1933 college football season

Last updated

The 1933 college football season saw the Michigan Wolverines repeat as winners of the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson System.

Contents

The unofficial east–west championship game, the Rose Bowl, was between Stanford (8–1–1) who was ranked behind USC and unranked Columbia (7–1). The Columbia Lions won the Rose Bowl game 7–0.

Conference and program changes

Outside of College football: Due to the success of the 1932 NFL Playoff Game, the NFL stopped using the exact rules of college football and started to develop its own revisions.

Conference changes

Two new conferences began play in 1933:

Membership changes

School1932 Conference1933 Conference
Auburn Tigers SoCon SEC
Alabama Crimson Tide SoCon SEC
Florida Gators SoCon SEC
Georgia Bulldogs SoCon SEC
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets SoCon SEC
Kentucky Wildcats SoCon SEC
LSU Tigers SoCon SEC
Mississippi Rebels SoCon SEC
Mississippi State Bulldogs SoCon SEC
Northeastern Huskies No program NEC
Sewanee Tigers SoCon SEC
Tennessee Volunteers SoCon SEC
Tulane Green Wave SoCon SEC
Vanderbilt Commodores SoCon SEC

September

September 23 USC opened its season with a doubleheader against Occidental College, and Whittier College. Using a combination of varsity and reserves, the Trojans won 39–0 and 51–0, respectively. [1] Although future President Richard M. Nixon had been on the freshman football team at Whittier, he was not part of the varsity squad that played against USC. Oregon defeated Linfield College 53–0. Stanford beat San Jose State 27–0

September 30 Stanford narrowly defeated UCLA 3–0, USC beat Loyola Marymount 18–0, and Oregon won at Gonzaga 14–0. Army opened with a 19–6 win over Mercer College. Minnesota beat visiting South Dakota State 19–6. Pittsburgh beat Washington & Jefferson 9–0.

October

October 7 USC defeated Washington State 33–0, Stanford beat Santa Clara 7–0, and Oregon got past Portland College 14–7. Minnesota and Indiana tied 6–6. Michigan (whose team included Gerald Ford as a center) beat Michigan State 20–6, Purdue beat Ohio University 13–6, and Ohio State rolled over Virginia 75–0. Army beat Virginia Military Institute (VMI) 32–0 Pittsburgh beat West Virginia 21–0. Nebraska beat visiting Texas 26–0. Princeton opened its season with a shutout (40–0) over Amherst.

October 14 In Minneapolis, Minnesota and Purdue played to a 7–7 tie. In Chicago, Stanford and Northwestern played to a 0–0 tie. Oregon won at Washington 6–0, and USC beat St. Mary's 14–7. Army defeated Delaware 52–0 and Pittsburgh beat Navy 34–6. Ohio State defeated Vanderbilt 20–0. Michigan beat Cornell 40–0. Nebraska won at Iowa State 20–0. Princeton recorded its second shutout, a 45–0 win over Williams. Tennessee suffered its first defeat since 1930, losing 10–2 against Duke.

October 21 Michigan beat visiting Ohio State 13–0. Minnesota (1–0–2) hosted Pittsburgh (3–0–0), with the home team Gophers winning, 7–3. Purdue won at Chicago 14–0. In Portland, USC and Oregon State played to a 0–0 tie. Stanford won at the University of San Francisco, 20–13. In Cleveland Army beat Illinois 6–0. Nebraska won at Kansas State 9–0. Oregon beat Idaho 19–0 in a Friday Night game. Princeton beat Columbia, 20–0, to stay unscored upon.

October 28 USC narrowly won at California, 6–3, Oregon won at UCLA 7–0, and Stanford lost at Washington 6–0. Michigan won at Chicago 28–0, Ohio State beat Northwestern 12–0, Minnesota beat Iowa 19–7, and Purdue won at Wisconsin 14–0. Army won at Yale 21–0. Pittsburgh won at Notre Dame 14–0. Nebraska beat Oklahoma 16–7. Princeton narrowly won, but stayed unscored upon, with a 6–0 win over Washington & Lee.

November

November 4 Oregon beat Utah 26–7. Stanford beat the Olympic Club 21–0 and Army beat Coe College 34–0. Purdue beat Carnegie Tech 17–7. Michigan won at Illinois, 7–6, Ohio State beat Indiana 21–0. Minnesota and Northwestern played to a 0–0 tie. Pittsburgh beat Centre College 37–0. Nebraska stayed unbeaten with a 26–0 win over Missouri. Princeton extended its shutout streak to five with a 33–0 win at Brown.

November 11 In Los Angeles, USC (6–0–1) hosted Stanford (5–1–1). The Trojans suffered their first defeat in 27 games, losing 13–7, in a game that ultimately decided the Pacific Coast championship. Michigan defeated Iowa 5–3. At Portland, Oregon beat Oregon State, 13–3 to extend its record to 8–0–0. Army won at Harvard 27–0. In Phildadelphia, Ohio State beat Penn 20–7 and Purdue won at Notre Dame 19–0. Pittsburgh beat Duquesne 7–0 and Nebraska defeated Kansas 12–0 Princeton beat Dartmouth, 7–0, for its sixth straight shutout.

November 18 USC (6–1–1) handed visiting Oregon (8–0–0) its first defeat, 26–0. Michigan (6–0–0) and Minnesota (3–0–3), both unbeaten, played to a scoreless tie. Pittsburgh (6–1–0) hosted Nebraska (5–0–0) and won 6–0. Princeton beat visiting Navy 13–0. In seven games, it had outscored its opponents 164–0. Stanford beat Montana 33–7. Army defeated Pennsylvania Military Institute, 12–0. Ohio State won at Wisconsin 6–0. Purdue suffered its first loss of the season, falling 14–6 to visiting Iowa.

November 25 Princeton was finally scored upon, after holding its first seven opponents scoreless. The streak was broken by Rutgers, which lost 26–6. USC won at Notre Dame, 19–0 and Stanford beat California 7–3. The annual Army–Navy Game took place in Philadelphia, and Army won 12–7. Ohio State closed its season with a 7–6 win over Illinois and Michigan won at Northwestern 13–0, Minnesota beat Wisconsin 6–3, and Purdue won at Indiana 19–3. Nebraska beat Iowa 7–6

Thanksgiving Day fell on November 30 in 1933. Nebraska defeated Oregon State 22–0 to close its season at 8–1–0. Oregon won at St. Mary's, 13–7. Pittsburgh beat Carnegie Tech 16–0.

December

December 2 In Los Angeles, USC (8–1–1) hosted Georgia (8–1–0) and won 31–0 Army (9–0–0) and Notre Dame (2–5–1) met at Yankee Stadium. The Fighting Irish pulled off a 13–12 upset. Princeton, no longer having to maintain a streak of shutouts, won at Yale 27–2 to finish as the nation's only unbeaten and untied team.

1934 Rose Bowl

The Columbia Lions defeated the Stanford Indians (now Cardinal) 7–0. [2] Cliff Montgomery, the Columbia quarterback, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively. [3]

Other bowls

Conference standings

For this article, major conferences defined as those including multiple state flagship public universities.

Major conference standings

1933 Big Six Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Nebraska $ 5 0 08 1 0
Kansas State 4 1 06 2 1
Oklahoma 3 2 04 4 1
Kansas 2 3 05 4 1
Iowa State 1 4 03 5 1
Missouri 0 5 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from Dickinson System
1933 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Michigan + 5 0 17 0 1
No. 3 Minnesota + 2 0 44 0 4
No. 5 Ohio State 4 1 07 1 0
No. 10 Purdue 3 1 16 1 1
Illinois 3 2 05 3 0
Iowa 3 2 05 3 0
Northwestern 1 4 11 5 2
Chicago 0 3 23 3 2
Indiana 0 3 21 5 2
Wisconsin 0 5 12 5 1
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from Dickinson System
1933 Border Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Texas Tech $ 1 0 08 1 0
Arizona State–Flagstaff 4 1 05 1 0
Arizona 3 2 05 3 0
New Mexico 2 2 03 4 1
Arizona State 2 3 03 5 0
New Mexico A&M 0 4 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • Reference [4]
1933 New England Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Rhode Island State $ 2 0 06 2 0
New Hampshire 1 0 03 3 1
Connecticut State 0 1 01 6 1
Maine 0 2 04 3 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
South Dakota State $ 4 0 06 3 0
North Dakota Agricultural 2 1 13 2 4
North Dakota 1 2 13 5 1
Morningside 1 3 04 4 0
South Dakota 1 3 05 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 11 Stanford ^ + 4 1 08 2 1
No. 8 Oregon + 4 1 09 1 0
No. 6 USC 4 1 110 1 1
Oregon State 2 1 16 2 2
Washington State 3 3 15 3 1
California 2 2 26 3 2
Washington 3 4 05 4 0
UCLA 1 3 16 4 1
Idaho 1 4 04 4 0
Montana 0 4 03 4 0
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ – Selected as Rose Bowl representative
Rankings from Dickinson System
1933 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Utah + 5 1 05 3 0
Colorado Agricultural + 5 1 15 1 1
Denver + 5 1 15 3 1
Colorado 5 2 07 2 0
BYU 5 3 05 4 0
Utah State 4 3 04 4 0
Colorado Teachers 3 3 04 3 0
Colorado College 2 4 12 5 1
Montana State 1 3 02 5 0
Colorado Mines 1 5 01 5 0
Wyoming 1 6 12 6 1
Western State (CO) 0 5 00 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1933 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Alabama $ 5 0 17 1 1
LSU 3 0 27 0 3
Georgia 3 1 08 2 0
Tennessee 5 2 07 3 0
Tulane 4 2 16 3 1
Auburn 2 2 05 5 0
Ole Miss 2 2 16 3 2
Vanderbilt 2 2 24 3 3
Florida 2 3 05 3 1
Kentucky 2 3 05 5 0
Georgia Tech 2 5 05 5 0
Mississippi State 1 5 13 6 1
Sewanee 0 6 03 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Duke $ 4 0 09 1 0
South Carolina 3 0 06 3 1
North Carolina 2 1 04 5 0
VMI 2 1 12 7 1
Washington and Lee 1 1 14 4 2
Clemson 1 1 03 6 2
VPI 1 1 34 3 3
Virginia 1 3 12 6 2
Maryland 1 4 03 7 0
NC State 0 4 01 5 3
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Arkansas 4 1 07 3 1
TCU 4 2 09 2 1
Baylor 4 2 06 4 0
Texas A&M 2 2 16 3 1
Texas 2 3 14 5 2
SMU 2 4 04 7 1
Rice 1 5 03 8 0
  • Because of an ineligible played used by Arkansas, no championship was awarded.

Independents

1933 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Princeton   9 0 0
Duquesne   10 1 0
No. 9 Army   9 1 0
Boston College   8 1 0
Columbia   8 1 0
Pittsburgh   8 1 0
Colgate   6 1 1
Bucknell   7 2 0
Fordham   6 2 0
Tufts   6 2 0
Villanova   7 2 1
Harvard   5 2 1
Drexel   5 3 0
Massachusetts State   5 3 0
Temple   5 3 0
Manhattan   5 3 1
Cornell   4 3 0
Carnegie Tech   4 3 2
La Salle   3 3 2
Syracuse   4 4 0
Yale   4 4 0
Penn State   3 3 1
Brown   3 5 0
Vermont   3 5 0
Franklin & Marshall   4 5 0
NYU   2 4 1
Penn   2 4 1
Northeastern   1 3 1
Boston University   2 5 0
Washington & Jefferson   2 7 1
CCNY   1 5 1
Rankings from Dickinson System
1933 Midwestern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
DePaul   6 0 1
Detroit   7 1 0
Michigan State Normal   5 2 0
Saint Louis   6 3 0
Central State (MI)   5 2 1
Michigan State   4 2 2
Missouri Mines   4 3 0
Western State Teachers (MI)   3 3 1
Marquette   3 4 1
Notre Dame   3 5 1
Haskell   2 6 3
Detroit City   2 5 1
1933 Southern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Oklahoma City   8 1 0
Tulsa   6 1 0
Troy State   5 1 0
Texas A&I   6 2 0
Catholic University   6 3 0
South Georgia Teachers   5 3 0
Western Maryland   5 3 0
William & Mary Norfolk   5 3 1
George Washington   5 3 1
Navy   5 4 0
Delaware State   4 4 0
Oglethorpe   4 5 0
Texas Mines   3 5 1
West Virginia   3 5 2
Delaware   2 4 2
Dixie   2 4 0
Georgetown   1 6 1
Jacksonville State   1 4 1
East Carolina   1 5 0
Wake Forest   0 5 1
1933 Western college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Cal Poly   7 0 0
Loyola (CA)   7 2 1
Santa Clara   6 2 1
Saint Mary's   6 3 1
Hawaii   4 3 0
Columbia (OR)   4 3 1
Humboldt State   1 1 0
Gonzaga   2 6 1
San Francisco State   2 6 0
San Francisco   1 6 1

Minor conferences

ConferenceChampion(s)Record
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Morgan College 9–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wichita 6–0
Far Western Conference Nevada 3–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Simpson 6–0–1
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Ottawa 4–0
Lone Star Conference East Texas State Teachers 5–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hillsdale 4–0
Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference Adrian
Lawrence Technological University

Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Coe 4–0
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Gustavus Adolphus 4–0–1
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northeast Missouri State Teachers 4–0
Nebraska College Athletic Conference Hastings 3–0–1
Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association State Normal–Chadron 4–0
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Dakota State College 4–0
North Dakota College Athletic Conference Jamestown College 5–0–1
Northern Teachers Athletic Conference St. Cloud State Teachers 4–0
Ohio Athletic Conference Dayton 2–0–1
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Southwestern State Teachers (OK) 4–0
Pacific Northwest Conference College of Puget Sound 5–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Augustana (SD)
Northern Normal and Industrial
4–0
4–0–1
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Redlands 6–0–1
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tuskegee
Southwestern Athletic Conference Wiley (TX) 5–0
Texas Conference St. Edward's (TX) 5–1
Tri-Normal League State Normal–Ellensburg 2–0
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference Stevens Point State Teachers 3–0–1

Minor conference standings

1933 Buckeye Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Cincinnati + 4 1 07 2 0
Miami (OH) + 4 1 07 2 0
Ohio 3 1 16 2 1
Ohio Wesleyan 2 3 06 4 0
Marshall 1 3 13 5 1
Wittenberg 0 5 02 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1933 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wichita $ 6 0 08 2 0
Fort Hays State 3 1 26 2 2
Pittsburg State 2 2 24 3 2
Washburn 2 3 14 6 1
Emporia Teachers 2 4 03 5 1
College of Emporia 1 3 24 3 2
Southwestern (KS) 1 4 11 6 2
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Morgan $ 8 0 09 0 0
Hampton 7 1 17 1 1
Bluefield State 4 1 25 2 2
Virginia Union 4 2 34 2 4
Saint Paul's (VA) 4 2 24 2 4
North Carolina A&T 3 3 33 3 3
North Carolina College 4 4 04 4 0
Howard 3 3 03 3 0
Johnson C. Smith 1 5 01 5 0
Virginia State 1 8 01 8 0
Lincoln (PA) 0 4 11 4 2
Shaw 0 6 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Dixie Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Howard (AL) $ 4 0 17 1 2
Centre 2 0 07 3 0
Mercer 2 0 14 3 2
Birmingham–Southern 2 1 33 3 3
Mississippi College 1 1 13 4 1
Millsaps 1 1 14 4 2
Southwestern (TN) 1 3 13 4 2
Chattanooga 0 2 22 3 2
Spring Hill 0 5 00 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Nevada $ 3 0 04 4 0
San Jose State 3 1 04 4 0
Pacific (CA) 3 2 05 5 0
Fresno State 1 2 05 4 0
Chico State 1 3 02 6 0
Cal Aggies 1 4 02 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Illinois Wesleyan $ 4 0 16 2 1
North Central 2 0 24 0 2
St. Viator 2 0 03 4 0
Millikin 1 0 23 1 2
McKendree 4 1 06 3 0
Augustana (IL) 4 1 17 1 1
Illinois College 4 1 14 2 1
Carthage 3 1 14 1 2
Illinois State Normal 5 2 06 3 0
Southern Illinois 4 2 04 4 1
Lake Forest 2 1 03 3 1
Bradley 3 2 13 5 2
Northern Illinois State 4 3 05 4 0
Monmouth (IL) 2 3 04 5 0
Western Illinois 2 4 03 5 0
Wheaton (IL) 1 2 22 2 3
Eastern Illinois 1 5 01 8 0
Elmhurst 0 3 10 5 1
Shurtleff 0 5 00 7 1
Knox (IL) 0 5 00 8 0
Eureka 0 7 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
DePauw $ 7 0 07 0 0
Valparaiso 3 0 07 1 0
Indiana State 6 1 07 1 0
Hanover 5 1 06 2 0
Wabash 4 2 14 2 1
Central Normal 3 2 04 2 1
Oakland City 3 2 03 3 0
Butler 2 3 02 6 0
Gary 1 2 02 3 0
Evansville 2 4 12 5 1
Franklin (IN) 2 4 12 5 1
Earlham 1 3 03 3 0
Manchester 1 3 01 5 1
Ball State 1 6 11 6 1
Rose Poly 0 8 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Simpson $ 6 0 17 2 1
Iowa Wesleyan 6 0 07 2 0
Morningside 2 0 04 4 0
St. Ambrose 4 2 04 4 0
Parsons 3 2 13 2 2
Iowa State Teachers 2 2 03 6 0
Upper Iowa 3 2 04 2 0
Penn (IA) 2 3 02 6 0
Luther 3 2 04 3 0
Dubuque 0 3 01 6 0
Western Union 0 3 00 8 0
Buena Vista 1 4 02 6 1
Central (IA) 1 5 12 6 1
Columbia (IA) 0 5 11 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
  • Conference standings were based on Stanley-Dean ranking.
1933 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Texas State $ 5 0 05 2 1
Southwest Texas State 3 1 17 1 1
North Texas State 2 2 13 4 2
Sam Houston State 1 2 23 4 2
Trinity (TX) 1 3 12 5 2
Stephen F. Austin 0 4 10 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Ottawa $ 4 0 05 3 0
McPherson 3 1 07 2 0
Kansas Wesleyan 2 2 05 4 0
Baker 1 3 02 7 0
Bethany (KS) 0 4 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hillsdale $ 4 0 06 0 2
Hope 1 1 23 2 2
Kalamazoo 1 1 23 2 2
Albion 0 2 21 3 2
Alma 0 2 20 4 2
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Middle Three Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Rutgers $ 2 0 06 3 1
Lafayette 1 1 03 5 1
Lehigh 0 2 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Midwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Coe $ 4 0 06 1 2
Beloit 3 1 03 2 2
Cornell (IA) 3 1 13 4 2
Ripon 1 1 03 2 1
Monmouth (IL) 1 2 04 5 0
Lawrence 1 2 03 4 0
Carleton 0 2 12 2 2
Knox 0 4 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Gustavus Adolphus $ 4 0 15 0 2
St. Thomas (MN) 4 1 05 2 2
St. Olaf 3 1 04 3 0
Saint Mary's (MN) 2 2 13 3 1
Concordia (MN) 2 2 12 3 3
Hamline 2 2 12 3 1
Saint John's (MN) 1 2 23 3 2
Macalester 1 4 01 5 0
Augsburg 0 5 00 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Mississippi Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
West Tennessee State Teachers 3 0 07 1 1
Sunflower Junior 2 1 02 1 0
Bethel (TN) $ 3 2 05 4 0
Tennessee Poly 1 1 04 4 0
Lambuth 2 3 12 5 1
Delta State 1 2 02 7 0
Freed–Hardeman 0 3 10 3 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $ 2 0 14 2 1
Tarkio 2 1 06 2 0
Culver–Stockton 1 1 05 1 0
Central (MO) 1 2 11 5 1
William Jewell 0 2 21 4 3
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Kirksville $ 4 0 09 0 0
Warrensburg 3 1 06 3 0
Cape Girardeau 2 2 05 3 1
Maryville (MO) 1 3 01 8 0
Springfield (MO) 0 4 02 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Oklahoma A&M $ 2 0 06 2 1
Drake 5 1 06 3 1
Creighton 2 2 03 4 1
Washington University 1 2 04 5 0
Butler 0 2 02 6 0
Grinnell 0 3 00 8 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Nebraska College Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hastings $ 3 0 14 2 1
Nebraska Wesleyan 3 1 03 5 1
Midland 2 2 03 4 0
York (NE) 0 2 24 4 2
Doane 0 3 11 5 2
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Chadron State $ 4 0 06 1 0
Omaha 2 1 15 3 1
Wayne State (NE) 1 1 26 1 2
Peru State 1 2 15 2 1
Kearney State 0 4 00 6 2
  • $ Conference champion
1933 North Dakota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Jamestown $ 5 0 15 1 1
Dickinson State 3 1 05 1 0
Minot State 2 1 24 1 2
Mayville State 2 2 02 2 0
Wahpeton 2 2 13 3 1
Valley City State 1 5 01 5 0
Ellendale 0 4 00 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 North State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Elon $ 2 0 15 3 1
Appalachian State 1 0 07 2 0
Lenoir Rhyne 2 1 13 3 3
Catawba 1 1 12 5 2
Guilford 1 1 12 7 1
Western Carolina 0 4 01 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Northern Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
St. Cloud State $ 3 0 07 0 0
Winona State 3 1 05 3 0
Duluth State 3 1 13 3 1
Bemidji State 2 3 03 3 1
Moorhead State 0 2 12 4 2
Mankato State 0 4 00 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Northwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Puget Sound $ 5 0 06 2 0
Willamette 4 1 06 3 0
Pacific (OR) 3 3 04 4 0
Linfield 2 2 04 4 0
Whitman 1 3 13 5 1
College of Idaho 0 2 12 3 2
Albany (OR) 0 4 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion

[5]

1933 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Dayton $ 2 0 18 2 1
Wooster 7 1 07 1 1
Akron 5 2 15 3 1
Case 4 2 05 3 1
Muskingum 4 2 15 2 1
Baldwin–Wallace 4 2 15 3 1
Toledo 3 2 15 2 1
John Carroll 3 2 25 2 2
Hiram 2 2 22 2 3
Kent State 2 2 32 2 3
Otterbein 3 3 13 4 1
Mount Union 3 4 03 5 1
Heidelberg 2 3 22 5 2
Marietta 2 3 13 3 1
Ashland 2 4 13 4 1
Bowling Green 1 3 22 3 2
Capital 1 4 21 4 2
Oberlin 1 3 04 4 0
Kenyon 0 4 11 5 1
Ohio Northern 0 4 10 5 2
Xavier * 1 0 05 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – did not compete for championship
1933 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
SW Oklahoma State $ 4 0 07 2 1
SE Oklahoma State 2 1 05 2 0
Northeastern State 3 2 03 3 1
Central State (OK) 2 2 14 5 1
East Central 0 3 22 5 2
NW Oklahoma State 0 3 13 4 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Carson–Newman $ 6 0 07 1 0
East Tennessee State Teachers 3 1 16 1 2
Maryville (TN) 3 2 04 5 1
Tusculum 1 2 22 3 2
King 1 4 04 6 0
Milligan 0 4 12 6 1
Cumberland (TN) 0 1 07 3 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Augustana (SD) + 4 0 05 2 0
Northern Normal + 4 0 14 2 2
Huron 4 1 24 1 2
South Dakota Mines 3 1 04 3 0
Yankton 3 2 13 3 2
Eastern Normal 2 2 03 2 1
Southern Normal 2 4 03 5 0
Sioux Falls 1 4 03 4 0
Dakota Wesleyan 1 6 01 6 0
Spearfish 0 4 01 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
  • South Dakota Mines and Spearfish played twice. The second game was not counted in the conference stnadings.
1933 Southern California Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Redlands $ 6 0 16 1 1
Whittier 3 1 24 4 2
La Verne 3 2 03 4 0
San Diego State 4 2 14 4 1
Pomona 2 3 02 5 0
Occidental 2 4 02 6 0
Caltech 2 5 02 7 0
Santa Barbara State 1 6 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Murray State $ 7 0 09 0 0
Howard (AL) 5 0 07 1 2
Centenary 3 0 08 0 4
Furman 4 0 16 1 2
Union (KY) 3 0 14 1 1
Miami (FL) 2 0 15 1 2
Western Kentucky State Teachers 5 1 06 2 0
Centre 3 1 07 3 0
Loyola (LA) 3 1 06 4 1
Rollins 2 1 06 2 0
SW Louisiana 3 2 06 3 0
Presbyterian 3 2 04 2 2
Millsaps 3 2 14 4 2
Newberry 2 2 16 3 1
Tennessee Tech 2 2 04 4 0
The Citadel 2 2 13 5 1
Louisiana Normal 2 3 06 3 0
Mississippi College 2 3 03 4 1
Georgetown (KY) 2 3 12 5 1
Mississippi State Teachers 2 4 13 5 2
Southwestern (TN) 1 2 03 4 2
Louisiana Tech 1 3 01 7 0
Louisiana College 1 4 03 4 0
Wofford 1 4 03 6 0
Transylvania 1 4 01 7 1
Erskine 1 5 02 7 0
Union (TN) 1 5 03 7 0
Louisville 1 6 01 7 0
Stetson 0 0 14 2 1
Mercer 0 0 14 3 2
Eastern Kentucky State Teachers 0 2 21 2 3
Middle Tennessee State Teachers 0 4 01 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Langston +     
Prairie View +     
  • + Conference co-champions
1933 Texas Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
St. Edward's $ 5 1 07 2 0
Howard Payne 4 2 05 3 1
Abilene Christian * 2 1 25 3 2
McMurry 3 2 04 4 2
Austin 1 2 21 6 2
Simmons (TX) 1 2 14 5 1
Southwestern (TX) 1 4 11 8 2
Daniel Baker 0 4 20 7 2
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Abilene Christian's game against Texas A&I counted in conference standings even though Texas A&I was not a conference member.
1933 Tri-State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Geneva $ 4 0 07 3 0
Grove City 4 1 06 1 1
Thiel 2 3 03 4 0
Westminster (PA) 1 2 02 6 0
Waynesburg 1 3 02 7 0
Bethany (WV) 0 3 00 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1933 Virginia Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Emory and Henry + 2 1 010 1 0
Richmond + 2 1 05 4 0
William & Mary + 2 1 06 5 0
Roanoke 0 3 04 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1933 West Virginia Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Davis & Elkins $ 5 0 09 1 1
Salem 7 1 07 1 0
Fairmont State 3 1 06 1 0
West Virginia Wesleyan 2 2 04 7 0
West Liberty State 1 3 12 4 2
Glenville State 1 3 12 4 1
Morris Harvey 0 5 01 8 0
Concord * 2 1 04 3 0
New River State * 1 1 04 2 0
Shepherd * 1 2 05 2 0
Marshall * 0 1 03 5 1
Potomac State * 0 3 02 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Did not qualify for conference standings
    Ties did not count in conference standings.
1933 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Stevens Point State $ 4 0 17 0 1
Milwaukee State 3 1 05 3 0
Superior State 2 1 05 1 2
River Falls State 2 1 14 1 1
Oshkosh State 2 1 14 1 2
Stout Institute 2 2 03 3 0
La Crosse State 2 2 13 4 1
Whitewater State 1 3 03 4 0
Eau Claire State 0 3 05 2 1
Platteville State 0 4 01 4 0
  • $ Conference champion

Dickinson System

The AP sportswriters' poll would not begin continuously until 1936. [6] (although, the first time was a one instance publishing in 1934 [7] ) Frank G. Dickinson, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, had invented the Dickinson System to rank colleges based upon their records and the strength of their opposition. The system was originally designed to rank teams in the Big Nine (later the Big Ten) conference. Chicago clothing manufacturer Jack Rissman then persuaded Dickinson to rank the nation's teams under the system, and the Rockne Memorial Trophy was awarded to the winning university. [8]

In an AP story with the caption "Figure This Out!", the system was explained: "For each victory of a first division team over another first division team, the winner gets 30 points and the loser 15 points. For each tie between two first division teams, each team gets 12.5 points. For each victory of a first division team over a second division team, the first division winner gets 20 points and the second division loser 10 points. For each tie between two second division teams, each gets 15 points. For each tie between a first division team and a second division team, the first division team gets 15 points and the second division team gets 20 points. Then, after each team has been given its quota of points its final "score" is tabulated by taking an average on the number of games played." [9]

Final Dickinson rankings

Michigan (7–0–1), Minnesota (4–0–4) and Princeton (9–0) were all unbeaten, and Princeton was untied as well. Based on its schedule, Michigan was ranked highest by Professor Dickinson. As in 1932, Dickinson, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, included four Big Ten Conference teams among the best in the US. In 1933, they were Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Purdue.

[10]

RankTeamRecordRating
1 Michigan 7–0–128.52
2 Nebraska 8–124.61
3 Minnesota 4–0–423.87
4 Pittsburgh 8–123.01
5 Ohio State 7–122.79
6 USC 10–1–122.61
7 Princeton 9–022.50
8 Oregon 9–122.36
9 Army 9–122.16
10 Purdue 6–1–121.88
11 Stanford 9–1–120.34

Awards and honors

All-Americans

The consensus All-America team included:

PositionNameHeightWeight (lbs.)ClassHometownTeam
QB Cotton Warburton 5'7"145Jr. San Diego, California USC
HB Beattie Feathers 5'10"180Sr. Bristol, Virginia Tennessee
HB George Sauer 6'2"195Sr. Stratton, Nebraska Nebraska
FB Duane Purvis Jr. Mattoon, Illinois Purdue
E Joe Skladany 5'10"190Sr. Larksville, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh
T Whitey Wistert 6'2"210Sr. Chicago, Illinois Pittsburgh
G Bill Corbus 5'11"178Sr. San Francisco, California Stanford
C Chuck Bernard 6'3"225Sr. Benton Harbor, Michigan Michigan
G Aaron Rosenberg 6'0"210Sr. Brooklyn, New York USC
T Fred Crawford 6'2"195Sr. Waynesville, North Carolina Duke
E Paul Geisler Sr. Berwick, Louisiana Centenary

Statistical leaders

Related Research Articles

The 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season saw a university from the state of Georgia take its first national title since 1942.

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The 1975 NCAA Division I football season saw University of Oklahoma repeat as national champion in the Associated Press (AP) writers' poll, and were ranked No. 1 in the United Press International (UPI) coaches' poll, just ahead of runner up Arizona State, runner-up in both final polls, despite having an undefeated 12–0 season and a win over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.

The 1976 NCAA Division I football season ended with a championship for the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh. Led by head coach Johnny Majors, the Pitt Panthers brought a college football championship to the home of the defending pro football champions, the Steelers. Pitt also had the Heisman Trophy winner, Tony Dorsett; the Panthers had been ranked ninth in the preseason AP poll.

The 1926 college football season was the first in which an attempt was made to recognize a national champion after the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1927 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1927 college football season ended with the Illini of the University of Illinois (7–0–1) being recognized as champion under the Dickinson System. At season's end, the Rissler Cup was awarded to the team that finished first in the "Dickinson ratings", which considered strength of schedule, in that a win, loss or tie against a "strong" opponent was worth more than one against a lesser team, and the results were averaged.

The 1928 football season had both the USC Trojans and the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado claim national championships. USC was recognized as champions under the Dickinson System, but the Rose Bowl was contested between the No. 2 and No. 3 Dickinson-rated teams, California and Georgia Tech. The game was decided by a safety scored after Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels ran 65 yards in the wrong direction. Vance Maree blocked the ensuing punt which gave Georgia Tech a safety deciding the 8–7 win.

The 1929 college football season saw a number of unbeaten and untied teams. Purdue, Tulane, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh all finished the regular season with wins over all their opponents. Notre Dame was recognized as national champion by two of three contemporary major selectors, while the third (Houlgate) named USC (10–2). Eight of nine retrospective selectors later also named Notre Dame and USC as No. 1 teams.

The 1930 college football season saw Notre Dame repeat as national champion under the Dickinson System, as well as claim the No. 1 position from each of the other three contemporary major selectors,. The post-season Rose Bowl matchup featured two unbeaten (9–0) teams, Washington State and Alabama, ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Alabama won the Pasadena contest, 24–0.

The 1931 college football season saw the USC Trojans win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson System, as well as the No. 1 position from each of the other three contemporary major selectors. Rockne, who had coached Notre Dame to a championship in 1930, had been killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. For the first time, the champion under the Dickinson System also played in a postseason game. The 1932 Rose Bowl, promoted as a national championship game between the best teams of East and West, matched USC and Tulane, No. 1 and No. 2 in the Dickinson ratings. USC won, 21–12, and was awarded the Albert Russel Erskine Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1932 college football season saw the Michigan Wolverines win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the math-based Dickinson System. Because the "Big Nine" conference didn't permit its teams to play in the postseason, however, the Wolverines were not able to accept a bid to the Rose Bowl. As such, the Pasadena game matched the No. 2 and No. 3 teams, USC and Pittsburgh, with the USC Trojans winning the east–west matchup 35–0. The other four contemporary math system selectors all selected USC as national champion. This was also the last season NFL would use college football rules.

The 1934 college football season was the 66th season of college football in the United States. Two New Year's Day bowl games were initiated to rival the Rose Bowl Game. On February 15, Warren V. Miller and Joseph M. Cousins organized the New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association and by October, the group had enough funds to sponsor the Sugar Bowl. Meanwhile, W. Keith Phillips and the Greater Miami Athletic Club worked in November at a January 1 game for Florida, and the Orange Bowl was created.

The 1935 college football season was the last one before the Associated Press (AP) writers' poll was used in selecting the national champion. There were seven contemporary math system selectors that year who are informally recognized by the NCAA as "nationwide in scope". The Dickinson System, run by University of Illinois Professor Frank Dickinson, selected Southern Methodist University (SMU) as best in the nation. The Houlgate System, created by Carroll Everard "Deke" Houlgate Sr., also selected SMU. The contemporary Boand, Litkenhous and Poling math rating systems all selected Minnesota as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Dunkel System selected Princeton as its top team. The Williamson System, by Paul O. Williamson of New Orleans, ranked Texas Christian University first.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1924 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1924 college football season was the year of the Four Horsemen as the Notre Dame team, coached by Knute Rockne, won all of its games, including the Rose Bowl, to be acclaimed as the best team in the nation. Notre Dame and Stanford were both unbeaten at season's end, with the Fighting Irish winning the Rose Bowl contest 27–10. The Penn Quakers were retroactively awarded a national championship by Parke H. Davis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1923 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1923 college football season saw several teams finish their seasons unbeaten and untied. As such, numerous schools claim a national championship for the 1923 season. Illinois and Michigan, both members of what is now the Big Ten Conference, finished with records of 8–0 and were selected as national champion by multiple selectors. Illinois featured break-out star Red Grange. Ivy League teams Yale and Cornell also had undefeated seasons. Cornell was selected as national champion by one selector.

The 1947 college football season finished with Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State all unbeaten and untied, but the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame were the first place choice for 107 of the 142 voters in the final AP Poll in early December, and repeated as national champions. Michigan was selected for the top spot by six contemporary math systems.

The 1937 college football season ended with the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh being named the nation's No. 1 team by 30 of the 33 voters in the Associated Press writers' poll. The AP poll was in its second year, and seven votes were taken during the final weeks of the 1937 season, starting with October 18. Each writer listed his choice for the top ten teams, and points were tallied based on 10 for first place, 9 for second, etc., and the AP then ranked the twenty teams with the highest number of points. With 33 writers polled, Pitt received 30 first place votes and 3 second-place, for a total of 327 points.

The 1938 college football season ended with the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University (TCU) being named the nation's No. 1 team by 55 of the 77 voters in the final Associated Press writers' poll in early December. Tennessee was also chosen by six contemporary math system selectors as a national champion; both teams won every game. Notre Dame was chosen by the Dickinson System and won the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy.

The 1939 college football season concluded with the Aggies of The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas being named as the national champions by the voters in the Associated Press writers' poll. Led by consensus All-American fullback John Kimbrough, the Aggies went undefeated at 11–0 and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 212 to 31, with the defense allowing just 54 first downs and 763 yards all season, or 1.71 yards per play. On New Year's Day, Texas A&M defeated Tulane, 14–13 in the Sugar Bowl.

The 1933 college football season rankings included mathematical systems operated by William F. Boand and Frank G. Dickinson. Both systems selected the undefeated Michigan Wolverines as the national champion.

References

  1. "Trojans Blank Two Opponents in Grid Starts," The Fresno Bee, September 24, 1933, pC-1
  2. Rose Bowl Game Photo Timeline Archived 2008-05-20 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 2008 Rose Bowl Program Archived 2008-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "1933 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  5. "Puget Sound Clinches Northwest Title Defeating Pacific 21-0". The Oregon Statesman . Salem, Oregon. Associated Press. November 19, 1933. p. 8. Retrieved January 3, 2022 via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. Herschel Nissenson Tales From College Football's Sidelines (Sports Publishing LLC, 2001), p93.
  9. "Grid Season Put In Hands 'Brain Trust'," The Evening Tribune (Albert Lea, Minn.) Nov. 27, 1934, p12
  10. "Dickinson System Awards Michigan National Grid Title," Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.), December 10, 1933, p19