1935 college football season

Last updated

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". [1] The Dickinson System, run by University of Illinois Professor Frank Dickinson, selected Southern Methodist University (SMU) as best in the nation. [1] The Houlgate System, created by Carroll Everard "Deke" Houlgate Sr., also selected SMU. [1] 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. [2] [1]

Contents

The 1935 season also marked the first time the Heisman Trophy was awarded. It was won by Jay Berwanger of Chicago. Quarterback Ray Zeh of Case Western Reserve led the nation in scoring. [3]

Conference and program changes

School1934 Conference1935 Conference
Texas Mines (UTEP) Miners Independent Border
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Independent Missouri Valley
Washburn Ichabods Independent Missouri Valley

September

September 21 SMU opened with a 39–0 win over North Texas and TCU opened its season with a 41–0 win over visiting Howard Payne College.

September 28 SMU beat Austin College 60–0 and TCU beat North Texas 28–11. Stanford beat San Jose State 35–0 and UCLA beat Utah State 39–0., Fordham University, whose 1936 team would include the legendary Seven Blocks of Granite was a favorite New York City college football teams, after New York University and Columbia University. The Rams played all of their games at home at the Polo Grounds, which also hosted the NFL's New york Giants. In a game against visiting Franklin & Marshall, the Rams were losing until they scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 14–7 win. California played a doubleheader, beating UC-Davis 47–0 and Whittier 6–0. Notre Dame defeated visiting Kansas, 28–7. Pittsburgh had an unexpectedly difficult time in a 14–0 win over visiting Waynesburg College.

October

October 5 Minnesota beat visiting North Dakota State 26–6 Stanford won at the U. of San Francisco 10–0 and California beat St. Mary's 10–0. In Portland, UCLA beat Oregon State 20–7. Ohio State beat Kentucky 19–6 Princeton edged Penn 7–6, Fordham beat Boston College 19–0, Notre Dame won at Carnegie Tech, 14–3 and Pittsburgh won at Washington & Jefferson 35–0. TCU won at Arkansas 13–7 and SMU beat visiting Tulsa 14–0.

October 12 Minnesota won at Nebraska 12–7 and Ohio State defeated visiting Drake 85–7. In Portland, California beat Oregon, 6–0. TCU won at Tulsa, 13–0. In St. Louis, SMU beat Washington University 35–6. Notre Dame won at Wisconsin, 27–0 Pittsburgh beat West Virginia, 24–6. Fordham lost to Purdue, 20–0 [4] Princeton defeated Williams College, 14–7.

October 19 UCLA won at Stanford, 7–6. Notre Dame (3–0) and Pittsburgh, both 3–0–0, met at South Bend, with the Fighting Irish handing Pitt its first loss, 9–6. Minnesota beat visiting Tulane 20–0 Ohio State beat Northwestern 28–7. SMU and Rice, both 4–0–0, met in Dallas, with SMU winning, 10–0. TCU beat visiting Texas A&M 19–14 to stay unbeaten. California beat Santa Clara 6–0. Princeton beat Rutgers, 29–6. Fordham beat Vanderbilt, 13–7

October 26 TCU won at Centenary, 27–7. Stanford won at Washington 6–0, California beat visiting USC, 21–7, and UCLA beat Oregon, 33–6. Minnesota beat Northwestern at home 21–13 and Ohio State won at Indiana 28–6 Fordham defeated Lebanon Valley College 15–0. Pittsburgh beat Penn State 9–0. Princeton won at Cornell 54–0. At Baltimore, Notre Dame beat Navy 14–0. In a game at Wichita Falls, Texas, SMU beat Hardin–Simmons 18–6.

November

November 2 Notre Dame (5–0–0) and Ohio State (4–0–0) met at Columbus before a crowd of 80,000. Grantland Rice described what happened: "Completely outplayed in the first two quarters, trailing 13 to 0 as the final quarter started with every killing break against it-- breaks that would crack the heart of an iron ox-- this Notre Dame team came surging back in the final quarter...". Notre Dame scored early in the fourth, but the extra point attempt bounced off the crossbar, and it was 13–6. After an interception, the Irish drove to within six inches of the goal line when Milner fumbled the ball away. With 90 seconds left, Andy Pilney passed to Mike Layden for a touchdown, but the extra point failed and the Irish trailed 13–12. Andy Pilney forced a Buckeye fumble at midfield, giving the Irish the ball at the 49 yard line, and on the next play, Pilney, taking back over as quarterback, scrambled to the 19 yard line, but was injured. With only one play left in the game, reserve quarterback Bill Shakespeare passed to Wayne Milner for the 18–13 win. [5] [6]

At Los Angeles, California (6–0–0) faced UCLA (4–0–0) and won 14–2. TCU visited Baylor (6–0–0). TCU shut the Bears out 28–0. SMU beat visiting Texas 20–0. Minnesota beat Purdue 29–7. Stanford beat Santa Clara in another close game, 9–6. Fordham and Pittsburgh played to a 0–0 tie. Princeton defeated Navy 26–0.

November 9 Unbeaten Notre Dame hosted the Northwestern Wildcats, who had a losing record (2–3–0). With William Shakespeare at left halfback for the Irish, and Henry Wardsworth Longfellow playing right end for the Wildcats, the game looked like no more than a meeting of literary namesakes. Shakespeare's running game was shut down, while Longfellow caught one touchdown pass, and then recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter to set up a second touchdown for a major upset, as Northwestern won 14–7 [7] Minnesota won at Iowa 13–6. In Los Angeles, SMU handed UCLA (4–1–0) its second straight loss, 21–0. Stanford won at USC, 3–0. California beat Washington 14–0.

Fordham tied St. Mary's College 7–7, Princeton beat Harvard 35–0 and Pittsburgh beat visiting Army 29–6. Ohio State won at Chicago, 20–13. In a Friday game at New Orleans, TCU beat Loyola College 14–0.

November 16

TCU won at Texas 28–0 and SMU won at Arkansas 17–6. Fordham beat Muhlenberg College 45–0 at the Polo Grounds, while Notre Dame and Army played to a 6–6 tie at Yankee Stadium. Pittsburgh beat Nebraska 6–0 and Princeton beat Lehigh 27–0. Stanford defeated Montana 32–0 California beat Pacific 39–0 Ohio State beat Illinois 38–0 and Minnesota won at Michigan 40–0 In a Friday game, UCLA beat visiting Hawaii 19–6.

November 23

California (9–0) and Stanford (6–1–0) met at Palo Alto, as Stanford handed the Golden Bears their first loss, 13–0. On the strength of the win, Stanford got the bid to the Rose Bowl. In a matchup of two great Ivy teams, Princeton (7–0–0) hosted Dartmouth (8–0–0), with Princeton winning 26–6. SMU defeated visiting Baylor 10–0 and TCU beat visiting Rice, 27–6, as both teams raised their records to 10–0–0.

UCLA beat Loyola Marymount 14–6 Notre Dame closed its season with a 20–13 win over USC. Minnesota beat visiting Wisconsin, 33–7 to close its season at 8–0–0.

For the first time, Ohio State closed with its regular season with Michigan, a tradition that continued with only one interruption, in 1942. OSU won at Ann Arbor, 38–0.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 28 a crowd of 78,000 turned out at Yankee Stadium to watch Fordham (5–1–2) face New York University (7–1–0). Fordham shut out NYU 21–0, but not before a fight broke out with the spectators crowding the field, [8] Pittsburgh (6–1–0) and Carnegie Tech (2–5–0) played to a 0–0 tie.

November 30

The most eagerly watched game of the season matched two unbeaten (10–0–0) teams, with Texas Christian (10–0–0) hosting Southern Methodist. SMU won 20–14 and was invited to the Rose Bowl, while TCU went to the Sugar Bowl.

Princeton closed its season with a 38–7 win at Yale, to finish 9–0–0.

December

December 7 UCLA beat Idaho 13–6. TCU won at Santa Clara, 10–6.

December 14 In San Francisco, UCLA closed its season with a 13–7 win over St. Mary's, while in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh beat USC 12–7.

Conference standings

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

Major conference standings

1935 Big Six Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 21 Nebraska $ 4 0 16 2 1
Oklahoma 3 2 06 3 0
Kansas 2 2 14 4 1
Kansas State 1 2 22 4 3
Iowa State 1 3 12 4 3
Missouri 0 2 33 3 3
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from United Press
1935 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Minnesota + 5 0 08 0 0
No. 5 Ohio State + 5 0 07 1 0
Purdue 3 3 04 4 0
Indiana 2 2 14 3 1
No. 16 Northwestern 2 3 14 3 1
No. 18 Iowa 1 2 24 2 2
Chicago 2 3 04 4 0
Michigan 2 3 04 4 0
Illinois 1 4 03 5 0
Wisconsin 1 4 01 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from United Press
1935 Border Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Arizona $ 4 0 07 2 0
New Mexico A&M 4 1 07 1 2
New Mexico 3 2 06 4 0
Arizona State 2 3 12 5 1
Arizona State–Flagstaff 0 3 13 3 3
Texas Tech 0 1 05 3 2
Texas Mines 0 3 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • Reference [9]
1935 New England Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Maine $ 2 0 03 3 1
Rhode Island State 1 1 04 4 1
Connecticut State 0 1 02 4 1
New Hampshire 0 1 02 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1935 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
North Dakota Agricultural $ 4 0 17 1 1
North Dakota 3 0 26 2 2
Iowa State Teachers 2 0 06 3 0
South Dakota 2 2 15 3 1
South Dakota State 1 3 14 4 1
Omaha 1 3 06 3 0
Morningside 0 5 10 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Stanford ^ + 4 1 08 1 0
No. 9 California + 4 1 09 1 0
No. 18 UCLA + 4 1 08 2 0
Washington State 3 2 05 3 1
Oregon 3 2 06 3 0
No. 23 Washington 4 3 05 3 0
Oregon State 2 3 16 4 1
USC 2 4 05 7 0
Idaho 1 5 02 7 0
Montana 0 5 11 5 2
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ – Selected as Rose Bowl representative
Rankings from United Press
1935 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Colorado + 5 1 05 4 0
Utah State + 5 1 15 2 1
Utah 4 1 14 3 1
Denver 5 2 06 3 0
Colorado College 4 2 14 3 1
Colorado State–Greeley 2 1 04 3 0
BYU 3 4 04 4 0
Wyoming 3 4 04 4 0
Colorado A&M 2 4 13 4 1
Montana State 1 5 02 6 1
Colorado Mines 1 6 01 6 0
Western State (CO) 0 4 01 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1935 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 LSU $ 5 0 09 2 0
Vanderbilt 5 1 07 3 0
Ole Miss 3 1 09 3 0
No. 15 Auburn 5 2 08 2 0
No. 17 Alabama 4 2 06 2 1
Tulane 3 3 06 4 0
Kentucky 3 3 05 4 0
Georgia Tech 3 4 05 5 0
Mississippi State 2 3 08 3 0
Tennessee 2 3 04 5 0
Georgia 2 4 06 4 0
Florida 1 6 03 7 0
Sewanee 0 6 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from United Press
1935 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 Duke $ 5 0 08 2 0
No. 12 North Carolina 4 1 08 1 0
Maryland 3 1 17 2 2
Clemson 2 1 06 3 0
VPI 3 3 14 3 2
NC State 2 2 06 4 0
Washington and Lee 1 3 13 4 1
Virginia 0 3 21 5 4
South Carolina 1 4 03 7 0
VMI 0 3 12 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from United Press
1935 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 SMU $ 6 0 012 1 0
No. 4 TCU 5 1 012 1 0
Baylor 3 3 08 3 0
Rice 3 3 08 3 0
Arkansas 2 4 05 5 0
Texas A&M 1 5 03 7 0
Texas 1 5 04 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from United Press

Independents

1935 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Princeton   9 0 0
No. 14 Holy Cross   9 0 1
NYU   7 1 0
Dartmouth   8 2 0
Northeastern   5 0 3
Syracuse   6 1 1
No. 10 Pittsburgh   7 1 2
No. 11 Fordham   6 1 2
Villanova   7 2 0
Franklin & Marshall   7 2 1
Providence   6 2 0
No. 18 Army   6 2 1
Colgate   7 3 0
Temple   7 3 0
Boston College   6 3 0
Bucknell   6 3 0
Duquesne   6 3 0
Yale   6 3 0
CCNY   4 3 0
Drexel   3 2 2
Manhattan   5 3 1
Massachusetts State   5 4 0
La Salle   4 4 1
Penn   4 4 0
Penn State   4 4 0
Columbia   4 4 1
Vermont   4 5 0
Boston University   3 4 2
Harvard   3 5 0
Carnegie Tech   2 5 1
Buffalo   2 6 0
Tufts   1 5 2
Brown   1 8 0
Cornell   0 6 1
Rankings from United Press
1935 Midwestern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 23 Marquette   7 1 0
No. 8 Notre Dame   7 1 1
Michigan State   6 2 0
DePaul   5 2 1
Wayne   5 2 1
Detroit   6 3 0
Xavier   6 3 0
Michigan State Normal   4 2 2
Western State Teachers (MI)   5 3 0
Saint Louis   5 6 0
Central State (MI)   1 6 0
Haskell   0 7 1
Rankings from United Press
1935 Southern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Catholic University   8 1 0
William & Mary Norfolk   8 1 0
Texas Wesleyan   8 2 1
George Washington   6 3 0
Hardin–Simmons   6 3 1
Navy   5 4 0
Western Maryland   6 5 0
East Carolina   3 3 0
Georgetown   4 4 0
Troy State   5 5 0
South Georgia Teachers   3 3 2
West Virginia   3 4 2
Oklahoma City   3 4 1
Texas A&I   3 5 0
Delaware   2 5 1
Jacksonville State   2 5 0
Oglethorpe   1 8 0
1935 Western college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Idaho Southern Branch   7 0 1
Humboldt State   6 1 1
Cal Poly   5 2 1
Pomona   5 2 1
No. 23 Saint Mary's   5 2 2
Hawaii   5 3 0
San Francisco   5 3 0
Gonzaga   5 4 1
Loyola (CA)   6 5 0
San Jose State   5 5 1
Portland   3 4 0
Santa Clara   3 6 1
San Francisco State   2 5 1
Rankings from United Press

Minor conferences

ConferenceChampion(s)Record
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Morgan College 7–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kansas State Teachers–Hays
Kansas State Teachers–Pittsburg
Wichita
3–1
Far Western Conference Fresno State Normal 4–0
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference Butler 5–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Luther 4–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Kansas Wesleyan 4–0–1
Lone Star Conference North Texas State Teachers
Stephen F. Austin State Teachers
East Texas State Teachers
3–1
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Alma 4–0
Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference Adrian
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Ripon 2–0–1
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Gustavus Adolphus
Saint John's (MN)
Saint Olaf
3–0–1
3–0–1
3–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northeast Missouri State Teachers 5–0
Nebraska College Athletic Conference Hastings 3–1
Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association Omaha University 4–0
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Dakota Agricultural 4–0–1
North Dakota College Athletic Conference Jamestown College 4–0
Northern Teachers Athletic Conference Moorhead State Teachers 4–0
Ohio Athletic Conference Baldwin–Wallace 8–0
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Central State Teachers (OK)
East Central State (OK)
4–1
Pacific Northwest Conference Linfield
Willamette
3–0–1
4–0
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Shippensburg State Teachers 5–1
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Augustana (SD) 5–0
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Whittier 4–1
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Alabama State Teachers
Southwestern Athletic Conference Texas College 5–0–1
Texas Conference Austin 4–0–2
Tri-Normal League State Normal–Cheney 1–0–1
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference North: Superior State Teachers
South: Oshkosh State Teachers
3–0–1
4–0

Minor conference standings

1935 Buckeye Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 21 Ohio $ 5 0 08 0 0
Cincinnati 3 2 07 2 0
Ohio Wesleyan 3 2 05 3 1
Dayton 2 2 14 4 1
Miami (OH) 1 3 15 3 1
Marshall 0 5 04 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from United Press
1935 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Fort Hays State + 3 1 08 2 0
Pittsburg State + 3 1 06 3 0
Wichita + 3 1 05 4 0
Emporia Teachers 1 3 04 4 0
Southwestern (KS) 0 4 04 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Chesapeake Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Randolph–Macon $ 3 0 08 0 2
Hampden–Sydney 2 1 05 5 0
American 1 2 03 4 0
Bridgewater 0 3 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Morgan $ 7 0 08 0 0
Hampton 7 1 07 1 0
Bluefield State 6 2 06 3 0
Virginia State 5 3 06 3 1
North Carolina College 4 2 04 4 0
Virginia Union 4 3 14 3 1
Lincoln (PA) 2 2 12 3 2
Shaw 3 3 03 3 0
Johnson C. Smith 2 3 02 4 1
Howard 1 5 03 5 0
Saint Paul's (VA) 1 7 01 7 0
North Carolina A&T 1 8 01 8 0
St. Augustine's 0 5 00 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Dixie Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Howard (AL) $ 3 0 17 1 2
Chattanooga 3 1 14 3 1
Spring Hill 2 1 27 2 2
Millsaps 1 1 24 4 2
Southwestern (TN) 2 2 23 4 2
Mercer 1 1 04 5 0
Loyola (LA) 2 2 02 6 1
Birmingham–Southern 2 5 02 6 0
Mississippi College 1 4 12 6 1
Centre 0 0 11 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Fresno State $ 4 0 06 3 0
Pacific (CA) 3 1 05 4 1
Nevada 2 2 02 6 0
Cal Aggies 1 3 02 6 1
Chico State 0 4 02 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Millikin + 4 0 05 1 0
Monmouth (IL) + 4 0 06 3 0
Northern Illinois State 5 1 17 1 1
Illinois College 5 1 05 3 0
McKendree 4 1 15 3 1
Illinois Wesleyan 4 1 07 3 0
Illinois State Normal 4 2 15 2 2
Elmhurst 2 1 15 2 1
Knox (IL) 2 1 15 2 2
Augustana (IL) 3 2 05 3 0
North Central 3 3 04 3 0
Carthage 2 3 04 4 0
Wheaton (IL) 1 2 12 5 1
St. Viator 1 2 02 4 2
Southern Illinois 1 4 11 7 1
Bradley 1 5 11 6 1
Western Illinois 1 6 02 6 0
Lake Forest 0 1 03 4 0
Eastern Illinois 0 5 01 7 0
Eureka 0 6 00 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1935 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Butler $ 6 0 07 1 0
DePauw 5 0 25 1 2
Wabash 6 1 16 1 1
Indiana State 4 1 05 3 0
Manchester 3 1 24 1 2
Central Normal 2 1 23 1 3
Valparaiso 2 2 04 4 1
Ball State 3 4 13 4 1
Evansville 4 5 04 5 0
Hanover 2 3 02 5 1
Earlham 1 2 10 0 0
Saint Joseph's (IN) 1 3 01 4 0
Rose Poly 1 5 02 5 0
Franklin (IN) 1 7 01 7 0
Oakland City 0 6 10 7 1
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Luther $ 4 0 07 1 0
St. Ambrose 4 0 07 1 0
Upper Iowa 4 1 05 2 1
Parsons 5 1 06 2 0
Dubuque 2 2 03 4 0
Western Union 1 1 04 3 0
Columbia (IA) 2 3 03 4 0
Buena Vista 2 2 04 4 1
Central (IA) 3 3 04 5 0
Simpson 1 4 01 8 0
Iowa Wesleyan 1 6 02 7 0
Penn (IA) 0 6 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • Conference standings were based on Stanley-Dean ranking.
1935 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Kansas Wesleyan $ 4 0 14 3 1
Baker 3 1 13 4 2
McPherson 2 1 24 3 2
College of Emporia 3 2 03 5 1
Bethany (KS) 1 4 04 4 0
Ottawa 0 5 00 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Texas State + 3 1 06 2 1
North Texas State + 3 1 05 3 1
Stephen F. Austin + 3 1 04 5 0
Southwest Texas State 1 3 02 7 0
Sam Houston State 0 4 03 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1935 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Alma $ 4 0 08 0 0
Kalamazoo 2 1 12 3 2
Hillsdale 1 2 14 4 1
Hope 1 2 13 3 2
Albion 0 3 10 6 2
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Middle Three Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Rutgers $ 2 0 04 5 0
Lehigh 1 1 05 4 0
Lafayette 0 2 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Saint John's (MN) + 3 0 15 0 1
Gustavus Adolphus + 3 0 15 0 2
St. Olaf + 3 0 03 4 0
St. Thomas (MN) 3 1 24 2 2
Hamline 2 2 02 3 0
Macalester 0 3 11 5 1
Concordia (MN) 0 3 11 6 1
Saint Mary's (MN) 0 5 02 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1935 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $ 3 1 06 3 0
Tarkio 2 1 03 2 0
Central (MO) 2 2 03 6 0
William Jewell 2 2 03 5 1
Culver–Stockton 0 3 02 4 2
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Kirksville $ 5 0 07 1 0
Cape Girardeau 3 2 07 2 0
Warrensburg 2 2 14 3 1
Springfield (MO) 2 2 13 4 1
Maryville (MO) 2 3 03 5 1
Rolla 0 5 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Washington University + 3 0 06 4 0
Tulsa + 3 0 03 6 1
Creighton 2 1 13 5 1
Drake 1 2 14 4 2
Washburn 1 2 04 6 0
Grinnell 1 2 03 5 1
Oklahoma A&M 0 3 03 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1935 Nebraska College Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hastings $ 3 1 06 4 0
Nebraska Wesleyan 2 1 15 3 1
Doane 2 2 00 6 3
Midland 1 2 12 2 3
York (NE) 1 3 06 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Omaha $ 3 0 06 3 0
Kearney State 2 2 05 3 0
Wayne State (NE) 2 2 03 4 0
Peru State 1 3 02 5 1
Chadron State 1 3 02 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 North Dakota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Jamestown $ 4 0 15 1 1
Dickinson State 2 1 13 1 1
Valley City State 3 2 14 2 1
Mayville State 2 2 02 2 0
Minot State 1 1 21 2 3
Wahpeton 1 3 11 4 1
Ellendale Teachers 0 4 00 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 North State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Elon $ 3 0 06 3 0
Appalachian State 1 0 15 2 2
Catawba 3 1 08 2 0
Lenoir–Rhyne 2 2 14 4 1
Guilford 1 3 01 9 0
Western Carolina 0 4 01 10 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Northwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Willamette $ 4 0 05 2 0
Linfield 3 0 15 2 2
Whitman 3 2 16 2 1
College of Idaho 2 3 06 4 0
Puget Sound 1 2 14 4 1
Pacific (OR) 1 3 22 4 2
Albany (OR) 0 4 11 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Baldwin–Wallace $ 8 0 09 1 0
Mount Union 6 1 17 1 1
Toledo 3 1 06 2 1
Capital 4 2 05 2 0
Akron 6 3 06 3 0
Marietta 3 2 04 4 0
Wittenberg 3 2 04 5 0
Case 3 2 03 6 0
Ohio Northern 3 2 14 3 1
Muskingum 3 3 05 4 0
Kenyon 1 1 13 3 1
Heidelberg 3 3 23 4 2
Oberlin 2 2 13 4 1
Wooster 2 3 23 4 2
Ashland 2 4 12 4 1
Kent State 2 5 03 5 0
Findlay 1 3 04 4 0
Otterbein 0 6 11 6 1
Bowling Green 0 6 01 6 0
John Carroll 0 4 01 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Central + 4 1 07 2 0
Central State (OK) + 4 1 07 2 1
Northeastern State 2 2 14 3 1
SE Oklahoma State 2 2 14 4 2
NW Oklahoma State 1 3 13 5 1
SW Oklahoma State 0 4 12 6 2
  • + Conference co-champions
1935 Pennsylvania State Teachers Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Shippensburg $ 6 1 07 1 0
West Chester 1 0 07 3 0
Lock Haven 5 2 15 2 1
Indiana (PA) 5 2 05 3 0
Slippery Rock 2 1 05 4 0
Bloomsburg 4 3 14 3 1
Mansfield 3 3 04 3 1
California (PA) 3 3 04 3 0
East Stroudsburg 1 2 03 5 0
Millersville 1 3 02 4 0
Clarion 1 4 01 6 0
Kutztown 0 3 03 5 0
Edinboro 0 5 00 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Cumberland (TN) $ 5 0 07 3 0
Carson–Newman 6 1 07 3 0
Appalachian State 3 2 05 2 2
East Tennessee State Teachers 4 3 05 3 0
Maryville (TN) 2 2 14 5 1
Milligan 2 3 12 5 1
King 1 3 12 5 2
Tusculum 0 5 12 5 1
Western Carolina 0 4 01 10 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Spearfish + 5 0 08 0 0
Augustana (SD) + 5 0 07 2 0
Huron 5 1 05 2 0
Southern Normal 3 2 03 3 0
Sioux Falls 3 3 04 4 0
Dakota Wesleyan 2 3 03 4 0
Yankton 2 3 03 5 0
Northern State 1 5 02 6 0
Eastern Normal 0 4 00 5 0
South Dakota Mines 0 5 00 6 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1935 Southern California Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Whittier $ 4 1 05 5 0
Redlands 3 1 17 1 1
Santa Barbara State 2 2 15 2 2
San Diego State 2 2 13 4 1
Occidental 1 2 13 3 2
La Verne 0 4 03 6 1
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Middle Tennessee State Teachers $ 5 0 08 0 0
Howard (AL) 5 0 17 1 2
Furman 4 0 08 1 0
Centenary 3 0 06 5 0
Union (KY) 2 0 23 1 2
Southwestern (TN) 2 0 23 4 3
Louisiana Tech 7 1 08 1 0
Mississippi State Teachers 5 1 06 4 0
Stetson 4 1 07 2 0
The Citadel 4 1 04 3 1
Transylvania 3 1 05 3 0
Georgetown (KY) 3 1 15 2 1
Western Kentucky State Teachers 5 2 07 3 0
Wofford 3 2 14 4 1
Louisiana College 4 4 06 4 0
Miami (FL) 1 1 05 3 0
Millsaps 2 2 14 4 2
Mercer 1 1 04 5 0
Centre 1 1 01 7 1
Union (TN) 2 3 16 4 1
Eastern Kentucky State Teachers 2 3 14 4 1
Murray State 2 4 04 5 0
Presbyterian 2 4 02 7 0
Rollins 1 3 02 5 0
Loyola (LA) 1 3 02 6 1
Newberry 1 4 02 8 0
SW Louisiana 1 4 02 8 0
Louisville 1 4 01 6 1
Louisiana Normal 1 5 02 9 0
West Tennessee State Teachers 0 3 11 6 1
Erskine 0 4 11 6 1
Mississippi College 0 5 12 6 1
Tennessee Tech 0 5 11 6 1
Morehead State 0 5 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Texas College $ 5 0 19 0 1
Wiley 3 0 38 0 3
Bishop 3 2 17 2 1
Prairie View 1 1 44 3 4
Langston 1 3 22 3 2
Southern 1 4 11 7 1
Samuel Huston 1 5 01 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 Texas Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Austin $ 4 0 27 2 2
McMurry 4 2 06 3 0
Howard Payne 3 1 35 2 3
Trinity (TX) 2 2 14 3 1
Daniel Baker 2 3 14 5 2
Abilene Christian 1 4 11 6 3
Southwestern (TX) 1 4 11 8 1
St. Edward's 1 4 13 5 1
Hardin–Simmons * 2 0 06 3 1
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – did not compete for championship
1935 Tri-State Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Milton $ 5 0 06 0 0
Northwestern (WI) 3 1 14 2 1
Aurora 3 1 13 2 2
Wisconsin Mines 2 3 02 3 0
Wartburg 0 4 00 4 0
Mission House 0 4 00 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1935 West Virginia Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
West Virginia Wesleyan $ 4 0 07 2 1
Salem 6 1 06 2 0
West Liberty State 5 2 07 2 0
Concord 3 4 04 4 0
Glenville State 3 4 04 4 0
Morris Harvey 2 4 02 7 0
Fairmont State 2 5 02 6 0
Shepherd 1 3 11 6 1
New River State 0 4 01 5 0
Bethany (WV) * 1 0 05 3 0
Marshall * 2 1 04 6 0
Potomac State * 1 1 11 4 1
Davis & Elkins * 1 2 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • * – Did not qualify for conference standings
    Ties did not count in conference standings.
1935 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northern Division
Superior State x 4 0 07 1 0
River Falls State 2 1 14 2 1
[[{{{school}}}|Eau Claire State]]1 1 22 3 2
[[{{{school}}}|La Crosse State]]1 2 13 4 1
[[{{{school}}}|Stout State]]0 4 01 6 0
Southern Division
[[{{{school}}}|Oshkosh State]] x 4 0 06 0 1
[[{{{school}}}|Whitewater State]]3 1 04 2 0
[[{{{school}}}|Milwaukee State]]2 2 04 3 0
[[{{{school}}}|Platteville State]]1 3 01 4 0
[[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]]0 4 02 5 0
  • x Division champion/co-champions

Rankings

A poll of 142 newspaper writers, taken at year's end—by United Press International (known as United Press Associations at the time)—concluded that Minnesota was the best in the nation. [10] Alan J. Gould, creator of the AP writer's poll that would begin in the following year, named Minnesota, Princeton, and SMU co-champions. [11]

Years later, other selectors recognized as “major” by the NCAA, the Billingsley Report, the Helms Athletic Foundation title, and National Championship Foundation, retroactively selected Minnesota as national champion. Modern selectors, the Sagarin Ratings and Berryman Quality Point Rating System (Berryman QPRS), retroactively deemed SMU as national champion. [1]

Bowl games

Rankings from the Dickinson System

Bowl gameWinning teamLosing team
Rose Bowl No. 5 Stanford 7No. 1 SMU 0
Sugar Bowl No. 8 TCU 3No. 4 LSU 2
Orange Bowl Catholic University 20 Ole Miss 19
Sun Bowl Hardin–Simmons 14 New Mexico A&M 14

The Rose Bowl matched unbeaten Southwest Conference champion SMU (12–0) against Pacific Coast Conference co-champion Stanford (7–1) before a crowd of 86,000. Stanford has lost the two previous Rose Bowls, falling to Columbia in the 1934 Rose Bowl and 1934 Alabama Crimson Tide football team the 1935 game. Determined not three-peat, the Stanford scored an early touchdown and held off the Mustangs to win 7–0.

In New Orleans, the second annual Sugar Bowl pitted TCU (11–1) against Southeastern Conference champion LSU (9–1) before a crowd of 38,000. TCU's Sammy Baugh was forced out of the end zone on a pass attempt, and the safety gave LSU a 2–0 lead. Two minutes later, Baugh drove the Frogs to the 17-yard line, setting up Taldon Malton's field goal. The final score was TCU 3, LSU 2 [12]

In Miami, the second annual Orange Bowl matched Ole Miss (9–2) against unheralded Catholic University (8–1). A crowd of 10,000 watched Catholic take an early lead and pull off a 20–19 upset. The Sun Bowl matched two colleges for the first time, as New Mexico A&M and Hardin–Simmons battled to a 14–14 tie.

Awards and honors

All-Americans

Statistical leaders

Heisman Trophy

1935 was the first year that the Heisman Trophy was ever awarded, although it was named differently in the first year. In 1935, it was presented by the Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) in Manhattan, New York, a privately owned recreation facility near the site of the former World Trade Center. It was first known simply as the "DAC Trophy" for this inaugural year. The first winner, Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles but declined to sign for them. He never played professional football for any team. In 1936, John Heisman died and the trophy was renamed in his honor. Larry Kelley, the second winner of the award was the first man to win it officially named as the "Heisman Trophy." [13]

Voting

PlayerSchoolPositionTotal
Jay Berwanger Chicago HB84
Monk Meyer Army HB29
William Shakespeare Notre Dame HB23
Pepper Constable Princeton HB20

See also

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.

The 1957 NCAA University Division football season saw two different national champions. Auburn was ranked first in the AP writers' poll taken at season's end, while Ohio State was first in the UPI coaches' poll. Auburn was ineligible for a bowl game, however, having been placed on probation indefinitely by the Southeastern Conference, after having paid two high school players $500 apiece.

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.

<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.

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.

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 1936 college football season was the first in which the Associated Press writers' poll selected a national champion. The first AP poll, taken of 35 writers, was released on October 20, 1936. 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. In the first poll, Minnesota received 32 first place votes, and 3 votes for an additional 25 points, for a total of 345 altogether. Of the seven contemporary math system selectors, two chose Pittsburgh as the top team.

<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.

The 1956 NCAA University Division football season saw the University of Oklahoma Sooners finish a third consecutive season unbeaten and untied to again win the national championship.

The 1953 college football season finished with the Maryland Terrapins capturing the AP, INS, and UPI national championship after Notre Dame held the top spot for the first nine weeks. The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners defeated Maryland in the Orange Bowl, but there was no further polling after the November 30 results were released. However, Notre Dame was selected as the National Champions by 10 other polls and the Oklahoma Sooners received first in two polls. However, despite the team receiving National Championship rings, the University of Notre Dame does not recognize this title due to their policy of only recognizing AP or coaches' poll titles during the polling era (1936–present). Maryland was also the first champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which had been formed earlier in 1953 by seven colleges formerly with the Southern Conference. The year 1953 also saw the Michigan State Spartans, previously an independent, join the Big Nine Conference, which then became the Big Ten; MSU won the conference title in that first year and was the conference representative to the Rose Bowl, which it won 28–20 over UCLA.

The 1951 college football season finished with seven unbeaten major college teams, of which five were unbeaten and untied. Ultimately, the Tennessee Volunteers were voted the best team by the Associated Press, followed by the Michigan State Spartans, with the Vols having a plurality of first place votes. Tennessee lost in the Sugar Bowl to the equally undefeated and untied No. 3 Maryland Terrapins, but the postseason games were not taken into account by the major polls. Tennessee, Michigan State, and Illinois all claim national championships for 1951.

The 1950 college football season finished with the unbeaten and untied Oklahoma Sooners (9–0) being the consensus choice for national champion. On New Year's Day, however, the Sooners were upset by the Kentucky Wildcats in the Sugar Bowl. The Army Cadets, ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll, had been defeated in their final regular season game by 2–6 Navy, 14–2. However, the final poll had been issued on November 27, and the bowl games had no effect on Oklahoma's status as the No. 1 team.

The 1949 college football season finished with four teams that were unbeaten and untied-- Notre Dame, Oklahoma, California, and Army had won all their games at season's end. Notre Dame, however, was the overwhelming choice for national champion in the AP Poll, with 172 of 208 first place votes. The Fighting Irish did not participate in the New Year's Day bowl games, which were played on January 2, 1950.

The 1948 college football season finished with two unbeaten and untied teams: Michigan and Clemson. Michigan was the first-place choice for the majority of the voters in the AP Poll, but did not play in the postseason because of a no-repeat rule for Big Nine schools. Notre Dame, second in the AP Poll, tied USC 14–14 at the end of the regular season, but did not participate in any bowl per university policy at the time. Northwestern beat California 20–14 in the Rose Bowl, and Clemson defeated Missouri by one point in the Gator Bowl.

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 1940 college football season was the 72nd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Six Conference, the Southern Conference, the Southwestern Conference, and numerous smaller conferences and independent programs.

The 1941 college football regular season was the 73rd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Six Conference, the Southern Conference, the Southwestern Conference, and numerous smaller conferences and independent programs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2011. p. 73.
  2. Williamson, Paul B. (January 16, 1936). "Frogs Rated First In Final Grid Standings; S.M.U. Mustangs Placed Second By Williamson". Fort Worth Star–Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. Retrieved January 2, 2023. No Undisputable National Champions Picked; Sugar Bowl Game One of Best
  3. Mark Purcell http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv05/CFHSNv05n3c.pdf Archived 2016-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Purdue Hands Fordham Humiliating Defeat at Polo Grounds", Syracuse Herald, Oct. 13, 1935, pB-2
  5. Grantland Rice, "'Fighting Irish' Rally To Win 18–13 Victory", from Syracuse Herald, Nov. 3, 1935, pII-1
  6. "This Day in Buckeye History"
  7. "Lowly Wildcats Crush Mighty Notre Dame", Fresno Bee, Nov. 10, 1935, pIII-1.
  8. "Madison Square Garden Missed This Fistic Event", Syracuse Herald, November 29, 1935, p34
  9. "1935 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  10. "Urbana Daily Courier 12 December 1935 — Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections". idnc.library.illinois.edu. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  11. Nissenson, Herschel (2001). Tales from college football's sidelines. Internet Archive. [Place of publication not identified] : Sports Pub. L.L.C. ISBN   978-1-58261-269-0.
  12. "Manton's Kick Gives T.C.U. 3 To 2 Win", Oakland Tribune, January 2, 1936, pB-1
  13. "Heisman Trophy". heisman.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2015.