1929 college football season

American college football season August 2023 1929 Erskine Trophy Presentation 1929 Notre Dame.jpg 280px Notre Dame receiving the Albert Russel Erskine Trophy (for being named national champions) 1 January 1, 1930 Notre DameDickinson System (received Rissman Trophy), Dunkel System, Houlgate System, per Erksine poll (received Erskine Trophy), unanimous consensus of board of the Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia (awarded Bonniwell Trophy), Billingsley Report, Boand System, College Football Researchers Association, Helms Athletic Foundation, National Championship Foundation, Poling System, Sagarin Ratings Elo chess methodUSCper Berryman QPRS, and Sagarin Ratings Predictor method (not claimed)Pittsburghper Parke H. Davis (Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide) Not awarded until 1935 The 1929 college football season saw a number of unbeaten and untied teams. Purdue, Tulane, Notre Dame, Western Maryland, and Pittsburgh all finished the regular season with wins over all their opponents. Notre Dame was recognized as national champion by all three of the contemporary major selectors (the Dickinson System, Dunkel System, and Houlgate SystemMcDonald Neil Fanfare — Stanford Gets Trophy Los Angeles Evening Post December 29, 1934 8 https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-evening-post-record-fanfare/124828415/). Houlgate would later name USC (10–2) on the basis of post-season play. Eight of nine retrospective selectors later also named Notre Dame and USC as No. 1 teams. Following the season, Pittsburgh traveled to Pasadena to meet USC in the Rose Bowl, at that time the only postseason college football game, where the Trojans defeated the Panthers, 47–14. Four years later, football historian Parke Davis selected Pittsburgh as the "National Champion Foot Ball Team" for 1929, the only one of 12 major selectors to do so.Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide 1934 Walter R. Okeson Walter R. Okeson American Sports Publishing Co. New York 1934 206–208 https://archive.org/details/spalding-guide-1934-national-champions/ Pittsburgh claims a 1929 national championship on this basis. Borghetti E.J. Nestor Mendy Welsh Celeste 2008 Pitt Football Media Guide University of Pittsburgh 2008 Pittsburgh 16, 156 http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/pitt/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2008FBMediaGuide.pdf 2013-03-08 2011-05-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20110523130245/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/pitt/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2008FBMediaGuide.pdf dead A major change in the rules for 1929 was that a fumbled ball was dead as soon as it struck the ground. Previously, a defending player could run with a recovered fumble, as in the case of Roy Riegels in the 1929 Rose Bowl.Alison Danzig, The History of American Football (Prentice-Hall, 1956) p 71 Conference and program changes Conferences Three new conferences began play in 1929: Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference – an NAIA conference active through the 1995 season Big Four Conference – active through the 1932 season; replaced the newly-defunct Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference – an NAIA conference active through the 1973 season; replaced the newly-defunct Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference Programs The Duke Blue Devils were independent in 1928 and joined the Southern Conference in 1929.January 2022 September September 21 In Dallas, Southern Methodist University (SMU) opened its season with a 13–3 win over North Texas State. September 28 SMU and Howard Payne College played to a 13–13 tie, and TCU rolled over visiting Daniel Baker College, 61–0. In Los Angeles, USC opened its season against crosstown rival UCLA, rolling over the Bruins 76–0. Pittsburgh beat Waynesburg State, 53–0 California beat Santa Clara 27–6 Pennsylvania beat Franklin & Marshall 14–7 Tulane opened with a win over Northwestern State, 40–6 October October 5 SMU and Nebraska played to a 0–0 tie in Nebraska. Notre Dame opened its season with a 14–0 win at Indiana TCU beat Hardin Simmons, 20–0 Illinois beat Kansas 25–0, and Purdue beat Kansas State, 26–14 Pittsburgh won at Duke, 52–7 USC beat Oregon State 21–7 Pennsylvania defeated Swarthmore 20–6 California and St. Mary's played to a 0–0 tie. Tulane beat Texas A&M, 13–10 October 12 In Baltimore, Notre Dame defeated Navy, 14–7. SMU beat Austin College, 16–0 In Shreveport, TCU registered another shutout, beating Centenary College 28–0 Nebraska won at Syracuse, 13–6 USC won at Washington, 48–0, and California beat visiting Washington State, 14–0. Purdue beat Michigan 30–16 and Illinois beat Bradley 45–0 Pittsburgh beat West Virginia 27–7 Pennsylvania beat Virginia Tech, 14–8 Tulane beat Mississippi State, 34–0 October 19 Pittsburgh handed Nebraska its first loss, 12–7; TCU surrendered its first points, but beat Texas A&M, 13–7. Illinois and Iowa played to a 7–7 tie. Purdue beat DePauw 26–7 Tulane beat Lafayette College of Louisiana, 60–0 USC scored big again, with a 64–0 win over Occidental. At 4–0–0, the Trojans had outscored their opponents 209–7. In Chicago, Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 19–0 In Philadelphia, (1–0–1) California and (3–0) Pennsylvania played, with California winning 12–7 October 26 During the weekend between October 24 and October 29, 1929 (see Wall Street Crash of 1929), SMU beat visiting Ole Miss, 52–0 and TCU, with a 131–7 aggregate lead over its opponents, won its fifth straight, a 22–0 win over Texas Tech. In Pittsburgh, the Pitt Panthers beat Allegheny 40–0 and Notre Dame defeated Carnegie Tech 7–0. Illinois beat visiting Michigan 14–0, and Purdue won at Chicago 26–0 The USC offense was held to single digits at Stanford, winning 7–0. California defeated the non-college Olympic Club, 21–19. Pennsylvania beat Lehigh 10–7 and in New Orleans, Tulane beat Georgia Tech, 20–14. Nebraska and Missouri played to a 7–7 tie. November November 2 In Los Angeles, USC (5–0–0) hosted California (4–0–1). California handed the Trojans their first loss, 15–7 In Dallas, unbeaten (3–0–2) SMU and unbeaten and untied Texas (5–0–0) both stayed unbeaten, playing to 0–0 tie. Notre Dame beat visiting Georgia Tech 26–6 In Columbus, Georgia, Tulane beat Georgia, 21–15 TCU beat North Texas State, 25–0 Nebraska beat Kansas, 12–6 Purdue won at Wisconsin 13–0, but Illinois lost at Northwestern, 7–0, Pittsburgh beat Ohio State, 18–2 Pennsylvania defeated Navy, 7–2 November 9 SMU won at Texas A&M 12–7 and TCU beat Rice, 24–0 Illinois beat Army, 17–7 and Purdue beat Ole Miss 27–7 Pittsburgh beat Washington & Jefferson 21–0 Notre Dame defeated Drake University Tulane beat Auburn, 52–0 USC beat visiting Nevada, 66–0 and California beat Montana 53–18 At Philadelphia, (5–1–0) Penn State defeated (5–1–0) Pennsylvania, 19–7 November 16 In Chicago, a record crowd of 123,000 turned out at Soldier Field to watch Notre Dame (6–0–0) and USC (6–1–0). Knute Rockne, who had been hospitalized with an infected leg, guided his team from a cot set behind the Notre Dame bench. In the third quarter, the Irish took a 13–6 lead, on—Savoldi's plunge and Frank Carideo's extra point. On the ensuing kickoff, -- Saunders ran the ball back 95 yards for a touchdown, but the point after failed, and Notre Dame held on to win 13–12."Notre Dame Nips U.S.C., 13–12," Decatur Herald November 17, 1929, p1 Nebraska and visiting Oklahoma played to a 13–13 draw; at (2–1–3), the Cornhuskers had tied more games than they had won or lost. SMU beat Baylor, 25–6. TCU was (7–0–0) and had outscored its opposition 193–7; Texas (5–0–2) had an aggregate 120–0 lead on its opponents, though its last two games had been scoreless ties. When they met at Austin, Texas scored first, but Cy Leland returned the kickoff 90 yards for a TCU score. At halftime, TCU led 13–12 on the only extra point scored that day, and finished 15–12 "Longhorns Wilt Before Horned Frog Attack," Port Arthur News, November 17, 1929, p9 Illinois defeated Chicago 20–6 and Purdue beat Iowa 7–0 Pittsburgh beat Carnegie Tech, 34–13 Pennsylvania visited Columbia and won 20–0 California beat Washington 7–0 Tulane defeated Sewanee 18–0 November 23 Nebraska won at Kansas State, 10–6 SMU beat Rice, 34–0 TCU beat Baylor, 34–7 Illinois beat Ohio State, 27–0, and Purdue won at Indiana 32–0 to finish its season unbeaten. Notre Dame won at Northwestern 26–6. USC beat visiting Idaho, 72–0 Stanford (7–2–0) and California met in Palo Alto, with Stanford winning 21–6. November 28, Thanksgiving Day; Pittsburgh beat Penn State 20–7 Pennsylvania beat Cornell 17–7 Nebraska closed its season with a 31–12 win over Iowa State, to finish at 4–1–3. November 30 In a season-ending matchup of the Southwest Conference's two best teams at Fort Worth, Texas Christian (9–0–0) hosted Southern Methodist (6–0–3). Although SMU took a 7–0 lead in the third quarter, and held the Frogs once at the goal line, TCU reached the one on its next possession, and scored on third down. Hawks Green's kick staved off an upset, tied the Mustangs 7–7, and gave TCU the conference title."T.C.U.'s 7–7 Tie With S.M.U. Bags Southwest Title," Abilene Reporter-News, December 1, 1929, p4 Notre Dame (8–0–0) closed its season at Yankee Stadium in New York, where it faced Army (6–2–1). The Fighting Irish won 7–0. USC beat Washington State, 27–7 Tulane closed its season with a 21–0 win at LSU, to finish unbeaten at 9–0–0 On December 14, USC defeated Carnegie Tech, 45–13. 1930 Rose Bowl 1930 Rose Bowl USC had been beaten earlier in the year, at Chicago, by Notre Dame. The Trojans and the Fighting Irish were not able to agree on a rematch, and USC was given the right to invite another eastern powerhouse—the unbeaten (9–0–0) Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt's bid for a claim to the national championship started on the first play of the game, as Toby Uansa ran 68 yards before being tackled at the 11, but the Panthers failed to reach the end zone. Six minutes into the game, Russ Saunders and --- Edelson connected on a 56-yard pass play for USC's first touchdown. By halftime, USC led 26–0. Pitt finally scored in the third quarter to trail 33–7. After seven USC touchdowns, the final score was USC 47, Pitt 14."Trojans Hand Pitt Worst Beating In History of Bowl Games," Oakland Tribune, Jan. 2, 1930, p39 Conference standings Major conference standings Independents Minor conferences Conference Champion(s) Record Big Four Conference Tulsa 4–0–1 Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Virginia State College 6–0 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kansas State Teachers 5–1 Far Western Conference Northern Branch 2–0 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Iowa Wesleyan 5–0 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Kansas Wesleyan 4–0–1 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Alma 5–0 Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Coe 4–0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Saint Thomas (MN) 3–1 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northeast Missouri State Teachers 3–0 Nebraska College Athletic Conference 1929 Cotner Bulldogs Cotner 5–0 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association Nebraska State Teachers–Peru — North Central Intercollegiate Conference North Dakota 4–0 Ohio Athletic Conference Muskingum 5–0 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Central State Teachers (OK) 5–0 Pacific Northwest Conference Willamette 4–0 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Black Hills TeachersDakota Wesleyan 5–04–0–1 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Occidental 4–0 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tuskegee 5–0 Southwestern Athletic Conference Wiley (TX) 3–0–1 Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Howard Payne 5–0 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association Southwest Texas State Normal 4–2 Tri-Normal League State Normal–Ellensburg 2–0 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference Milwaukee State Teachers 3–0–1 Minor conference standings Rankings 1929 college football rankings Champions (by method) College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS Various different rankings (using differing methodologies) have identified Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, or the University of Southern California as the season's champion.Football Bowl Subdivision Records http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2017/FBS.pdf NCAA 111 2017 July 29, 2025 Berryman QPRS: University of Southern California Billingsley Report: Notre Dame Bonniwell Trophy vote:awarded upon unanimous consensus of the board of the Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia Notre DameMetropolitan Newspaper Service October 24, 1930 Knute Rockne: The Wizard of Notre Dame https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112759989/1929-notre-dame-trophies-rissman/ November 8, 2022 Boand System: Notre Dame College Football Researchers Association: Notre Dame Parke H. Davisfor Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide: Pittsburgh Dickinson System: Notre Dame Dunkel System: Notre Dame Erskine Trophy poll: Notre DameUnited Press January 2, 1930 Erskine Trophy is Given Notre Dame — Named Football 'Champs' of Past Season https://www.newspapers.com/article/pasadena-star-news-erskine-trophy-is-giv/174954651/ Pasadena Star-News New York Pasadena The final ballot of sports experts who voted on the award showed Notre Dame with 179 votes, Pittsburgh with 41, and Purdue with 2. Helms Athletic Foundation: Notre Dame Houlgate System: University of Southern California National Championship Foundation: Notre Dame Poling System: Notre Dame Sagarin Ratings Elo chess method: Notre Dame Sagarin Ratings Predictor method: University of Southern California Note: Dickinson System, Dunkel System, Houlgate System, Erskine Trophy poll, and Bonniwell Trophy vote were given contemporarily. All other rankings were given retroactively Awards and honors All-Americans 1929 College Football All-America Team The consensus All-America team included: PositionNameHeightWeight (lbs.)ClassHometownTeamQBFrank Carideo5'7"175Jr.Mount Vernon, New YorkNotre DameHBChris Cagle5'10"174Sr.De Ridder, LouisianaArmyHBGene McEver5'10"185Jr.Bristol, VirginiaTennesseeFBRalph Welch6'1"200Sr.Sherman, TexasPurdueEJoe Donchess6'0"175Sr.Kingston, PennsylvaniaPittsburghTBronko Nagurski6'2"217Sr.International Falls, MinnesotaMinnesotaGJack Cannon5'11"193Sr.Columbus, OhioNotre DameCBen Ticknor6'2"193Jr.Canton, MassachusettsHarvardGRay Montgomery6'1"188Sr.Wheeling, West VirginiaPittsburghTElmer Sleight6'2"193Sr.Sisseton, South DakotaPurdueEWes Fesler6'0"185Jr.Youngstown, OhioOhio State Statistical leaders Player scoring most points: Gene McEver, Tennessee, 130 Receptions leader: Wear Schoonover, Arkansas, 33 Notes References