The Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy is an American college football rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans. The teams have met 116 times since 1898, including in every year since 1945.
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football", an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1947. He also coached at the University of Minnesota (1930–1931) and Princeton University (1932–1937). Before coaching, he played football at the University of Chicago under Amos Alonzo Stagg, who nicknamed him Fritz after violinist Fritz Kreisler.
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision for football. The Spartans participate as members of the Big Ten Conference in all varsity sports. Michigan State offers 11 varsity sports for men and 12 for women.
Gary John Ballman was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Ballman starred at Michigan State before playing halfback and wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1962 to 1966, making the Pro Bowl the final two seasons.
Clarence Lester "Biggie" Munn was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was the head football coach at Albright College (1935–1936), Syracuse University (1946), and most notably Michigan State College (1947–1953), where his 1952 squad won a national championship. Munn retired from coaching in 1953 to assume duties as Michigan State's athletic director, a position he held until 1971. Each year, the Michigan State Spartans football team hands out the "Biggie Munn Award" to the team's most motivational player. Michigan State's Munn Ice Arena, built in 1974, is named in his honor. Munn was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1959, and, in 1961, he became Michigan State's first inductee into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. He authored the coaching textbook Michigan State Multiple Offense in 1953.
Hugh Duffy Daugherty was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Michigan State University from 1954 to 1972, compiling a record of 109–69–5. His 1965 and 1966 teams won national championships. Daugherty's tenure of 19 seasons at the helm of the Michigan State Spartans football team is the longest of any head coach in the program's history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1984.
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University (MSU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a total of six national championships, including two from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. The Spartans have also won eleven conference championships, with two in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and nine in the Big Ten.
The 1952 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State College as an independent during the 1952 college football season. In their sixth year under head coach Clarence "Biggie" Munn, the Spartans recorded a perfect 9–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 312 to 84, and were recognized as the 1952 national champion. The season was part of a 28-game winning streak that began in October 1950 and continued until October 1953.
The 1951 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State College as an independent during the 1951 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach Clarence Munn, the Spartans compiled a perfect 9–0 record and outscored opponents by a total of 270 to 114. The Spartans played their home games at Macklin Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 1951 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State College as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by third-year head coach Kip Taylor, the Beavers compiled an overall record of 4–6 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, placing sixth in the PCC. The Beavers scored 204 points and allowed 180 points on the season. The team finished the season ranked at No. 25 in the 1951 Litkenhous Ratings.
The 1966 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1966 Big Ten Conference football season. In its eighth year under head coach Bump Elliott, Michigan compiled a 6–4 record, tied for third place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 236 to 138.
The 1952 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1952 Big Ten Conference football season. In its fifth year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan compiled a 5–4 record, tied for fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 207 to 134. For the second consecutive season, Michigan was not ranked in the final AP Poll; it was ranked at No. 17 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.
The 1951 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1951 Big Ten Conference football season. In its fourth year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan compiled a 4–5 record, finished in fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 135 to 122. For the first time since 1937, Michigan was not ranked in the final AP Poll. It was ranked at No. 29 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.
The Michigan State Spartans baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and are members of the Big Ten Conference.
The 1949 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College as an independent the 1949 college football season. In their third season under head coach Clarence Munn, the Spartans compiled a 6–3 record and were ranked No. 19 in the final AP Poll.
The 1947 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College as an independent during the 1947 college football season. The team compiled a 7–2 record and outscored opponents 167 to 101. Clarence Munn was the first-year head coach, Ralph H. Young was the athletic director, and Robert McCurry was the team captain. The three assistants were all future head coaches.
The 1961 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University in the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth season under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled a 7–2 record, finished in third place in the Big Ten Conference, and were ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll. They outscored opponents by a total of 192 to 50.
The 1938 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College as an independent during the 1938 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Charlie Bachman, the Spartans compiled a 6–3 record and lost their annual rivalry game with Michigan by a 14 to 0 score. In inter-sectional play, the team defeated West Virginia (26–0), Syracuse (19–12), and Temple (10–0), and lost to Santa Clara (7–6).
Events from the year 1952 in Michigan.
Events from the year 1951 in Michigan.
