1931 college football season

American college football season August 2023 1931 File:The Pitt Panther mascot in action on the sidelines.jpg 200px The Pitt Panther mascot in 1931 1 January 1, 1932 USCper Boand System, Dickinson System (received Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy), Dunkel System, Houlgate System, Williamson System, Erskine Trophy poll, Berryman QPRS, Billingsley Report, College Football Researchers Association, Helms Athletic Foundation, National Championship Foundation, Poling System, Sagarin Ratings Elo chess method, Sagarin Ratings Predictor methodPittsburghco-champion (alongside Pittsburgh) per Parke H. DavisPurdue (not claimed)co-champion (alongside Pittsburgh) per Parke H. Davis Not awarded until 1935 The 1931 college football season saw the USC Trojans win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson System, as well as the No. 1 position from each of the other three contemporary major selectors (Boand, Dunkel, and Houlgate Systems).http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records The National Collegiate Athletic Association July 2020 Indianapolis January 12, 2021 November 1, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201101032438/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf live Rockne, who had coached Notre Dame to a championship in 1930, had been killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. For the first time, the champion under the Dickinson System also played in a postseason game. The 1932 Rose Bowl, promoted as a national championship game between the best teams of East and West,Roberts Don January 1, 1932 Trojans, Tulane Fight for National Crown https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119939007/trojans-tulane-fight-for-national/ Los Angeles Evening Post-Record Los Angeles Los Angeles February 28, 2023 With the Albert Russell Erskine national football championship at stake, Tulane University's Green Wave today met the University of Southern California Trojans at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. matched USC and Tulane, No. 1 and No. 2 in the Dickinson ratings. USC won, 21–12, and was awarded the Albert Russel Erskine Trophy. Two years later, historian Parke H. Davis selected Pittsburgh and Purdue (No. 9 and No. 10 in the Dickinson ratings) as "National Champion Foot Ball Teams" for 1931; he was the only NCAA-designated "major selector" to choose either team.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 1931 national championship on this basis, while Purdue does not. 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 Conference and program changes New conferences Four conferences began play in 1931: Border Conference – conference active through the 1962 season Dixie Conference – conference active through the 1941 season; (the first of three conferences to share this name) Lone Star Conference – an active NCAA Division II conference North Dakota College Athletic Conference – an NAIA conference active through the 1999 season One conference played its final season in 1931: Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – active since the 1909 season Membership changes School 1930 Conference 1931 Conference Arizona Wildcats Independent Border Arizona State Teachers'–Flagstaff Lumberjacks Independent Border Arizona State Teachers'–Tempe Sun Devils Independent BorderBirmingham–Southern PanthersSIAASIAA/Dixie Centre Praying ColonelsSIAASIAA/Dixie Chattanooga MocsSIAASIAA/DixieHoward BulldogsSIAASIAA/Dixie Loyola Ramblers Independent Dropped Program Mercer BearsSIAASIAA/Dixie New Mexico Lobos Independent Border New Mexico A&M Aggies Independent Border Southwestern LynxSIAASIAA/Dixie Spring Hill BadgersSIAASIAA/Dixie Program changes Oregon State Agricultural College (Oregon State) Aggies officially changed their nickname to the now-eponymous Beavers. September September 26 The season started with an upset. St. Mary's College, a relatively small school in San Francisco, defeated USC 13–7. Tulane beat Ole Miss, 31–0 and Tennessee beat Maryville 33–0, while Pittsburgh beat Miami University, 61–0. October October 3 St. Mary's won again, at California, 14–0, and USC won its first game of the season, beating Oregon State 30–0. Tennessee beat Clemson 44–0 and Tulane defeated Texas A&M 7–0. Northwestern beat Nebraska 19–7. Purdue opened its season for the home crowd with a doubleheader, beating Ohio's Western Reserve 28–0, followed by a 19–0 win over Iowa's Coe College "Moore Stars For Purdue", Logansport (Ind.) Press, October 4, 1931, p6 Pittsburgh won at Iowa, 20–0 Georgia beat Virginia Tech 40–0 Harvard defeated Bates College, 28–0 and Yale beat Maine, 19–0 Notre Dame won at Indiana 25–0 October 10 In Chicago, a crowd of 75,000 turned out at Soldier Field to watch Northwestern and Notre Dame played to a 0–0 tie in a driving rain."NORTHWESTERN AND NOTRE DAME BATTLE TO DRAW", Waterloo (Iowa) Daily Courier October 11, 1931, p15 Tennessee defeated Ole Miss 38–0. USC beat Washington State 38–6. Harvard beat New Hampshire, 39–0. In New Haven, the Georgia Bulldogs handed the Yale Bulldogs their first defeat, 26–7. Purdue beat Illinois 7–0 Pittsburgh beat West Virginia 34–0. Tulane defeated Spring Hill College 40–0 and St. Mary's beat the West Coast Army team, 21–7 October 17 Tulane and Vanderbilt, both 3–0–0, met at Nashville, with Tulane winning 19–0 Tennessee and Alabama, both 3–0–0, met at Knoxville, with UT winning 25–0. USC defeated visiting Oregon 53–0. Northwestern beat visiting UCLA 19–0 Georgia won at North Carolina, 32–7. Yale beat Chicago 27–0 and Harvard got past Army 14–13. Purdue lost at Wisconsin 21–14. Pittsburgh defeated Western Reserve, 32–0. Notre Dame defeated Drake 63–0. St. Mary's beat the University of San Francisco, 14–6. Neither SMC or USF play college football anymore. October 24 Notre Dame (3–0–0) and Pittsburgh (4–0–0) met at South Bend, with Notre Dame winning 25–12. Tulane beat Georgia Tech 33–0; Tulane had outscored its five opponents 130–0. Tennessee won at North Carolina, 7–0; it had outscored its five foes 147–0. Georgia beat Vanderbilt 9–0. Harvard beat visiting Texas, 35–7 and Yale and Army played to a 6–6 tie, while in Pittsburgh, Purdue defeated Carnegie Tech 13–6. Northwestern defeated Ohio State in Columbus, 10–0. St. Mary's beat visiting Gonzaga University, 13–7. USC won at California 6–0 October 31 Tulane beat Mississippi State, but not without surrendering its first points, in a 59–7 win; likewise, Tennessee beat Duke, but was scored upon for the first time, in its 25–2 win Georgia won at Florida, 33–6. Northwestern beat visiting Illinois 32–6 and Purdue won at Chicago 14–6. Harvard beat Virginia 19–0 and Yale and Dartmouth played to a 33–33 tie. Pittsburgh won at Penn State, 41–6 Notre Dame defeated Carnegie Tech 19–0. Surprising St. Mary's extended its record to 6–0–0 with a 21–14 win over Santa Clara. November November 7 USC (4–1–0) and Stanford (5–0–1) met at Los Angeles, and USC won 19–0. In Montgomery, Alabama, Tulane shut out Auburn 27–0. Tennessee beat visiting Carson-Newman, 31–0. Northwestern beat Minnesota, 32–14. Purdue beat Centenary College 49–6. Before a crowd of 65,000 at Yankee Stadium, Georgia stayed unbeaten as it defeated New York University 7–6, with the aid of a 97–yard kickoff return by Buster Mott in the third quarter."97–Yard Run On Kick-off Defeats NYU", Syracuse Herald, November 8, 1931, p12 Harvard beat Dartmouth 7–6 and Yale beat St. John's College of Maryland, 52–0. Pittsburgh beat Carnegie Tech 14–6. Notre Dame beat Pennsylvania 49–0. St. Mary's suffered its first defeat, to the visiting Olympic Club, 10–0 November 11 In an Armistice Day game at Los Angeles, UCLA handed St. Mary's its second straight loss, 12–0 November 14 Tulane (7–0–0) and Georgia (6–0–0) faced off in Athens before a crowd of 36,000 for the rights to best in the South. The Green Wave rolled over Georgia's Bulldogs 20–7. Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt 21–7. USC beat visiting Montana 69–0. Harvard defeated Holy Cross 7–0. Purdue defeated Iowa 22–0 and Northwestern edged Indiana 7–6. Pittsburgh beat visiting Army 26–0. In Baltimore, Notre Dame beat Navy 20–0 November 21 Notre Dame (6–0–1) had not lost a football game in almost three years, its last defeat having been to the USC Trojans on 27–14 on December 1, 1928. A crowd of 52,000 turned out as (5–1–0) USC came to the Notre Dame campus in South Bend for the first time ever. The Trojans trailed 14–0 going into the fourth quarter, and was trailing 14–13 in the final minutes after Johnny Baker's extra point attempt had been blocked. In the final minute, Baker kicked a 34–yard field goal for a 16–14 win, Notre Dame's first loss in 27 starts."It Can Be Done!", Kansas City Star, November 22, 1931, pB-1 Tulane beat Sewanee 40–0. Northwestern won at Iowa 9–0, and Purdue won at Indiana, 19–0. In Columbus, Ga., Georgia beat Auburn 12–6. Yale (3–1–2) hosted Harvard (7–0–0) and won 3–0 November 26 On Thanksgiving Day, Pitt and Nebraska, both 7–1–0, met in Pittsburgh, with the home team winning 40–0. Tennessee and Kentucky played to a 6–6 tie in Lexington. St. Mary's defeated Oregon 16–0. November 28 In Yankee Stadium, a crowd of 80,000 turned out in spite of a snowstorm, and watched as Notre Dame was beaten by Army, 12–0, for its second consecutive defeat after 26 games without a loss."Army Mule Too Fast for Notre Dame", Syracuse Herald, November 29, 1931, pXX-1 Meanwhile, 40,000 watched in Chicago as Northwestern (7–0–1) and Purdue (8–1–0) met in a "post-season charity game" on a frozen field in Chicago, with the Boilermakers handing the Wildcats their first defeat, 7–0."Pass Play Is Boomerang to Northwestern", Syhracuse Herald, November 29, 1931, pXX-1 Yale beat Princeton 51–14. Tulane defeated LSU 34–7 and Georgia defeated Georgia Tech 35–6 December December 5 Tulane beat Washington State 28–14 to close at 11–0–0, unbeaten and untied, while Tennessee played NYU at Yankee Stadium, winning 13–0 to finish at 8–0–1. USC defeated Washington 44–7. St. Mary's closed its season with a 7–2 win over Southern Methodist (SMU). December 12 USC and Georgia, both 8–1–0, met in Los Angeles, and the visiting Bulldogs were crushed 60–0 1932 Rose Bowl 1932 Rose Bowl For the first time, the Rose Bowl matchup included the No. 1 ranked team under the Dickinson ratings. That team, USC, was matched against No. 2 ranked Tulane. A crowd of 83,000 turned out in Pasadena, a Rose Bowl record. Though Tulane had outgained USC in total yards (378 vs. 233) and first downs (18 vs. 11), the USC Trojans made the most of their three scoring opportunities. In the third quarter, Erny Pinckert ran 28 yards for a touchdown, then, after the Trojans recovered a Tulane fumble, scored again. USC went up 21–0 before Tulane fought back with two touchdowns, and only a tough Trojan defense held the Green Wave from scoring more. The final result was USC 21, Tulane 12."Southern California Wins From Tulane", San Antonio Express, January 2, 1932, p8 Conference standings Major conference standings Independents Minor conferences ConferenceChampion(s)Record Big Four Conference Oklahoma City 3–0 Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Hampton Institute 8–0–1 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference WashburnWichita 5–1 Far Western Conference No champion — Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Simpson 6–0 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Kansas Wesleyan 2–0–2 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hillsdale 3–0–2 Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference Adrian 4–0 Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference CarletonMonmouth (IL)Ripon 2–02–03–0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Concordia–Moorhead 4–1 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northwest Missouri State Teacher 4–0 Nebraska College Athletic Conference Nebraska Wesleyan — Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association State Normal and Teachers (NE) — North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Dakota 3–0–23–0–1 North Dakota College Athletic Conference Minot State TeachersState Normal and Industrial (ND) 4–0 Ohio Athletic Conference Muskingum 4–0 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Central State Teachers 4–0–1 Pacific Northwest Conference Whitman 3–1 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Northern Normal and Industrial 3–0–1 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference California Tech 5–1 Southwestern Athletic Conference Prairie View A&M 5–0 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tuskegee 6–1 Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Hardin–SimmonsHoward Payne 4–1 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association North Texas State Teachers 4–0 Tri-Normal League Unknown — Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference Milwaukee State Teachers 4–0 Minor conference standings Rankings 1931 college football rankings All major rankings (both contemporary and retroactive) have identified the University of Southern California as the season's champions, with exception of Parke H. Davis's retroactive ranking for Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide (which identified Pittsburgh and Purdue as co-champions).Football Bowl Subdivision Records http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2017/FBS.pdf NCAA 111 2017 July 29, 2025 Although Tulane was unbeaten and untied (11–0), they were second to 9–1 USC in the final Dickinson System mathematical ratings.Dickinson Gives Title to Trojans Monroe Morning World December 13, 1931 8 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98586142/dickinson-gives-title-to-trojans/ Newspapers.com The teams were set to face off in the 1932 Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. The Trojans requested that presentation of the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy be delayed until after the game.Associated Press December 15, 1931 Trojans Request Delay — Rockne Memorial Trophy to Be Accepted After Tulane Game https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregonian-trojans-request-delay-dick/157270956/ The Oregonian Champaign, Illinois Portland, Oregon October 17, 2024 During the delay, it was decided that the Dickinson System trophy would go to the winner of the Rose Bowl game.Associated Press January 4, 2024 USC Will Be Awarded Rockne Cup — Dr. Frank G. Dickinson to Present Trophy to Rose Bowl Winners https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-daily-ledger-usc-will-be-awar/157322614/ The Tacoma Daily Ledger Los Angeles Tacoma, Washington October 17, 2024 The ratings made long in advance of the Tournament of Roses game New Year's day placed Southern California first and Tulane second but when these two teams met in a 'natural' Rose bowl game, it was decided that if Tulane could overrule Dickinson's rating, he would stand corrected and give the trophy to the New Orleans lads. USC ultimately won the game. Statistical leaders Player scoring most points: Bob Campiglio, West Liberty, 145http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv02/CFHSNv02n2f.pdf Archived copy library.la84.org 22 May 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100743/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv02/CFHSNv02n2f.pdf 4 March 2016 dead See also 1931 College Football All-America Team Notes References