1957 Big Ten Conference football season

August 2023 1957 Big Ten Conference football season American football 10 Dan Currie Ohio State Champion Michigan State Jim Pace Football 1956 1958 The 1957 Big Ten Conference football season was the 62nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference (also known as the Western Conference) and was a part of the 1957 college football season. The 1957 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, won the conference championship with a 7-0 conference record (9–1 record overall), was ranked No. 1 in the final Coaches' Poll, and defeated Oregon in the 1958 Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes were ranked No.2 in the final AP Poll, but were also declared national champion by the FWAA poll. Ohio State back Don Clark led the conference with 737 rushing yards. Guard Aurealius Thomas was a first-team All-American. The 1957 Michigan State Spartans football team, under head coach Duffy Daugherty, compiled an 8–1 record and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP and UPI polls. Michigan State back Walt Kowalczyk and center Dan Currie were selected as consensus first-team All-Americans. Kowalczyk led the conference with 54 points scored, and Currie was selected as the team's most valuable player. The 1957 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, under head coach Forest Evashevski, finished third in the Big Ten with a 7–1–1 record and was ranked No. 8 in the final AP Poll. Iowa tackle Alex Karras was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football. Quarterback Randy Duncan led the Big Ten with 1,124 passing yards and 1,183 total yards. Michigan halfback Jim Pace won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the conference's most valuable player. Season overview Results and team statistics Conf. RankTeamHead coachAP finalAP highOverall recordConf. recordPPGPAGMVP1Ohio StateWoody Hayes#2#29–17–026.79.2Bill Jobko2Michigan StateDuffy Daugherty#3#18–15–129.38.3Dan Currie3IowaForest Evashevski#6#37–1–14–1–129.212.4Bob Commings4 (tie)WisconsinMilt Bruhn#19#136–34–326.013.6Dan Lewis4 (tie)PurdueJack MollenkopfNRNR5–44–319.812.7Neil Habig6MichiganBennie OosterbaanNR#65–3–13–3–120.816.3Jim Pace7IllinoisRay EliotNR#154–53–418.614.8Ron Hansen8MinnesotaMurray WarmathNR#34–53–522.320.9Dick Larson9IndianaBob HicksNRNR1–80–65.234.1Tony Aloisio10NorthwesternAra ParseghianNRNR0–90–76.330.1Willmer Fowler Key AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1957 season AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1957 season PPG = Average of points scored per game PAG = Average of points allowed per game1957 Big Ten Conference Year Summary Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football January 26, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/big-ten/1957.html MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in boldVote Pace Most Valuable In Big Ten: Michigan's Halfback Beats Currie By 1 Point Chicago Tribune December 15, 1957 2-1 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8665140/vote_pace_most_valuable_in_big_ten/ Preseason Regular season Bowl games 1958 Rose Bowl Statistical leaders The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following: Passing yards 1. Randy Duncan, Iowa (1,124) 2. Jim Ninowski, Michigan State (718) 3. Tom Haller, Illinois (675) 4. Jim Van Pelt, Michigan (629) 5. Tom McDonald, Indiana (544) Rushing yards 1. Don Clark, Ohio State (737) 2. Jim Pace, Michigan (664) 3. Bob White, Ohio State (645) 4. Danny Lewis, Wisconsin (611) 5. Walt Kowalczyk, Michigan State (545) Receiving yards 1. Jim Gibbons, Iowa (587) 2. Dave Whitsell, Indiana (290) 3. Dave Kaiser, Michigan State (267) 4. Sam Williams, Michigan State (236) 5. Gary Prahst, Michigan (233) Total yards 1. Randy Duncan, Iowa (1,183) 2. Don Clark, Ohio State (788) 3. Tom Haller, Illinois (724) 4. Sidney Williams, Wisconsin (661) 5. Jim Pace, Michigan (656) Point scored 1. Walt Kowalczyk, Michigan State (54) 1. Jim Pace, Michigan (54) 1. Don Clark, Ohio State (54) 4. Frank Kremblas, Ohio State (48) 4. Dick LeBeau, Ohio State (48) Awards and honors All-Big Ten honors the complete All-Big Ten selections 1957 All-Big Ten Conference football team The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press (UP) as first-team players on the 1957 All-Big Ten Conference football team. PositionNameTeamSelectorsQuarterbackJim NinowskiMichigan StateAP, UPHalfbackJim PaceMichiganAP, UPHalfbackDon ClarkOhio StateAP, UPFullbackWalt KowalczykMichigan StateAP, UPEndJim GibbonsIowaAP, UPEndLeo BrownOhio StateAPEndSam WilliamsMichigan StateUPTackleAlex KarrasIowaAP, UPTacklePat BurkeMichigan StateAP, UPGuardAurealius ThomasOhio StateAP, UPGuardFrank BloomquistIowaAPGuardEllison KellyMichigan StateUPCenterDan CurrieMichigan StateAP, UP All-American honors the complete All-America selections 1957 College Football All-America Team At the end of the 1957 season, Big Ten players secured three of the consensus first-team picks for the 1957 College Football All-America Team.2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2014 August 16, 2014 5–6 http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf December 22, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141222163944/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf dead The Big Ten's consensus All-American was: PositionNameTeamSelectorsTackleAlex KarrasIowaAAB, AP, FWAA, INS, NEA, SN, UP, Time, WCFFBackWalt KowalczykMichigan StateAFCA, FWAA, NEA, SN, UP, Time, WCFFCenterDan CurrieMichigan StateAAB, AFCA, AP, FWAA, INS, Time, WCFF Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were: PositionNameTeamSelectorsEndJim GibbonsIowaFWAA, TSN, UPGuardAurealius ThomasOhio StateAAB, AFCA, AP, FWAABackJim PaceMichiganAAB, AP Other awards Iowa tackle Alex Karras won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football. The Heisman Trophy was awarded to John David Crow of Texas A&M. Three Big Ten players finished among the top 10 in the voting for the trophy. They were: defensive lineman Alex Karras of Iowa (second); running back Walt Kowalczyk of Michigan State; and offensive lineman Dan Currie of Michigan State.1957 Heisman Trophy Voting Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football January 12, 2017 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/awards/heisman-1957.html 1958 NFL draft The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1958 NFL draft:1958 NFL Draft: Full Draft National Football League NFL.com January 4, 2017 http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=1958 NamePositionTeamRoundOverall pickCenterDan CurrieMichigan State13FullbackWalt KowalczykMichigan State16HalfbackJim PaceMichigan18Defensive tackleAlex KarrasIowa110TackleFrank YousoMinnesota223LinebackerRay NitschkeIllinois336Defensive backErich BarnesPurdue442TackleFrank RigneyIowa443QuarterbackJim NinowskiMichigan State449EndBob JewettMichigan State553QuarterbackJim Van PeltMichigan554EndJim GibbonsIowa561BackJim WulffMichigan State672BackDanny LewisWisconsin673EndJon JelacicMinnesota774GuardBill JobkoOhio State780HalfbackBobby MitchellIllinois784BackDon SutherinOhio State894 References