running back Leroy Keyes, in rough shape.

“Keyes at the end couldn’t even pick his arms up, we had hit him so many times,” Kaczmarek said.

But time remained, and Indiana had the ball near its own goal line. To escape the danger of a safety, Isenbarger flipped the field with a booming punt. That was the biggest play of the game, in Mauro’s book. Indiana’s defense held Purdue, and the clock ran out with the Hoosiers on top, 19-14.

Indiana's Eric Stolberg (left) celebrates with John Pont (middle) and Harold Dunn (right) after defeating Purdue in the 1967 Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game. / Indiana University Archives

Indiana had won the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game, but its postseason fate remained unclear. Indiana finished the regular season as co-Big Ten champions with a 6-1 Big Ten record, tied with Minnesota and Purdue.

The Rose Bowl has historically taken the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions — or Pac-8 and Pac-10 before expansion — though that has been muddied in recent years by the College Football Playoff. And in 1967, Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota each had one win and one loss in head-to-head matchups, so the Big Ten’s Rose Bowl participant came down to a vote by the Big Ten athletic directors. 

At the time, the Big Ten and the Athletic Association of Western Universities (which later became the Pac-12) had an agreement to not send the same teams to the Rose Bowl in back-to-back seasons, which eliminated Purdue from contention. Minnesota played in the Rose Bowl multiple times in the 1960s, but Indiana had never qualified. 

Only 10 FBS bowl games existed following the 1967 regular season, a stark contrast compared to the 46 bowl games and College Football Playoff games that will take place after the 2024 season. That made any appearance in a bowl game special back then.

Kaczmarek said he had a good inkling Indiana would be chosen for the Rose Bowl because of these reasons, but they wouldn’t be assured until the vote. Mauro, on the other hand, said he and his fellow offensive linemen waited at his apartment on pins and needles.

Mauro recalls that around midnight, Pont delivered the good news. 

“We were elated,” Mauro said of being picked to play in the Rose Bowl. “We hugged each other and jumped up and down.”

A memorable trip out west

Indiana’s regular season finale against Purdue took place on Nov. 25, so the Hoosiers had plenty of time to prepare for the Rose Bowl game, scheduled for Jan. 1, 1968. 

Kaczmarek estimates the Hoosiers arrived in California about two weeks prior to the game. With the San Gabriel Mountains as their backdrop, they enjoyed a practice setting far different from the fields in Bloomington. 

That extra time came with good and bad for Indiana. Offensive tackle Bob Kirk and defensive end Bob Moynihan suffered injuries as the Hoosiers prepared for the game, two players Mauro said would have helped them against a No. 1 USC team.

Indiana’s time in California also came with memorable team-bonding moments. The team stayed at the Huntington-Sheraton Hotel in Pasadena, and they had about 30 drivers to take them around the city in Chrysler cars. 

Indiana's Harry Gonso (left) and John Isenbarger at Lawry's Steakhouse ahead of the 1968 Rose Bowl game. / Indiana University Archives

They drove to see where the Hollywood elite lived and even ran into Pat Boone, a famous singer and actor, who welcomed the Hoosiers into his basement to shoot pool. The team also saw shows at the Hollywood Palladium, drove down the Sunset Strip, and a few players even appeared on the Johnny Carson Show, Mauro said. 

They had a Christmas party, where one of the coaches dressed up as Santa Claus. They went to amusement parks like Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland, though getting stuck on a tram and needing fire trucks to help get them down provided a moment of nervousness for the team. They enjoyed their time, but also made sure to practice hard.

With about three days before the game, Pont decided to take the Hoosiers to a monastery in the mountains outside the city. The monks served them delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner and held daily mass. Mauro recalls it being very quiet and waking up to the birds chirping each morning. 

There was a practice field of sorts at the monastery, as well as nearby mountains that provided amazing views and physical activity. Mauro and Kaczmarek agreed this portion of the trip helped them get in the right mindset before the game.

“It got us away from everything,” Kaczmarek said. “It got us away from all the fans. It got us away from all the Los Angeles, Hollywood, Pasadena excitement and really kind of isolated us in the monastery.”

“It got us in a mindset that, yes, we needed to get focused, and get ready for this game,” Mauro said. “Because we were playing a really great opponent.”

A ticket from Indiana football's appearance in the 1968 Rose Bowl. / Indiana University Archives

Indiana’s lone Rose Bowl appearance

After weeks of preparation, it was finally game time. On the other sideline, Indiana faced a top-ranked USC team that featured five All-Americans and seven future NFL players. 

USC’s starting quarterback Steve Sogge became an All-American the following season, and running back O.J. Simpson rushed for 3,124 yards across two seasons at USC before making the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That provided quite the challenge for the Hoosiers. 

This pin represented a bit of smack talk between Indiana and USC before the 1968 Rose Bowl game. / Indiana University Archives

The Rose Bowl for many years was college football’s largest stadium, and 102,946 fans packed in for the 1968 game.

Kaczmarek recalls Indiana being represented well, with a huge red section of about 25,000 fans and others scattered throughout. The game was broadcast on NBC with Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman on the call.

Indiana played USC in the 1968 Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, California. / Indiana University Archives

USC led 7-0 after one quarter of play, edging Indiana with a 2-yard touchdown from Simpson. The Hoosiers reached USC’s 10-yard line in the second quarter and had a chance to score on a pass from Gonso to tight end Al Gage, but it fell incomplete. Indiana settled for a 27-yard field goal by David Kornowa.

Simpson added his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter, part of a 128-yard rushing game on 25 attempts. Kaczmarek said Indiana was quick, but USC was fast — an important distinction portrayed by a moment he’ll never forget.

“Nate Cunningham, one of our defensive backs, and myself — OJ was like 4 yards away from us — and I said, ‘Geez, we’re gonna kill this guy,’ ” Kaczmarek said. “And it ended up somehow he accelerated and went through us, and I ended up hitting Nate. I can still picture that. It was good form, but through the wrong guy.”

USC's O.J. Simpson runs the ball against Indiana in the 1968 Rose Bowl. / Indiana University Archives

Indiana threatened to score in the second half, but Gonso had to leave the game for a moment due to injury. He’d return, but Indiana couldn’t overcome the deficit, falling 14-3 in the program’s lone Rose Bowl appearance.

Kaczmarek walked off the field, his facemask bent from colliding with Simpson so many times and needing repair before he left for the Hula Bowl in Hawaii the next morning. 

That was the last college football game of Mauro’s career, which gave him mixed emotions – sad they lost, but pride in the 9-2 season and No. 4 national ranking. They may have even been national champions with a win over USC.

Reflecting on that Rose Bowl game nearly 57 years later, Mauro has similar feelings.

“It was a great opportunity to play there,” Mauro said. “And I’m sad that we’re unique.”

“Unfortunately we’re getting older. We lost three dynamic players within the last few months from the Rose Bowl team: Isenbarger, Butcher and Mike Perry. So we’re very fortunate some of us are still around to remember those memories.” 

Indiana center Harold Mauro still has his helmet from the 1968 Rose Bowl game. / photo courtesy Harold Mauro

Harold Mauro wore this jersey during the 1968 Rose Bowl game between Indiana and USC. / photo courtesy Harold Mauro

This game-used football was signed by members of the Indiana football team after the 1968 Rose Bowl. / photo courtesy Harold Mauro

Following their playing careers as Hoosiers, Kaczmarek and Mauro remained involved with the program in various respects. Mauro was inducted into the Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016, and he has participated in nine of Indiana's 10 bowl games as a player, assistant coach or administrator.

Mauro’s last time back at the Rose Bowl was during a recruiting visit with Jeff Goldin, who eventually became a starting offensive lineman on Indiana’s 1979 Holiday Bowl team. Mauro used his Rose Bowl ring to help convince a Rose Bowl staffer to allow him to see the field, though it was covered with tons of dirt for an upcoming motocross event. 

Kaczmarek, the first linebacker in program history to earn All-American honors, was inducted into the Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. He later worked for the IU Varsity Club and IU Foundation.

The Hoosiers received this ring for playing in the 1968 Rose Bowl game against USC. / photo courtesy Harold Mauro

During his time living in California, Kaczmarek has been back to the Rose Bowl since he last played there, and he’ll be there for Saturday’s game between Indiana and UCLA.

Both Mauro and Kaczmarek are eager to meet Indiana’s new coach Curt Cignetti for the first time, but their early impressions are a coach that could bring Indiana back to the winning ways they experienced as players.

“I think he’s going to be good for our program, and I’m really excited about him being here and I’m excited to meet him,” Mauro said. “… He’s outspoken, which I like. He has a big ego, which I like. Any of the coaches that worked for us when I was in the administration had great egos. You’re talking [Bob] Knight, [Sam] Bell, Doc Counsilman, Hobie Billingsley, Jerry Yeagley. They’re all in the Hall of Fame.”

“I expect him to win. I’m serious. I expect him to win big,” Kaczmarek said. “Can we beat Ohio State and Michigan every year? No, but if we can win seven, eight or nine games, that would be a huge success and I think we can do that consistently. … It’s not like this is another job. No, he wants to be there. He’s looking at this like this is his crescendo.”