1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Consensus national champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
APNo. 1
Record7–1 (4–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSingle-wing
MVPEd Widseth
CaptainJulius Alfonse, Ed Widseth
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1935
1937 →
1936 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Northwestern $ 6 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0
No. 1 Minnesota 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0
Ohio State 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0
Indiana 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 1
Purdue 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 1
Illinois 2 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 1
Chicago 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 5 – 1
Iowa 0 – 4 – 1 3 – 4 – 1
Wisconsin 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
Michigan 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1936 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled a 7–1 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 203 to 32.[1] The team was named national champion by eight NCAA-designated major selectors in Associated Press, Billingsley Report, Dickinson System, Dunkel System, Helms Athletic Foundation, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, and Poling System.[2][3] This marked the third consecutive year the team was selected as national champion.

Tackle Ed Widseth was named an All-American by Collier's/Grantland Rice, Associated Press, INS, NEA, New York Sun, Look Magazine, New York Morning Telegram, Hearst, United Press International and Paramount News.[4] Widseth and halfback Andy Uram were named All-Big Ten first team.[5]

Ed Widseth was awarded the Team MVP award.[6]

Total attendance for the season was 247,653, which averaged to 49,531. The season high for attendance was against Iowa.[7]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 26at Washington*
W 14–736,864–40,000
October 10Nebraska*
W 7–053,000
October 17Michigan
W 26–048,000[8][9]
October 24No. 5 PurdueNo. 1
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Minneapolis, MN
W 33–047,780
October 31at No. 3 NorthwesternNo. 1
L 0–648,347
November 7IowadaggerNo. 2
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)
W 52–063,200
November 14Texas*No. 2
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Minneapolis, MN
W 47–1947,400[10]
November 21at WisconsinNo. 2
W 24–033,000
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

  1. ^ "1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  2. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. p. 112. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  3. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 167[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 179[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 180[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 181[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 160[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Tod Rockwell (October 18, 1936). "Minnesota Makes Michigan 20th Straight Victim, 26 to 0: U. of M. Offense Futile as Gopher Backs Romp". Detroit Free Press. pp. Sports 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ George A. Barton (October 18, 1936). "Gophers Trounce Michigan, 26-0: Wolverines Run Ragged; Moore Races 60 Yards". Minneapolis Tribune. pp. 29–30 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Gopher power routs Texas eleven, 47–19". Chicago Tribune. November 15, 1936. Retrieved April 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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