AP No. 20 Captain Curtis Johnson | 1969 record 11–0 (6–0 MAC) Captain Dave Penn | |
Conference Mid-American Conference Head coach Frank Lauterbur (7th year) | ||
The 1969 Toledo Rockets football team was an American football team that represented the University of Toledo in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1969 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Frank Lauterbur, the Rockets compiled an 11–0 record (6–0 against MAC opponents), outscored all opponents by a combined total of 385 to 160, and won the MAC championship. The season began with a 45–18 victory over Villanova and concluded with a 56–33 victory over Southern Conference champion Davidson in the 1969 Tangerine Bowl. The Rockets were ranked No. 20 in the final AP Poll. The defense led the way for the 1969 team, allowing only eight rushing touchdowns and intercepting 22 passes in eleven games.
The 1969 season marked the beginning of a 35-game winning streak that consisted of three consecutive seasons from 1969 through 1971. During the streak, Toledo won three consecutive MAC championships and three consecutive bowl games, led the nation in total defense all three years, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 1,152 to 344. It remains the second longest winning streak in modern Division I-A college football history behind Oklahoma's 47-game streak in the 1950s.
Cornerback Curtis Johnson, who intercepted seven passes in 1969, received first-team All-America honors from the Newspaper Enterprise Association and second-team honors from the Associated Press. Eight Toledo players received first-team All-MAC honors: Curtis Johnson, quarterback Chuck Ealey, tailback Tony Harris, defensive tackles Mel Long and Jim Rance, defensive end Jim Tyler, linebacker John Niezgoda, and placekicker Ken Krots.
Chuck Ealey was named MAC Back of the Year, and Frank Lauterbur was named MAC Coach of the Year. Ken Crots, who converted six of 18 field goal attempts, won the Jim Nicholson Award as the player contributing the most to the team's success. The team captains were Curtis Johnson, Dave Penn, and Jim Rance.
The team's statistical leaders included Chuck Ealey with 1,428 passing yards, Tony Harris with 889 rushing yards (including 217 in the season opener against Villanova), Don Fair with 469 receiving yards, Charles Cole with 78 points scored, and John Niezgoda with 201 tackles.
The Rockets played their home game in the Glass Bowl. The attendance at five home games was 75,282, an average of 15,056 per game.