on january 2, 1967, mollenkopf coached the school's first appearance in the rose bowl, leading purdue to a 14–13 victory over usc. against purdue's in-state rivals, mollenkopf tallied an 11–2–1 record versus indiana and a 10–4 mark against notre dame. from 1966 to 1969, a purdue player finished in the top three in balloting for the heisman trophy: quarterback bob griese was second in 1966, halfback leroy keyes placed third in 1967 and second in 1968, and quarterback mike phipps finished as runner-up in 1969. mollenkopf's inaugural season in 1956 was the only losing campaign of his tenure as head coach at purdue.