| 1928 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Champion | Illinois |
| Runners-up | Wisconsin |
| Season MVP | Chuck Bennett |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Illinois $ | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Wisconsin | 3 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Iowa | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1928 Big Ten Conference football season was the 33rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference (also known as the Western Conference) and was a part of the 1928 college football season.
The 1928 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Robert Zuppke, compiled a 7–1 record, won the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring defense (2.0 points allowed per game), and was ranked No. 7 in the Dickinson System rankings. Tackles Albert J. Nowack and Russell Crane and guard Leroy Wietz were selected as first-team All-Americans.
The 1928 Wisconsin Badgers football team, under head coach Glenn Thistlethwaite, compiled a 7–1–1 record and was ranked No. 4 in the Dickinson System rankings. Guard Rube Wagner was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player.
The 1928 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, under head coach Clarence Spears, compiled a 6–2 record, finished third in the Big Ten, and led the conference in scoring offense (23.9 points per game). Guard George Gibson and end Ken Haycraft were named All-Americans by the Associated Press and Look Magazine. Gibson, Haycraft and quarterback Frederick L. Hovde received first-team All-Big Ten honors.
The 1928 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, under head coach Burt Ingwersen, compiled a 6–2 record and was ranked No. 6 in the Dickinson System rankings. Halfback Willis Glassgow received first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Indiana halfback Chuck Bennett received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the conference. Northwestern's triple threat star Walt Holmer finished second in close voting for the trophy; Bennett received eight of 22 first place votes, and Holmer received seven. [1]
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | Overall record | Conf. record | DS rank | PPG | PAG | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | Robert Zuppke | 7–1 | 4–1 | #7 | 18.1 | 2.0 | Douglas R. Mills |
| 2 | Wisconsin | Glenn Thistlethwaite | 7–1–1 | 3–1–1 | #4 | 18.1 | 4.2 | Francis "Bo" Cuisiner |
| 3 | Minnesota | Clarence Spears | 6–2 | 4–2 | NR | 23.9 | 4.5 | Fred Holvde, Bronko Nagurski |
| 4 (tie) | Iowa | Burt Ingwersen | 6–2 | 3–2 | #6 | 18.4 | 5.3 | Willis Glassgow |
| 4 (tie) | Ohio State | John Wilce | 5–2–1 | 3–2 | NR | 16.9 | 4.4 | Alan M. Holman |
| 6 | Purdue | Jimmy Phelan | 5–2–1 | 2–2–1 | NR | 17.9 | 5.1 | Ralph Welch |
| 7 (tie) | Northwestern | Dick Hanley | 5–3 | 2–3 | NR | 8.1 | 5.4 | Walt Holmer |
| 7 (tie) | Michigan | Tad Wieman | 3–4–1 | 2–3 | NR | 4.5 | 7.8 | Otto Pommerening |
| 9 | Indiana | Harlan Page | 4–4 | 2–4 | NR | 6.9 | 8.5 | Chuck Bennett |
| 10 | Chicago | Amos Alonzo Stagg | 2–7 | 0–5 | NR | 7.8 | 19.7 |
Key
DS = Rankings from Dickinson System. See 1928 college football season
PPG = Average of points scored per game [2]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game [2]
MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy [1]
No Big Ten teams participated in any bowl games during the 1928 season.
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP), the United Press (UP), and/or Walter Eckersall (WE) as first-team players on the 1928 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Frederick L. Hovde | Minnesota | AP, UP, WE |
| Halfback | Chuck Bennett | Indiana | AP, UP, WE |
| Halfback | Willis Glassgow | Iowa | AP, UP |
| Halfback | Ralph Welch | Purdue | WE |
| Fullback | Walt Holmer | Northwestern | AP, UP, WE |
| End | Wes Fesler | Ohio State | AP, UP, WE |
| End | Ken Haycraft | Minnesota | AP, UP, WE |
| Tackle | Otto Pommerening | Michigan | AP, UP, WE [guard] |
| Tackle | Albert J. Nowack | Illinois | AP, UP, WE |
| Guard | Rube Wagner | Wisconsin | AP, UP, WE [tackle] |
| Guard | George Gibson | Minnesota | AP, UP, WE |
| Center | Clare Randolph | Indiana | AP, UP |
| Center | Richard Brown | Iowa | WE |
Two Big Ten players were selected as consensus first-team players on the 1928 College Football All-America Team. They were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| End | Wes Fesler | Ohio State | AAB, CO, INS, NEA, UP |
| Tackle | Otto Pommerening | Michigan | AP, CO, INS, UP |
Other Big Ten players received first-team honors from at least one selector. They were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| End | Ken Haycraft | Minnesota | CO, NANA |
| Tackle | Albert J. Nowack | Illinois | WCFF, AAB, NANA |
| Tackle | Russell Crane | Illinois | CP |
| Guard | George Gibson | Minnesota | UP, WCFF, AAB |
| Guard | Leroy Wietz | Illinois | NANA |
The 1939 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1939 Big Ten Conference football season. Under second-year head coach Fritz Crisler, Michigan compiled a 6–2 record and outscored opponents 219 to 94. The team was ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll after winning its first four games by a combined score of 165 to 27, but lost its fifth and sixth games to Illinois and Minnesota. After winning its final two games, the Wolverines finished the season ranked No. 20 in the final AP Poll. In the post-season rankings by Frank Dickinson, the University of Illinois professor who developed the Dickinson System, Michigan ranked seventh in the country.
Charles Henry Bennett was an American football player and coach. He played halfback for the Indiana University football team from 1926 to 1928 and won the 1928 Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference. He also played professional football for the Portsmouth Spartans from 1930 to 1931 and for the Chicago Cardinals in 1933. After retiring as a football player, Bennett was a high school coach and athletic director from 1934 to 1966.
The 1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team was an American football team that represented the Indiana University Bloomington in the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season, compiled the only undefeated record and won the first Big Ten Conference championship in the program's history. In their 12th year under head coach Bo McMillin, the Hoosiers compiled a 9–0–1 record, outscored their opponents by a combined total of 279 to 56, and finished the season ranked #4 in the final AP Poll. The lone blemish on the team's record was a 7–7 tie with Northwestern in the second game of the season.
The 1985 Big Ten Conference football season was the 90th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1933 Big Ten Conference football season was the 38th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1933 college football season.
The 1932 Big Ten Conference football season was the 37th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1932 college football season.
The 1942 Big Ten Conference football season was the 47th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1942 college football season.
The 1943 Big Ten Conference football season was the 48th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1943 college football season.
The 1944 Big Ten Conference football season was the 49th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1944 college football season.
The 1945 Big Ten Conference football season was the 50th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1945 college football season.
The 1946 Big Nine Conference football season was the 51st season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Nine Conference and was a part of the 1946 college football season.
The 1963 Big Ten Conference football season was the 68th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1963 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1960 Big Ten Conference football season was the 65th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1960 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1937 Big Ten Conference football season was the 42nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1937 college football season.
The 1935 Big Ten Conference football season was the 40th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1935 college football season.
The 1934 Big Ten Conference football season was the 39th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1934 college football season.
The 1931 Big Ten Conference football season was the 36th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1931 college football season.
The 1930 Big Ten Conference football season was the 35th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1930 college football season.
The 1929 Big Ten Conference football season was the 34th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1929 college football season.
The 1927 Big Ten Conference football season was the 32nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1927 college football season.