1937 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Encyclopedia
The 1937 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska in the 1937 college football season
. The team was coached by Biff Jones
and played their home games at Memorial Stadium
in Lincoln, Nebraska
.
, new head coach Jones stepped in to take over and attempt to continue the dominating success Nebraska had enjoyed over the past decade. Jones had a long resume, having coached his alma mater Army
, Louisiana State
and most recently Big 6 foe Oklahoma
, totaling nine seasons, before arriving in Lincoln. Chosen with input from Bible, Jones inherited a strong and experienced team that had no reason to doubt that they would continue to be the team to beat in the Big 6.
Coach Jones entered the Nebraska record books in his first game with a statement victory over longtime rival Minnesota in Lincoln, keeping intact his record of never having lost a season-opening game. The Golden Gophers scored first in a bid to continue their string of victories over the Cornhuskers, but a chink in the armor appeared when they missed the point after. From then on out both teams exchanged the lead, thanks in part to a pair of crucial Minnesota fumbles recovered by Nebraska and converted to points on the board. Nebraska's winless streak against Minnesota was snapped at five games, but the Cornhuskers were still far behind in the series, at 3-14-2. Minnesota went on to finish their season 6-2-0 and ranked #5 by the AP.
The Cyclones presented Nebraska with some looks that took a while to figure out, managing to hold off the Cornhusker machine and go up 7-0 by the halftime break. Upon the return to the field, Nebraska applied the adjustments learned from the first half to run off 20 unanswered points for the win to extend their record series winning streak to 15 games, improving over Iowa State to 27-4-1.
Missouri had not won against Nebraska for nearly a decade, failing to take home the Missouri-Nebraska Bell even once since the prize was established. The Tigers made a determined effort to end the futility, managing to hold back the Cornhuskers from the usual running up of points, but Nebraska's first half touchdown was all that was needed to carry the day. Missouri had now failed to take a game from the Cornhuskers in ten straight contests, and fell to 6-22-3 against Nebraska all time. Despite the win, Nebraska fell to #11.
Kansas looked like it had finally been blessed by the football gods and was going to take down Nebraska after thirteen years of frustration. The Jayhawks scored early on, were matched by the Cornhuskers, and then scored again. It looked like the one touchdown lead might hold, but as the minutes ticked to the final gun, Nebraska put together an 80-yard march down the field to tie the game again and deny either team the win. Kansas had the moral victory, but still was without a win over Nebraska in fourteen straight tries, and was far back in their shared series at 9-32-3. Due to the tie, the Cornhuskers stumbled to #11 in the AP Poll.
Nebraska traveled to Pittsburgh to face the nemesis Panthers in the now well-established grudge match. Both teams prevented the other from scoring throughout the first half, yet not long after the teams returned, Nebraska scored and for a while it looked like victory was within reach. Pittsburgh returned the favor but missed the point after, leaving the Cornhuskers with a tenuous 1-point edge. Mistakes cannot be made in games like this by teams who want to win, however, and a crucial lost Cornhusker fumble was soon converted by Pittsburgh into seven points for the takeaway win. Pittsburgh's win streak over Nebraska was pushed to five, while the Huskers remained winless in the last eleven attempts and stood at 1-8-3 against the Panthers to date. Despite the loss, Nebraska held their #11 spot, and Pittsburgh went on to finish their season 9-0-1 and ranked #1 by the AP.
After a two year intermission, Iowa and Nebraska met again in a contest where the Hawkeyes bore the brunt of Nebraska's frustration from the previous week's loss to Pittsburgh. Iowa's first punt was blocked and then shortly after converted into a touchdown, and from there on out the day belonged to Nebraska. Iowa dropped its fifth straight to the Cornhuskers and was now 7-17-3 against Nebraska all time. The win over a weaker team did not move the Cornhuskers up from their #11 ranking.
Kansas State was intent on revenge after the painful 40-0 drubbing handed them to close last year's slate by Nebraska, and indeed their efforts to hold Nebraska back succeeded for almost the entire game, though they could not produce points of their own. Finally in the second half, the Cornhuskers eked out a field goal, the three points being all that was necessary to deny the Wildcats a win, secure another Big 6 title for Nebraska, and move the Cornhuskers to 18-2-2 in their series against the Kansas State. The narrow margin win was not enough to move Nebraska up from their #11 spot in the final poll.
1937 college football season
The 1937 college football season ended with the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh being named the nation’s #1 team by 30 of the 33 electors in the Associated Press writers' poll...
. The team was coached by Biff Jones
Biff Jones
-External links:...
and played their home games at Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
Memorial Stadium is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team....
in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
.
Before the season
After the record eight year tenure held by previous head coach Dana X. BibleDana X. Bible
Dana Xenophon Bible was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi College , Louisiana State University , Texas A&M University , the University of Nebraska , and the University of Texas...
, new head coach Jones stepped in to take over and attempt to continue the dominating success Nebraska had enjoyed over the past decade. Jones had a long resume, having coached his alma mater Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
, Louisiana State
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
and most recently Big 6 foe Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, totaling nine seasons, before arriving in Lincoln. Chosen with input from Bible, Jones inherited a strong and experienced team that had no reason to doubt that they would continue to be the team to beat in the Big 6.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2* | Minnesota | Memorial Stadium Memorial Stadium, Lincoln Memorial Stadium is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.... • Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... |
W 14-9 | 36,000 | |
| October 9 | at | Clyde Williams Field • Ames, Iowa Ames, Iowa Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa... |
W 20-7 | - | |
| October 16 | Oklahoma | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | T 0-0 | - | |
| October 23 | at | #8 | Faurot Field Faurot Field Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium is the home field of the University of Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri. It is primarily used for football. In 1972, Memorial Stadium's playing surface was named Faurot Field in honor of longtime coach Don Faurot. During the offseason, soccer goals are set up... • Columbia, Missouri Columbia, Missouri Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the... |
W 7-0 | - |
| October 30* | #11 | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 7-0 | - | |
| November 6† | #6 | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | T 13-13 | - | |
| November 13* | at #1 Pittsburgh 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1937 college football season. The Panthers were crowned National Champions. Pitt was also awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East... |
#11 | Pitt Stadium Pitt Stadium Pitt Stadium was a stadium located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1999. It served primarily as the home of the University of Pittsburgh's football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers... • Pittsburgh, Pennysylvania |
L 7-13 | - |
| November 20* | #11 | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 28-0 | - | |
| November 27 | at | #11 | Memorial Stadium Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium is a stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Kansas State University Wildcats football team. It is named after head coach Bill Snyder and his family... • Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281... |
W 3-0 | - |
| *Non-Conference Game †Homecoming #Rankings from AP | |||||
Roster
Alfson, Warren Warren Alfson Warren Alfson was an American football guard and linebacker for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as well as the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League.-Early years:He was born and raised in Wisner, Nebraska... #22 G Amen, Paul #33 E Andreson, William #32 QB Andrews, Harris #21 HB Ashburn, Jack #55 E Ball, Arthur #20 HB Brock, Charles #47 C Burruss, Robert #49 C Callihan, William #34 FB Cather, Bud #10 HB Dobson, Adna #53 G Dodd, Edward #24 HB Dohrmann, Elmer #36 E Doyle, Theodore #43 T English, Lowell #30 G Franks, Perry #27 G Griffin, Fred #23 E Grimm, Lloyd #44 E Herrmann, William #29 G Hitchcock, Richard #2 E Hoffman, Hugo #19 HB Howell, John #13 QB |
Kahler, Robert #35 E Kingery, Orville #48 T Klum, Arlo #51 G Mathers, James #12 HB McIllravy, Eldon #25 FB Mehring, Robert #11 G Mills, Robert #46 T Morris, Robert #39 HB Neprud, Vernon #52 T Peters, Gus #42 G Petsch, Roy #37 QB Pfeiff, William #50 G Phelps, Thurston #17 QB Plock, Marvin #15 HB Porter, George #18 HB Ramey, Robert #16 C Richardson, John #31 E Schwartzkopf, Sam #54 T Shindo, Kenneth #28 E Shirey, Fred Fred Shirey Charles Frederick Shirey was a professional American football player for the Cleveland Rams and the Green Bay Packers. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round of the 1938 NFL Draft. He attended Washington & Jefferson College and University of Nebraska. He was a native of... #45 T Strasheim, Herman #56 T Thompson, Theos #26 E |
|||||
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | First year in this position |
Years at Nebraska | Alma Mater |
| Biff Jones Biff Jones -External links:... |
|Head Coach | 1937 | 1937–1941 | Army United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City... |
| Henry Schulte Henry Schulte Henry Frank Schulte was an American football player and coach and also a college track and field coach... |
|Lineman Coach | 1931 | 1919–1924, 1931–1937 | Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| Ed Weir Ed Weir Samuel Edwin Weir was an American collegiate and professional football player.He was the first Nebraska Cornhusker football player elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and is known as one of Nebraska's greatest athletes... |
|Freshmen Coach | 1929 | 1926, 1929–1937, 1943 | Nebraska |
| W. Harold Browne | |Assistant Coach | 1930 | 1930–1940 | |
| Roy Lyman | | | 1936 | 1936–1941 | |
| Adolph J. Lewandowski Adolph J. Lewandowski Adolph J. "A. J." "Lew" Lewandowski was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 1943 to 1944, compiling a record of 4–12... |
| | 1937 | 1937–1944 | Nebraska |
| Jerry Adams | | | 1937 | ||
| Charles Armstrong | | | 1937 | 1937–1942, 1944 |
Minnesota
|
Coach Jones entered the Nebraska record books in his first game with a statement victory over longtime rival Minnesota in Lincoln, keeping intact his record of never having lost a season-opening game. The Golden Gophers scored first in a bid to continue their string of victories over the Cornhuskers, but a chink in the armor appeared when they missed the point after. From then on out both teams exchanged the lead, thanks in part to a pair of crucial Minnesota fumbles recovered by Nebraska and converted to points on the board. Nebraska's winless streak against Minnesota was snapped at five games, but the Cornhuskers were still far behind in the series, at 3-14-2. Minnesota went on to finish their season 6-2-0 and ranked #5 by the AP.
Iowa State
|
The Cyclones presented Nebraska with some looks that took a while to figure out, managing to hold off the Cornhusker machine and go up 7-0 by the halftime break. Upon the return to the field, Nebraska applied the adjustments learned from the first half to run off 20 unanswered points for the win to extend their record series winning streak to 15 games, improving over Iowa State to 27-4-1.
Oklahoma
The sloppy, rainy conditions made the passing game unmanageable for either team, and ground attacks proved equally ineffective. The day was spent passing possession back and forth by turnovers and punts until time expired with no points on the board. Oklahoma's winless streak against Nebraska was extended to seven games, and they stood at 2-12-3 against the Huskers all time. The Cornhuskers subsequently appeared in the AP Poll at #8.Missouri
|
Missouri had not won against Nebraska for nearly a decade, failing to take home the Missouri-Nebraska Bell even once since the prize was established. The Tigers made a determined effort to end the futility, managing to hold back the Cornhuskers from the usual running up of points, but Nebraska's first half touchdown was all that was needed to carry the day. Missouri had now failed to take a game from the Cornhuskers in ten straight contests, and fell to 6-22-3 against Nebraska all time. Despite the win, Nebraska fell to #11.
Indiana
Indiana was stunned on the first play of the game as Nebraska went 65 yards on the ground to score at the opening of the contest. Those seven points ended up being the sum of the day's scoring between the teams in an evenly-matched battle of the defenses. Nebraska remained perfect against the Hoosiers in both meetings of the squads. The victory moved Nebraska up to #6 in the AP Poll.Kansas
|
Kansas looked like it had finally been blessed by the football gods and was going to take down Nebraska after thirteen years of frustration. The Jayhawks scored early on, were matched by the Cornhuskers, and then scored again. It looked like the one touchdown lead might hold, but as the minutes ticked to the final gun, Nebraska put together an 80-yard march down the field to tie the game again and deny either team the win. Kansas had the moral victory, but still was without a win over Nebraska in fourteen straight tries, and was far back in their shared series at 9-32-3. Due to the tie, the Cornhuskers stumbled to #11 in the AP Poll.
Pittsburgh
|
Nebraska traveled to Pittsburgh to face the nemesis Panthers in the now well-established grudge match. Both teams prevented the other from scoring throughout the first half, yet not long after the teams returned, Nebraska scored and for a while it looked like victory was within reach. Pittsburgh returned the favor but missed the point after, leaving the Cornhuskers with a tenuous 1-point edge. Mistakes cannot be made in games like this by teams who want to win, however, and a crucial lost Cornhusker fumble was soon converted by Pittsburgh into seven points for the takeaway win. Pittsburgh's win streak over Nebraska was pushed to five, while the Huskers remained winless in the last eleven attempts and stood at 1-8-3 against the Panthers to date. Despite the loss, Nebraska held their #11 spot, and Pittsburgh went on to finish their season 9-0-1 and ranked #1 by the AP.
Iowa
|
After a two year intermission, Iowa and Nebraska met again in a contest where the Hawkeyes bore the brunt of Nebraska's frustration from the previous week's loss to Pittsburgh. Iowa's first punt was blocked and then shortly after converted into a touchdown, and from there on out the day belonged to Nebraska. Iowa dropped its fifth straight to the Cornhuskers and was now 7-17-3 against Nebraska all time. The win over a weaker team did not move the Cornhuskers up from their #11 ranking.
Kansas State
|
Kansas State was intent on revenge after the painful 40-0 drubbing handed them to close last year's slate by Nebraska, and indeed their efforts to hold Nebraska back succeeded for almost the entire game, though they could not produce points of their own. Finally in the second half, the Cornhuskers eked out a field goal, the three points being all that was necessary to deny the Wildcats a win, secure another Big 6 title for Nebraska, and move the Cornhuskers to 18-2-2 in their series against the Kansas State. The narrow margin win was not enough to move Nebraska up from their #11 spot in the final poll.
After the season
Coach Jones finished his first year at Nebraska by bringing yet another Big 6 title to Lincoln, Nebraska's eighth league championship over the last ten years, and a postseason ranking of #11 in the AP Poll. While the Cornhusker offense was not as prolific as in years past, the defense was outstanding, allowing all opponents only 42 points on the season and shutting out five teams outright. In his first year, coach Jones helped Nebraska improve to 276-90-29 (.735) all time and 90-11-11 (.853) in conference history to date.Awards
| Award | Name(s) |
|---|---|
| All American | Charles Brock, Fred Shirey Fred Shirey Charles Frederick Shirey was a professional American football player for the Cleveland Rams and the Green Bay Packers. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round of the 1938 NFL Draft. He attended Washington & Jefferson College and University of Nebraska. He was a native of... |