1934 college football season
Encyclopedia
The 1934 college football season saw the addition of not one, but two New Year's Day football games to rival the venerable Rose Bowl
. On February 15, Warren V. Miller and Joseph M. Cousins had 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. Once again, a Big Ten team was selected by Professor Dickinson (of the University of Illinois) as the national champion, with the Minnesota Golden Gophers being accorded the honor. The conference, however, still had a bar against its members playing in the postseason, so Minnesota did not play in any of the bowl games. The Alabama Crimson Tide was selected national champions by Dunkel, Williamson and Football Thesaurus.
Major conferences that existed in 1934 were the Western Conference
(today's Big Ten
), the Pacific Coast Conference
(now the Pac-12), the Southeastern Conference
(SEC), the old Southern Conference
(whose members later played in the ACC
), the Big Six Conference (later the Big 12
) and the Southwest Conference.
opened with a 48-0 win over San Jose State, while in Houston, Rice
opened with a 12-0 win over Loyola College of New Orleans.
September 29
Minnesota beat North Dakota State 56-12 and Illinois beat Bradley 40-7.
Alabama beat Samford 24-0, and Tulane
beat UT-Chattanooga 41-0. Rice
and LSU played to a 9-9 tie while Stanford
and Santa Clara tied 7-7.
Navy
defeated William & Mary 20-7 while Pittsburgh
beat Washington & Jefferson 26-6.
Illinois beat Washington University (at St. Louis) 12-7, and on Friday, Alabama beat Sewanee 35-6 in Montgomery.
October 6
Navy
beat Virginia 21-6 in a game in Washington, DC. In New Orleans, Tulane
beat Auburn 13-0. At Portland, Stanford
beat Oregon State 17-0.
Columbia
opened its season in New York with a 12-6 win over Yale, and Colgate
beat St. Lawrence 32-0. Pittsburgh
won at West Virginia 27-6. Ohio State beat Indiana 33-0. Rice
won at Purdue 14-0.
October 13.
Illinois beat Ohio State 14-13.
Stanford
beat visiting Northwestern 20-0. Pittsburgh
defeated visiting USC 20-6. Alabama defeated Mississippi State 41-0, Rice
defeated SMU 9-0, and Tulane
won at Florida 28-12.
Navy
defeated Maryland 16-13, Colgate
beat St. Bonaventure 62-0 and Columbia
beat VMI 29-6.
October 20
Minnesota won at Pittsburgh
, 13-7. Ohio State defeated visiting Colgate
10-7. Navy
beat Columbia
18-7. Alabama and Tennessee, both 3-0-0, met in Birmingham, with Bama winning 13-6. Tulane
edged visiting Georgia 7-6. In Omaha, Rice
beat Creighton University 47-13.
Stanford
beat USF at San Francisco, 3-0.
October 27
Alabama beat Georgia 26-6 at Birmingham, while in New Orleans, Tulane
beat Georgia Tech 20-12. Rice
stayed unbeaten with a 20-9 win over visiting Texas. Minnesota won at Iowa 48-12, .
Illinois won at Michigan 7-6, and Ohio State won at Northwestern 28-6. Stanford
registered its fourth shutout, a 16-0 win over USC.
Navy
won at Penn, Colgate
won at Holy Cross 20-7 and Columbia
beat visiting Penn State 14-7. Pittsburgh
beat host school Westminster College of Pennsylvania, 30-0
In a Sunday game,
Pitt
(4-1-0) and Notre Dame (3-0-0) met in Pittsburgh, with the Panthers winning 19-0. Minnesota beat Michigan 34-0. In Cleveland, Ohio State won at Western Reserve 76-0. Illinois beat Army 7-0. Alabama won at Kentucky 34-14. Rice
beat Texas A&I 27-0. Tulane
beat Ole Miss 15-0. In Los Angeles, Stanford
beat UCLA 27-0.
Columbia
defeated Cornell 14-0 and Navy
beat Washington & Lee 26-0.
November 10
At Yankee Stadium, Tulane
(6-0-0) faced Colgate
(3-1-0), with the Red Raiders handing the Green Wave their first loss, 20-6. In a meeting of unbeaten teams, Stanford
(7-0-1) hosted Washington (4-0-0) and had a sixth straight shutout 24-0. Over in Cleveland, Navy
beat Notre Dame 10-6. Pittsburgh
won at Nebraska 25-6.
Minnesota beat Indiana 30-0, Illinois won at Northwestern 14-3, and Ohio State beat Chicago 33-0
Alabama beat Clemson 40-0 and Rice
won at Arkansas 7-0. Columbia
beat Brown 39-0
November 17
Navy
(7-0-0) hosted Pittsburgh
(6-1-0) and lost 31-7
Minnesota beat Chicago 35-7 and Ohio State defeated Michigan 34-0. Previously unbeaten (6-0-0) Illinois was upset at Madison when it faced a (3-3-0) Wisconsin Badgers team, falling 7-3.
Alabama defeated Georgia Tech 40-0, while Tulane
won at Kentucky 20-7. Stanford
beat the Olympic Club team 40-0, and had a record of 192-7 against its opponents to that time. Colgate
won at Syracuse 13-2 and Columbia
edged Penn 13-12. Rice
beat Texas A&M 25-6.
November 24
Minnesota won at Wisconsin 34-0, Ohio State beat Iowa 40-7, and
Illinois won at Chicago 7-1. Stanford
clinched a trip to the Rose Bowl with a 9-7 win at California. Colgate
beat Rutgers 14-0. Tulane
beat Sewanee 32-0. Columbia
(7-1-0) beat Syracuse (6-1-0) in a Sunday game 12-0. In Houston, previously unbeaten (8-0-1) Rice
hosted (6-3-0) Texas Christian (TCU) and was upset, 7-2.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 29, Alabama beat Vanderbilt in Birmingham, 34-0, and was invited soon after to meet Stanford at the Rose Bowl. Pittsburgh
beat crosstown rival Carnegie Tech, 20-0, and Kansas State
beat Nebraska
19-7 to clinch the Big Six Conference championship.
In Louisiana, Tulane
(8-1-0) and LSU (6-0-2) faced each other in Baton Rouge. Both teams were likely hosts for the first Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, and Tulane edged the Tigers 13-12 to become the host team, where it would face 7-0-2 Temple University.
Rice
ended at 9-1-1 with a 32-0 win at Baylor.
Colgate
closed its season with a 20-13 win in Providence against Brown. At the Army–Navy Game, held in Philadelphia, Navy
(7-1-0) beat Army (7-2-0) on a field goal, 3-0.
came in 1934. However, this was a one time event and the AP sportswriters' poll would not be continuously until 1936. Frank G. Dickinson, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, had invented the Dickinson System
to rank colleges based upon their records and the strength of their opposition. The Rissman Trophy, and later the Rockne Memorial Trophy, was awarded to the winning university.
In an AP story with the caption "Figure This Out!", the system was explained:
"For each victory of a first division team over another first division team, the winner gets 30 points and the loser 15 points. For each tie between two first
division teams, each team gets 22.5 points. For each victory of a first division team over a second division team, the first division winner gets 20 points and the second division loser 10 points. For each tie between two second
division teams, each gets 15 points. For each tie between a first division team and a second division team, the first division team gets 15 points and the second division
team gets 20 points. Then, after each team has been given its quota of points its final "score" is tabulated by taking an average on the number of games played."
In the first Sugar Bowl
game, (9-1-0) hosted unbeaten (7-0-2) before a crowd of 30,000 in New Orleans. Temple took a 14-0 lead before Tulane came back to win the game 20-14. Temple had closed its season with a 0-0 tie against Bucknell University, which finished at 6-2-2, and the Bucknell Bison were invited to play the in the first Orange Bowl. The 'Canes best days were still ahead of them, and they made only three first downs altogether. Although 15,000 were expected, only 5,000 turned out to watch Bucknell beat Miami 26-0.
The big game remained the Rose Bowl
with , at 9-0-1, and Alabama, at 9-0-0. With both teams unbeaten, a crowd of 85,000 turned out in Pasadena to watch them. Stanford led 7-0 in the first quarter, but Alabama scored 22 points in the second, with the help of quarterback
Millard (Dixie) Howell
and future NFL
hall of fame
receiver
Don Hutson
, with Alabama winning 29-14.
The Sun Bowl
was given a test drive, with the El Paso All-Stars beating the visiting Ranger Bulldogs 25-12 before a crowd of 3,000 in El Paso. At Honolulu, beat vacationing 14-0, and in Houston, Tuskegee beat Prairie View A&M 15-6 in a New Year's Day game for negro colleges
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. On February 15, Warren V. Miller and Joseph M. Cousins had organized the New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association and by October, the group had enough funds to sponsor the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
. 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. Once again, a Big Ten team was selected by Professor Dickinson (of the University of Illinois) as the national champion, with the Minnesota Golden Gophers being accorded the honor. The conference, however, still had a bar against its members playing in the postseason, so Minnesota did not play in any of the bowl games. The Alabama Crimson Tide was selected national champions by Dunkel, Williamson and Football Thesaurus.
Major conferences that existed in 1934 were the Western Conference
Western Conference
Western Conference may refer to:* Western Conference , one of two conferences in Major League Soccer* Western Conference , one of the two conferences of the National Basketball Association...
(today's Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
), the Pacific Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
(now the Pac-12), the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC), the old Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
(whose members later played in the ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
), the Big Six Conference (later the Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
) and the Southwest Conference.
September
September 22 StanfordStanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
opened with a 48-0 win over San Jose State, while in Houston, Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
opened with a 12-0 win over Loyola College of New Orleans.
September 29
Minnesota beat North Dakota State 56-12 and Illinois beat Bradley 40-7.
Alabama beat Samford 24-0, and Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
beat UT-Chattanooga 41-0. Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
and LSU played to a 9-9 tie while Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
and Santa Clara tied 7-7.
Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
defeated William & Mary 20-7 while Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
beat Washington & Jefferson 26-6.
October
On a Wednesday game (October 3) Minnesota beat Nebraska 20-0.Illinois beat Washington University (at St. Louis) 12-7, and on Friday, Alabama beat Sewanee 35-6 in Montgomery.
October 6
Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
beat Virginia 21-6 in a game in Washington, DC. In New Orleans, Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
beat Auburn 13-0. At Portland, Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat Oregon State 17-0.
Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
opened its season in New York with a 12-6 win over Yale, and Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
beat St. Lawrence 32-0. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
won at West Virginia 27-6. Ohio State beat Indiana 33-0. Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
won at Purdue 14-0.
October 13.
Illinois beat Ohio State 14-13.
Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat visiting Northwestern 20-0. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
defeated visiting USC 20-6. Alabama defeated Mississippi State 41-0, Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
defeated SMU 9-0, and Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
won at Florida 28-12.
Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
defeated Maryland 16-13, Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
beat St. Bonaventure 62-0 and Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
beat VMI 29-6.
October 20
Minnesota won at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
, 13-7. Ohio State defeated visiting Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
10-7. Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
beat Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
18-7. Alabama and Tennessee, both 3-0-0, met in Birmingham, with Bama winning 13-6. Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
edged visiting Georgia 7-6. In Omaha, Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
beat Creighton University 47-13.
Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat USF at San Francisco, 3-0.
October 27
Alabama beat Georgia 26-6 at Birmingham, while in New Orleans, Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
beat Georgia Tech 20-12. Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
stayed unbeaten with a 20-9 win over visiting Texas. Minnesota won at Iowa 48-12, .
Illinois won at Michigan 7-6, and Ohio State won at Northwestern 28-6. Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
registered its fourth shutout, a 16-0 win over USC.
Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
won at Penn, Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
won at Holy Cross 20-7 and Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
beat visiting Penn State 14-7. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
beat host school Westminster College of Pennsylvania, 30-0
In a Sunday game,
November
November 3Pitt
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
(4-1-0) and Notre Dame (3-0-0) met in Pittsburgh, with the Panthers winning 19-0. Minnesota beat Michigan 34-0. In Cleveland, Ohio State won at Western Reserve 76-0. Illinois beat Army 7-0. Alabama won at Kentucky 34-14. Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
beat Texas A&I 27-0. Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
beat Ole Miss 15-0. In Los Angeles, Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat UCLA 27-0.
Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
defeated Cornell 14-0 and Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
beat Washington & Lee 26-0.
November 10
At Yankee Stadium, Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
(6-0-0) faced Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
(3-1-0), with the Red Raiders handing the Green Wave their first loss, 20-6. In a meeting of unbeaten teams, Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
(7-0-1) hosted Washington (4-0-0) and had a sixth straight shutout 24-0. Over in Cleveland, Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
beat Notre Dame 10-6. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
won at Nebraska 25-6.
Minnesota beat Indiana 30-0, Illinois won at Northwestern 14-3, and Ohio State beat Chicago 33-0
Alabama beat Clemson 40-0 and Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
won at Arkansas 7-0. Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
beat Brown 39-0
November 17
Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
(7-0-0) hosted Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
(6-1-0) and lost 31-7
Minnesota beat Chicago 35-7 and Ohio State defeated Michigan 34-0. Previously unbeaten (6-0-0) Illinois was upset at Madison when it faced a (3-3-0) Wisconsin Badgers team, falling 7-3.
Alabama defeated Georgia Tech 40-0, while Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
won at Kentucky 20-7. Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
beat the Olympic Club team 40-0, and had a record of 192-7 against its opponents to that time. Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
won at Syracuse 13-2 and Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
edged Penn 13-12. Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
beat Texas A&M 25-6.
November 24
Minnesota won at Wisconsin 34-0, Ohio State beat Iowa 40-7, and
Illinois won at Chicago 7-1. Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
clinched a trip to the Rose Bowl with a 9-7 win at California. Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
beat Rutgers 14-0. Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
beat Sewanee 32-0. Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(7-1-0) beat Syracuse (6-1-0) in a Sunday game 12-0. In Houston, previously unbeaten (8-0-1) Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
hosted (6-3-0) Texas Christian (TCU) and was upset, 7-2.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 29, Alabama beat Vanderbilt in Birmingham, 34-0, and was invited soon after to meet Stanford at the Rose Bowl. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
beat crosstown rival Carnegie Tech, 20-0, and Kansas State
Kansas State Wildcats football
The Kansas State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference...
beat Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
19-7 to clinch the Big Six Conference championship.
December
December 1In Louisiana, Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
(8-1-0) and LSU (6-0-2) faced each other in Baton Rouge. Both teams were likely hosts for the first Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, and Tulane edged the Tigers 13-12 to become the host team, where it would face 7-0-2 Temple University.
Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
ended at 9-1-1 with a 32-0 win at Baylor.
Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
closed its season with a 20-13 win in Providence against Brown. At the Army–Navy Game, held in Philadelphia, Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
(7-1-0) beat Army (7-2-0) on a field goal, 3-0.
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:Conference leaders
| Conference | Champion | Conf. record | Overall record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Coast | 5-0-0 | 9-0-1 | |
| Independent | 7-0-2 | 7-0-2 | |
| Western | Minnesota | 5-0-0 | 8-0-0 |
| SEC | / Alabama | 8-0-0 / 7-0-0 | 9-1-0 / 9-0-0 |
| Southern | Washington & Lee | 4-0-0 | 7-3-0 |
| Big Six | Kansas State 1934 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 1934 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 1934 college football season. The 1934 team went undefeated in the Big 6 Conference, and won the second of three conference championships in school history... |
5-0-0 | 7-2-1 |
| Southwestern | 5-1-0 | 9-1-1 |
Dickinson System
The first ever published AP PollAP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
came in 1934. However, this was a one time event and the AP sportswriters' poll would not be continuously until 1936. Frank G. Dickinson, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, had invented the Dickinson System
Dickinson System
The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G...
to rank colleges based upon their records and the strength of their opposition. The Rissman Trophy, and later the Rockne Memorial Trophy, was awarded to the winning university.
In an AP story with the caption "Figure This Out!", the system was explained:
"For each victory of a first division team over another first division team, the winner gets 30 points and the loser 15 points. For each tie between two first
division teams, each team gets 22.5 points. For each victory of a first division team over a second division team, the first division winner gets 20 points and the second division loser 10 points. For each tie between two second
division teams, each gets 15 points. For each tie between a first division team and a second division team, the first division team gets 15 points and the second division
team gets 20 points. Then, after each team has been given its quota of points its final "score" is tabulated by taking an average on the number of games played."
Final Dickinson rankings
Minnesota (8-0-0) and Alabama (9-0-0) were both unbeaten and untied, and ranked 1st and 6th, respectively, in the Dickinson ratings| Rank | Team | Record | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 8-0-0 | 23.51 |
| 2 | 8-1-0 | 23.19 | |
| 3 | 8-1-0 | 23.00 | |
| 4 | 7-1-0 | 22.01 | |
| 5 | 9-1-1 | 21.97 | |
| 6 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 9-0-0 | 21.70 |
| 7 | 7-1-0 | 21.67 | |
| 8 (t) | Ohio State Buckeyes 1934 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 1934 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1934-1935. The Buckeyes compiled a 7–1 record. In Francis Schmidt's 1st season, the Bucks lit up the scoreboard, outscoring opponents 267-34... |
7-1-1 | 21.06 |
| 8 (t) | 7-1-0 | 21.06 | |
| 10 | 9-0-1 | 20.34 | |
| 11 | 9-1-0 | 20.03 | |
Bowl Games
| Bowl game | Home | points | Away | points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Bowl 1935 Rose Bowl The 1935 Rose Bowl was the 21st Rose Bowl game, an American post-season college football game that was played on New Year's Day 1935 in Pasadena, California. It featured the Alabama Crimson Tide against the... |
Alabama Crimson Tide | 29 | 13 | |
| Sugar Bowl 1935 Sugar Bowl The 1935 Sugar Bowl was the first Sugar Bowl game and Tulane hosted unbeaten Temple before a crowd of 22,206 in New Orleans. Temple took a 14-0 lead before Tulane came back to win the game 20-14 The game was played at Tulane's home field, so it was technically a home game for the Green Wave... |
Temple Owls Temple Owls football The Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference... |
14 | 20 | |
| Orange Bowl 1935 Orange Bowl The 1935 Orange Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Bucknell Bison and Miami. It was the first edition of the Orange Bowl and took place at Miami Field... |
26 | 0 |
In the first Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
game, (9-1-0) hosted unbeaten (7-0-2) before a crowd of 30,000 in New Orleans. Temple took a 14-0 lead before Tulane came back to win the game 20-14. Temple had closed its season with a 0-0 tie against Bucknell University, which finished at 6-2-2, and the Bucknell Bison were invited to play the in the first Orange Bowl. The 'Canes best days were still ahead of them, and they made only three first downs altogether. Although 15,000 were expected, only 5,000 turned out to watch Bucknell beat Miami 26-0.
The big game remained the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
with , at 9-0-1, and Alabama, at 9-0-0. With both teams unbeaten, a crowd of 85,000 turned out in Pasadena to watch them. Stanford led 7-0 in the first quarter, but Alabama scored 22 points in the second, with the help of quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Millard (Dixie) Howell
Dixie Howell
-External links:...
and future NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
hall of fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Don Hutson
Don Hutson
Donald Montgomery Hutson was the first star wide receiver in National Football League history. He is considered by many to have been the first modern receiver....
, with Alabama winning 29-14.
The Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
was given a test drive, with the El Paso All-Stars beating the visiting Ranger Bulldogs 25-12 before a crowd of 3,000 in El Paso. At Honolulu, beat vacationing 14-0, and in Houston, Tuskegee beat Prairie View A&M 15-6 in a New Year's Day game for negro colleges