Steve Juday (2016) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Steve Juday

Induction:
2016
Class:
1966

Steve Juday
Football/Baseball (1963-66)
Northville, Michigan
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2016

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Quarterback of the 1965 National Championship and Big Ten Championship team
• 1965 All-American, Academic All-American and Big Ten Medal of Honor winner
• First Spartan quarterback to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season
• 1990 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award recipient

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2016

Steve Juday still remembers his first touchdown. Fifty-three years after diving into the end zone against North Carolina, Juday recalls the play that set the tone for the rest of his time at Michigan State.

"Here it is my first game and we're down inside the 5-yard line and I called a quarterback sneak," said Juday. "It wasn't easy, but I got in and we were all happy. Getting across that goal line felt pretty good."

Two seasons after taking the reigns as the starting quarterback, Juday and the Spartans fought their way to the top of the college football mountain. After posting the school's first perfect Big Ten record, a regular-season finale win at Notre Dame secured an undefeated regular season and MSU's fifth National Championship since 1952.

Playing alongside some of the program's most decorated student-athletes, including College Football Hall of Famers in Clinton Jones, Gene Washington, George Webster and Bubba Smith, Juday was part of a hallowed era in the program's history.

"You have to look back from a distance, because when you're in the moment you don't realize the magnitude. You don't think winning a national championship is that special, because you're young and you think you'll do it again. And for those guys on the team in 1966, they did do it again," laughed Juday.

"I've lived all my life in Michigan and as time wore on and more and more people mentioned what a legacy was, it began to sink in, `Golly, I guess that was pretty special.'"

Juday's individual accolades mirrored that of the 1965 national championship team as the co-captain earned first-team All-America honors and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

"I played on a team and none of us could do what we did without the rest," said Juday. "I can't say it's bittersweet, but we certainly couldn't have done what we did without our teammates."

Juday came to Michigan State from nearby Northville where he excelled in football and baseball. His older brother, also a star athlete, earned a football scholarship at Vanderbilt. But when it came time for the younger Juday to make a decision as to where he was going to spend the next four years, it came down to two schools closer to home -- Michigan State and Michigan.

"Both schools would allow me to play football and baseball, but MSU was the best fit for me," said Juday. "I wanted to play with the very best and it was important for me to be close to home.

"I could not have made a better decision. After having 50 years to reflect, I was lucky and very fortunate."

Juday didn't wait long to get his opportunity. A few days prior to that first game of the 1963 season against North Carolina, head coach Duffy Daugherty brought Juday, then a sophomore, into his office, informing him that he would start.

"We had a good 1963 season," said Juday. "We went into the final game of the year against Illinois a half-game ahead of them in the standings with a chance to go to the Rose Bowl, but we got beat."

Juday appeared in seven games, recording five touchdowns and 509 yards passing during his first year at the helm of the offense.

"That first year, I complemented the rest of the team," said Juday. "Most were upperclassmen -- they really helped me a lot. They picked you up, if not a word, they looked you in the eye as to say, `Take charge, we're with you.'"

After a tough 1964 season that saw MSU go 4-5, the 1965 squad had tepid expectations from the college football world. But the confidence that began to build during the 1963 season, combined with a talent-rich roster set the Spartans up for success in 1965.

The Spartans rolled to an undefeated Big Ten record, compiling a 10-0 regular-season mark and being voted National Champions. But a 14-12 defeat in the Rose Bowl to UCLA spoiled the Spartans' bid for a perfect record.

"When we came back from fall ball practice before our first game, we kind of looked at each other like this is our time to take charge," said Juday. "After we won our second game of the year at Penn State, 23-0, we really started to believe.

"We pretty much called our own plays; guys would tell me their thoughts in the huddle. It was a real team effort. Play-by-play, step-by-step, game-by-game, we got more confidence."

Juday was brilliant during the '65 campaign, becoming the first Spartan quarterback to pass for over 1,000 yards in a season. The All-America and first-team All-Big Ten selection had seven touchdowns and guided an MSU offense that registered a Big Ten-best 29.0 points per game.

He closed his career as the school's all-time leader in passing yardage, pass attempts, pass completions and touchdown passes.

Juday was equally as impressive in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten and Academic All-District accolades as well during his senior season. He was also selected as the recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1965.

"I just can't explain what a great 4-5 years it was," said Juday, who also lettered in baseball at MSU.

The lineage continued at MSU with sons Bob (1990-92) and Rich (1988-91) both excelling in baseball for the Spartans, further strengthening the bond Steve and his wife, Linda, share with the school.

Over 50 years after helping lead one of the most successful teams in program history, Juday got a call from MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis, informing him he'd be enshrined among the school's elite in the Hall of Fame.

"I was speechless, absolutely speechless," said Juday. "It's a dream and I never expected it."