1965 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

1965 Holy Cross Crusaders football
Conference	Independent
Record	2–7–1
Head coach	Mel Massucco (1st season)
Captains	Joseph T. Lilly Earl Kirmser
Home stadium	Fitton Field
Seasons ←  1964 1966  →

1965 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
New Mexico State			–					8	–	2	–	0
Utah State			–					8	–	2	–	0
Xavier			–					8	–	2	–	0
Texas Western			–					8	–	3	–	0
No. 9 Notre Dame			–					7	–	2	–	1
Southern Miss			–					7	–	2	–	0
Syracuse			–					7	–	3	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					7	–	3	–	0
Georgia Tech			–					7	–	3	–	1
Boston College			–					6	–	4	–	0
West Texas State			–					6	–	4	–	0
Boston University			–					5	–	3	–	1
Buffalo			–					5	–	3	–	2
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	4	–	1
Penn State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Memphis State			–					5	–	5	–	0
San Jose State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	4	–	2
Colgate			–					4	–	5	–	1
Florida State			–					4	–	5	–	1
Army			–					4	–	5	–	1
Houston			–					4	–	5	–	1
Colorado State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Air Force			–					3	–	6	–	1
Pittsburgh			–					3	–	7	–	0
Dayton			–					3	–	7	–	0
Holy Cross			–					2	–	7	–	1
Villanova			–					1	–	8	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1965 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross as an independent during the 1965 NCAA University Division football season. First-year head coach Mel Massucco led the team to a record of 2–7–1. ^[1]

All home games were played at Fitton Field on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25	at Harvard	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	L 7–17	20,000	[2]
October 2	Dartmouth	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 6–27	20,000	[3]
October 9	at Colgate	Colgate Athletic Field Hamilton, NY	L 3–7	7,500	[4]
October 16	Boston University	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	T 7–7	11,000–12,000	[5] [6]
October 23	at Syracuse	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	L 6–32	15,000	[7]
October 30	Buffalo^	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 20–8	7,500	[8]
November 6	at UMass	Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	L 0–27	17,400	[9]
November 13	at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 0–14	9,000	[10]
November 20	at Connecticut	Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT	W 22–0	1,164	[11]
November 27	Boston College	Fitton Field Worcester, MA (rivalry)	L 0–35	23,000	[12]
Homecoming ^ Family Weekend

Statistical leaders

Statistical leaders for the 1965 Crusaders included: ^[13]

• Rushing: Earl Kirmser, 303 yards and 2 touchdowns on 93 attempts
• Passing: Tom Tyler, 357 yards, 29 completions and 1 touchdown on 70 attempts
• Receiving: Pete Kimener, 221 yards on 21 receptions
• Scoring: Mike Kaminski, 15 points from 6 PATs and 3 field goals
• Total offense: Tom Tyler, 304 yards (357 passing, minus-53 rushing)
• All-purpose yards: Brian Flatley, 542 yards (314 returning, 128 receiving, 100 rushing)

References

1. "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. p. 122. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
2. Nason, Jerry (September 26, 1965). "Rookie QB, Leo Rally Crimson, 17-7". The Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Reserve QB Sparks Harvard Triumph". Democrat and Chronicle . Rochester, N.Y. September 26, 1965. p. 4D.
3. Nason, Jerry (October 3, 1965). "Dartmouth Shakes Jitters to Overcome H.C., 27 to 6". The Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Colgate Defense Holds Its Breath Again, 7-3". The Sunday Press . Binghamton, N.Y. October 10, 1965. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Holy Cross Tied by Boston U., 7-7". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. United Press International. October 17, 1965. p. S2.
6. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 26, 2022.
7. "Syracuse Crushes Holy Cross As Little Gets 3 Scores, 32-6". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 24, 1965. p. S5.
8. Monahan, Bob (October 31, 1965). "Holy Cross Trips Buffalo, 20-7, to Give Massuco 1st Victory". The Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 59 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Monahan, Bob (November 7, 1965). "Landry Leads UMass to 27-0 Triumph over H.C." The Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 60 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Rutgers Defeats Holy Cross, 14-0". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. Associated Press. November 14, 1965. p. S5.
11. Bolduc, Pat (November 21, 1965). "UConn Blanked, 22-0". The Hartford Courant . Hartford, Conn. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
12. Strauss, Michael (November 28, 1965). "Boston College Trounces Holy Cross, 35-0, as Erwin Scores 3 Touchdowns". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S3.
13. "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. pp. 68–71. Retrieved June 15, 2020.