| 1953 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Top draft pick | Stan Wallace |
| Champion | Michigan State |
| Runners-up | Illinois |
| Season MVP | Paul Giel |
| 1953 Big Ten Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Michigan State + | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Illinois + | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Wisconsin | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Michigan | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Iowa | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1953 Big Ten Conference football season was the 58th 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 1953 college football season.
The 1953 Michigan State Spartans football team, under head coach Clarence Munn, won the Big Ten championship in the program's first year of participating in the Big Ten. The Spartans compiled a 9–1 record and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP and UPI polls. End Don Dohoney was a consensus first-team All-American. Halfback Leroy Bolden was selected as the team's most valuable player.
The 1953 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Ray Eliot, finished in second place in the Big Ten with a 7–1–1, led the conference with 25.3 points allowed per game, and was ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll. Halfback J. C. Caroline was a consensus first-team All-American.
Minnesota quarterback Paul Giel was a consensus first-team All-American and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Big Ten's most valuable player for the second consecutive year.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State | Clarence Munn | #3 | #2 | 9–1 | 5–1 | 24.0 | 11.0 | LeRoy Beldon |
| 2 | Illinois | Ray Eliot | #7 | #3 | 7–1–1 | 5–1 | 25.3 | 14.8 | Don Ernst |
| 3 | Wisconsin | Ivy Williamson | #15 | #8 | 6–2–1 | 4–1–1 | 19.9 | 12.2 | Alan Ameche |
| 4 | Ohio State | Woody Hayes | NR | #3 | 6–3 | 4–3 | 20.2 | 18.2 | George Jacoby |
| 5 (tie) | Michigan | Bennie Oosterbaan | #20 | #4 | 6–3 | 3–3 | 18.1 | 11.2 | Tony Branoff |
| 5 (tie) | Iowa | Forest Evashevski | #9 | #9 | 5–3–1 | 3–3 | 20.8 | 10.1 | Bill Fenton |
| 7 | Minnesota | Wes Fesler | NR | #13 | 4–4–1 | 3–3–1 | 16.7 | 17.8 | Paul Giel |
| 8 | Purdue | Stu Holcomb | NR | NR | 2–7 | 2–4 | 9.9 | 18.6 | Tom Bettis |
| 9 | Indiana | Bernie Crimmins | NR | NR | 2–7 | 1–5 | 13.2 | 25.2 | Harry Jagielski |
| 10 | Northwestern | Bob Voigts | NR | #18 | 3-6 | 0-6 | 18.4 | 22.8 | Bob Lauter |
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1953 season [1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1953 season [1]
PPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold [1]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold [1]
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; trophy winner in bold
On January 1, 1954, Michigan State defeated the UCLA, 28–20, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Michigan State halfback Billy Wells was named the Rose Bowl player of the game. The 1954 Rose Bowl had the first color television "colorcast", viewable on 200 sets across the United States. [2]
Two Big Ten teams changed head coaches between the 1953 and 1954 seasons:
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP)as first-team players on the 1953 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| End | Don Dohoney | Michigan State | AP |
| End | Bob Topp | Michigan | AP |
| Tackle | George Jacoby | Ohio State | AP |
| Tackle | Cal Jones | Iowa | AP |
| Guard | Jan Smid | Illinois | AP |
| Guard | Tom Bettis | Purdue | AP |
| Center | Jerry Hilgenberg | Iowa | AP |
| Back | Paul Giel | Minnesota | AP |
| Back | J. C. Caroline | Illinois | AP |
| Back | LeRoy Bolden | Michigan State | AP |
| Back | Alan Ameche | Wisconsin | AP |
At the end of the 1953 season, Big Ten players secured three of 11 consensus first-team picks for the 1953 College Football All-America Team. [6] The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Paul Giel | Minnesota | AAB, AFCA, AP, FWAA, INS, TSN, UP, WCFF |
| End | Don Dohoney | Michigan State | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, TSN, UP, WCFF |
| Halfback | J. C. Caroline | Illinois | AFCA, FWAA, UP, WCFF |
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| End | Joe Collier | Northwestern | INS |
| Center | Jerry Hilgenberg | Iowa | FWAA |
| Fullback | Alan Ameche | Wisconsin | FWAA |
Three Big Ten players finished among the top 10 in the voting for the 1953 Heisman Trophy: Minnesota running back Paul Giel (second); Wisconsin running back Alan Ameche (sixth); and Illinois running back J. C. Caroline (seventh). [7]
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1954 NFL Draft: [8]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Wallace | Back | Illinois | 1 | 6 |
| John Bauer | Guard | Illinois | 1 | 12 |
| Rocky Ryan | End | Illinois | 2 | 21 |
| Jim Neal | Center | Michigan State | 2 | 25 |
| Jerry Hilgenberg | Center | Iowa | 4 | 48 |
| Don Dohoney | End | Michigan State | 5 | 50 |
| Billy Wells | Back | Michigan State | 5 | 56 |
| George Jacoby | Tackle | Ohio State | 6 | 65 |
| Ken Panfil | Tackle | Purdue | 6 | 70 |
| Harry Jagielski | Tackle | Indiana | 7 | 80 |
The 1938 Big Ten Conference football season was the 43rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1938 college football season.
The 1939 Big Ten Conference football season was the 44th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1939 college football season.
The 1940 Big Ten Conference football season was the 45th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1940 college football season. The University of Chicago terminated its football program after the 1939 season, leaving only nine conference members fielding football teams. However, Chicago remained a member of the conference and participated in other sports, and the conference remained known generally as the Big Ten.
The 1949 Big Nine Conference football season was the 54th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Nine Conference and was a part of the 1949 college football season.
The 1950 Big Ten Conference football season was the 55th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1950 college football season.
The 1968 Big Ten Conference football season was the 73rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1968 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1955 Big Ten Conference football season was the 60th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1955 college football season.
The 1954 Big Ten Conference football season was the 59th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1954 college football season.
The 1952 Big Ten Conference football season was the 57th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1952 college football season.
The 1951 Big Ten Conference football season was the 56th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1951 college 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 1920 Big Ten Conference football season was the 25th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1920 college football season.
The 1971 Big Ten Conference football season was the 76th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1971 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1972 Big Ten Conference football season was the 77th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1972 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1973 Big Ten Conference football season was the 78th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1973 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1974 Big Ten Conference football season was the 79th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1974 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1975 Big Ten Conference football season was the 80th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1975 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1978 Big Ten Conference football season was the 83rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1979 Big Ten Conference football season was the 84th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1984 Big Ten Conference football season was the 89th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season.