December 2 (1967)

St. Louis University and Michigan State are declared NCAA co-champions when the scoreless championship game is called late in the first half because of unplayable conditions at Francis Field. Balls played on the ground come to a complete stop in standing water in many spots after heavy rains drenched the field. Players frequently lose their footing. The final straw comes when Guy Busch, one several St. Louis players for Michigan State, slides head-first into the goal post at St. Louis U.’s net at the west end of the field. Busch is knocked unconscious and officials end the game immediately. Busch will tell Dave Lange in a 2022 interview that he remembered nothing after the collision until boarding a plane back to Michigan State several hours later. The title is the first for the Billikens under head coach Harry Keough, and their sixth overall since the NCAA sanctioned the sport in 1959. The championship is the first for the Spartans, who lost to the Bills in the 1965 NCAA title. Ironically, Michigan State will win another co-championship in 1968 after battling Maryland to a 2-2 tie after two overtimes. Busch ends his career at Michigan State after the 1967 title match as the Spartans’ all-time leading scorer with 130 points on 54 goals and 22 assists, a record that still stands.