1948 college football season

American college football season August 2023 1948 Notre Dame 14 Michigan (AP) Doak Walker (halfback, SMU) The 1948 college football season finished with SMU halfback Doak Walker as the Heisman Trophy winner and six teams in contention for the national championship: Bennie Oosterbaan's Michigan compiled a 9–0 record, defeated six ranked opponents, and was the consensus national champion, receiving 192 of 333 first-place votes in the final AP poll. It was Michigan's second consecutive undefeated season, extending the program's winning streak to 23 games. Frank Leahy's Notre Dame Fighting Irish compiled a 9–0–1 record and had a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 1946 season before playing a 14–14 tie with USC in the final game of the 1948 season. Notre Dame was ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll, receiving 97 of 333 first-place votes, with the same record as Michigan due to the final poll being taken prior to their season-ending tie. Carl Snavely's No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Charlie Justice, were undefeated in the regular season (9–0–1) but lost to Oklahoma in the 1949 Sugar Bowl. Pappy Waldorf's No. 4 California Golden Bears, led by Jackie Jensen who finished fourth in the 1948 Heisman Trophy voting, were undefeated in the regular season (10–0), but lost to Northwestern in the 1949 Rose Bowl. Bud Wilkinson's No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 North Carolina in the 1949 Sugar Bowl. Earl Blaik's No. 6 Army Cadets finished the season undefeated (8–0–1). They won the first eight games of the season and were ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll before playing Navy to a tie in the annual Army–Navy Game. Eight other teams finished the season undefeated and untied: Southern (12–0, black college national champion); Clemson (11–0, SoCon and Gator Bowl champion, AP No. 11); Bloomsburg (9–0, PSTCC champion); Heidelberg (9–0, OAC champion); Occidental (9–0 SCC and Raisin Bowl champion); Alma (8–0 MIAA champion); and Wesleyan (8–0, third consecutive perfect season); Michigan Tech (7–0, independent). Air travel to away games (as opposed to rail travel) became increasingly popular with college football programs in the late 1940s.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Os8zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v_UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6370%2C2733285 Spokane Daily Chronicle Oregon Grid teams use air travel more for game dates Associated Press November 5, 1948 15 The NCAA began permitting the use of small 1-inch rubber "tees" (not the same tee used for kickoffs) for extra point and field goal attempts beginning this year; they were outlawed in 1989.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-20-sp-1200-story.html They're Not All Kicking and Screaming Over the Absence of Tee Litke Jim Associated Press August 20, 1989 Los Angeles Times October 3, 2019 It was 1948 before vague rumblings about putting the foot back into the game convinced NCAA officials to allow the use of a 1-inch rubberized tee. Eleven years later, they widened the goal posts to 23-feet-5 from 18-5, and seven years after that, let the tee rise an inch. Conference and program changes Conference changes One conferences began play in 1948: Ohio Valley Conference – an active NCAA Division I FCS conference; began play with six teams from Kentucky and Indiana. One conference played its final season in 1948: Dakota-Iowa Athletic Conference – conference active since the 1946 season Two conferences changed their names prior to the season: After the Big Six Conference, still officially known as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, added Colorado, the conference's unofficial name became the Big Seven Conference. The Washington Intercollegiate Conference changed its name to the Evergreen Conference, the name it would retain until the conference's demise after the 1984 season. Membership changes School 1947 conference 1948 conference Bradley Braves Independent Missouri Valley Centenary Gentlemen LIC Dropped program Colorado Buffaloes Skyline (Mountain States) Big Seven (MVIAA) Eastern Kentucky State Colonels KIAC Ohio Valley Evansville Purple Aces Independent Ohio Valley Louisville Cardinals KIAC Ohio Valley Morehead State Eagles KIAC Ohio Valley Murray State Racers KIAC Ohio Valley Western Kentucky State Hilltoppers KIAC Ohio Valley Season chronology September The Associated Press did not poll the writers until the fourth week of the season. Among the five teams that had been ranked highest in 1947 (Notre Dame, Michigan, SMU, Penn State, and Texas), all but Penn State began play on September 25. Notre Dame edged Purdue 28–27, Michigan won at Michigan State, 13–7, and SMU won at Pittsburgh, 33–14. The Texas Longhorns lost at North Carolina, 34–7. Northwestern beat UCLA, in Los Angeles, 19–0. In Baltimore, California beat Navy, 21–7. Army beat visiting Villanova 28–0. October October 2: In Pittsburgh, Notre Dame shut out Pitt, 40–0, while in Dallas, SMU defeated Texas Tech 41–6. Penn State beat Bucknell 35–0, Michigan beat Oregon 14–0. North Carolina won at Georgia 21–14. Army beat Lafayette 54–7. Northwestern beat Purdue 21–0. When the first poll was issued, Notre Dame had fewer first place votes than North Carolina (50 vs. 55), but ten more points overall (1,200 to 1,190) Northwestern was third, followed by SMU and Army. Though unbeaten, Michigan was ranked 7th, after Georgia Tech. October 9: No. 1 Notre Dame beat Michigan State 26–7. No. 2 North Carolina won at Wake Forest, 28–6, and was ranked first in the next poll. No. 3 Northwestern beat No. 8 Minnesota 19–16. No. 4 SMU lost at Missouri, 20–14. No. 5 Army won at Illinois, 26–21. No. 7 Michigan, which had won at No. 15 Purdue, 40–0, rose to 4th. October 16: No. 1 North Carolina beat N.C. State 14–0, but dropped to third in the next poll. No. 2 Notre Dame won at Nebraska 44–13. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, No. 3 Northwestern faced Big Nine rival No. 4 Michigan, and the home team Wolverines won 28–0. No. 5 Army defeated Harvard 20–7. Michigan moved up to first place in the next poll, and No. 6 California (which beat Oregon State 42–0) moved to No. 4, with Northwestern dropping out of the Top Five. October 23: In Minneapolis, No. 1 Michigan beat No. 13 Minnesota 27–14, and No. 2 Notre Dame won at Iowa 27–12. No. 3 North Carolina beat visiting LSU 34–7. In Seattle, No. 4 California blanked Washington 21–0, and No. 5 Army won at No. 12 Cornell 27–6. The top five remained the same in the next poll. October 30: No. 1 Michigan beat Illinois 28–20, while in Baltimore, No. 2 Notre Dame beat Navy 41–7. No. 3 North Carolina won at Tennessee 14–7. In Los Angeles, No. 4 California beat USC, 13–7. No. 5 Army beat Virginia Tech 49–7. In the next poll, Notre Dame was ranked at the new number one, followed by Michigan, North Carolina, Army, and California. November November 6: No. 1 Notre Dame won at Indiana 42–6. No. 2 Michigan beat visiting Navy 35–0. No. 3 North Carolina was tied by William & Mary, 7–7. No. 4 Army defeated Stanford at Yankee Stadium in New York, 43–0, while No. 5 California beat visiting UCLA 28–13. Michigan was elevated to No. 1 in the next poll, followed by Notre Dame, Army, and California. No. 14 Penn State, which had shut out No. 7 Pennsylvania in Philadelphia 13–0, was moved up to No. 5. November 13: No. 1 Michigan beat Indiana 54–0. No. 2 Notre Dame beat No. 8 Northwestern 12–7. No. 3 Army won at No. 17 Pennsylvania 26–20. No. 4 California beat Washington State 44–14. No. 5 Penn State beat Temple 47–0, but still dropped in the next poll. It switched spots with No. 6 North Carolina, which moved up after a win at Maryland 49–20. November 20: No. 1 Michigan closed its season with a 13–3 win at No. 18 Ohio State. No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Army were both idle. No. 4 California beat Stanford 7–6. No. 5 North Carolina beat Duke 20–0. The next poll switched North Carolina to No. 4 and California to No. 5, with the top three remaining the same. November 27: No. 1 Michigan, which had completed its season, had 105 of 190 first place votes. No. 2 Notre Dame defeated Washington 46–0. The annual Army–Navy Game in Philadelphia pitted unbeaten (8–0–0) and No. 3 Army against winless (0–8–0) Navy, and 102,000 fans turned out to watch the mismatch, including President Truman. It was a surprise when the Midshipmen scored first, but Army went ahead 21–14 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Navy pushed the Cadets back to their own goal line, and took the punt at midfield. In six plays, Navy drove down to the four yard line, and Bill Hawkins crashed into the end zone to make it 21–20. Roger Drew added the point after to ruin Army's perfect record, 21–21."Navy Deadlocks Mighty Army Eleven, 21 to 21", The Charleston (WV) Gazette, Nov. 28, 1948, p19 No. 4 North Carolina won at Virginia 34–12, and No. 5 California had finished its season. The final poll was released on November 29, although some colleges had not completed their schedules. Michigan, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and California were the top four, with Oklahoma (which had won its last nine games in a row after a narrow season-opening loss to Santa Clara) at No. 5. On December 4, No. 2 Notre Dame's perfect record was compromised in Los Angeles with a 14–14 tie against unranked USC. Conference standings Major conference standings Major independents Minor conferences ConferenceChampion(s)RecordAlabama Intercollegiate Conference Jacksonville State 8–1-1California Collegiate Athletic Association San Jose State 5–0 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1948 West Virginia State Yellow Jackets West Virginia State 5–1 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kansas State Teachers (Emporia State) 5–0 College Conference of Illinois Illinois Wesleyan 5–0 Dakota-Iowa Athletic Conference Buena Vista 3–0–1 Evergreen Conference Eastern Washington CollegePuget Sound 5–1 Far Western Conference Chico State CollegeSouthern Oregon College 3–1 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Dubuque 5–0 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Ottawa (KS) 6–0 Lone Star Conference Southwest Texas State Teachers 6–0 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Alma 5–0 Mid-American Conference Miami (OH) 4–0 Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Ripon 6–0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Saint Thomas (MN) 5–0 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northwest Missouri StateSouthwest Missouri State 4–1 Nebraska College Conference Charon StateWayne State (NE) 6–1 New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference Sul Ross 5–0 North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Iowa State Teachers (Northern Iowa) 5–0 North Dakota College Athletic Conference Minot State CollegeNorth Dakota Science 5–0 Ohio Athletic Conference Heidelberg 7–0 Ohio Valley Conference Murray State College 3–1 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Central State College (OK)Southeastern State College (OK) 4–1 Pacific Northwest Conference College of Idaho 5–1 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Bloomsburg State TeachersCalifornia State Teachers6–0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Colorado State College 3–0 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Northern State Teachers (SD) 6–0 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Occidental 4–0 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Florida A&M College 6–0 Southwestern Athletic Conference Southern 7–0 State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota Duluth State TeachersMankato State TeachersSt. Cloud State Teachers 4–1 Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference McMurry (TX) 4–1 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference Eau Claire State Teachers 5–1 Minor conference standings Non-major independents Rankings 1948 college football rankings Bowl games Major bowls Bowl game Winning team Losing team Rose Bowl No. 7 Northwestern 20 No. 4 California 14 Sugar Bowl No. 5 Oklahoma 14 No. 3 North Carolina 6 Orange Bowl Texas 41 No. 8 Georgia 28 Cotton Bowl No. 10 SMU 21 No. 9 Oregon 13 Other bowls Bowl game Winning team Losing team Sun Bowl West Virginia 21 Texas Mines 12 Gator Bowl No. 11 Clemson 24 Missouri 23 Tangerine Bowl Murray State 21 Sul Ross 21 Dixie Bowl Baylor 20 No. 20 Wake Forest 7 Raisin Bowl Occidental 21 Colorado A&M 20 Harbor Bowl Villanova 27 Nevada 7 Salad Bowl Drake 14 Arizona 13 Delta Bowl No. 17 William & Mary 20 Oklahoma A&M 0 Fruit Bowl Southern 30 San Francisco State 0 Grape Bowl Hardin–Simmons 35 Pacific 35 Shrine Bowl Hardin–Simmons 40 Ouachita Baptist 12 Camellia Bowl Hardin–Simmons 49 Wichita 12 Heisman Trophy voting The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player Player School Position Total Doak Walker SMU HB 778 Charlie Justice North Carolina HB 443 Chuck Bednarik Penn C 336 Jackie Jensen California HB 143 Stan Heath Nevada QB 113 Norm Van Brocklin Oregon QB 83 Emil Sitko Notre Dame FB/HB 73 Jack Mitchell Oklahoma QB 68 Source: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6C5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EU4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4246%2C5160937 St. Petersburg Times Florida United Press Heisman Trophy to be awarded to Doak Walker December 1, 1948 21https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lS1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hOUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6801%2C186699 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Heisman trophy given to Doak Walker December 1, 1948 14 See also 1948 College Football All-America Team References