1939 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Big Ten champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
APNo. 15
Record6–2 (5–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPSteve Andrako
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
Seasons
← 1938
1940 →
1939 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 15 Ohio State $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0
No. 9 Iowa 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 1
No. 20 Michigan 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0
Purdue 2 – 1 – 2 3 – 3 – 2
Northwestern 3 – 2 – 1 3 – 4 – 1
Illinois 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 1
Minnesota 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1
Indiana 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 4 – 2
Wisconsin 0 – 5 – 1 1 – 6 – 1
Chicago 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1939 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented Ohio State University in the 1939 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Francis Schmidt, the Buckeyes compiled a 6–2 record (5–1 against conference opponents), won the Big Ten Conference championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 189 to 64.

Ohio State was ranked at No. 15 in the final AP poll and at No. 5 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.[1]

Ohio State end Esco Sarkkinen was a consensus pick on the 1939 All-America college football team. Six Ohio State players received honors from the Associated Press (AP) and/or United Press (UP) on the 1939 All-Big Ten Conference football team. The honorees were: Sarkkinen (AP-1, UP-1); quarterback Don Scott (AP-1, UP-1); guard Vic Marino (AP-1); center Steve Andrako (AP-2); halfback Jim Strausbaugh (AP-2); and fullback Jim Langhurst (AP-2).[2][3]

The Buckeyes played their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 7Missouri*
W 19–058,165[4]
October 14Northwestern
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 13–055,622[5]
October 21at MinnesotaNo. 10
W 23–2052,000[6]
October 28No. 7 Cornell*No. 4
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
L 14–2349,583[7][8]
November 4IndianaNo. 14
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 24–040,872[9]
November 11at ChicagoNo. 9
W 61–02,000[10]
November 18IllinoisNo. 8
W 21–046,643[11]
November 25at MichiganNo. 6
L 14–2180,227[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Coaching staff

1940 NFL draftees

Player Round Pick Position NFL club
Esco Sarkkinen 5 39 End Green Bay Packers
Frank Zadworney 8 64 Halfback Brooklyn Dodgers
Steve Andrako 17 158 Center Washington Redskins

References

  1. ^ E. E. Litkenhous (December 31, 1939). "Vols Second In Final Litkenhous Grid Rankings; Southern California Tenth". Johnson City Sunday Press. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Nile Kinnick Tops Annual Big Ten All-Star Team Selection". The Palm Beach Post (AP story). November 28, 1939. p. 10.
  3. ^ "Tom Harmon Named on United Press Big Ten Team". The Evening Chronicle (Marshall, Michigan). November 24, 1939. p. 6.
  4. ^ Jim Emerson (October 8, 1939). "Bucks Trip Missouri Team: Reserves Prove too Much For Big Six Team Under Sweltering Sun Saturday". The Coshocton Tribune. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "State Blanks Northwestern, 13-0: Scott and Langhurst Score Touchdowns In Fourth Period Rally". Springfield News-Sun. October 15, 1939. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Charles Johnson (October 22, 1939). "Ohio State Storms Back to Topple Gophers, 23-20". Sunday Star-Journal. pp. Sports 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ William J. Waters (October 30, 1939). "Cornell Squad Starts Practice For Columbia; Players Hailed For 23-14 Win Over Ohio State". The Ithaca Journal. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Si Burick (October 29, 1939). "Ohio State And U.D. Beaten". Dayton Daily News. pp. 1, 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Fritz Howell (November 5, 1939). "Ohio State in First Place by Win Over Indiana, 24 to 0". The Sandusky Register. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Charles Bartlett (November 12, 1939). "Maroons Hold Ohio 12 Minutes, Then Lose, 61-0: 2,000 Cheer Chicago's Opening Effort". Chicago Tribune. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Fritz Howell (November 19, 1939). "Ohio State Shows Power in Defeating Illinois, 21 to 0". The Sandusky Register. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Tod Rockwell (November 26, 1939). "Michigan Beats Ohio, 21-14, on Last-Minute Touchdown, but Bucks Take Undisputed Big Ten Title as Iowa Is Tied: Wolverines' Great Rally Erases a 14-Point Deficit". Detroit Free Press. pp. Sport 1, 6 – via Newspapers.com.


Categories