The 1924 Western State Normal Hilltoppers football team represented

Western State Normal School Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers. ...

(later renamed Western Michigan University) as an independent during the

1924 college football season The 1924 college football season was the year of the Four Horsemen as the Notre Dame team, coached by Knute Rockne, won all of its games, including the Rose Bowl, to be acclaimed as the best team in the nation. Notre Dame and Stanford were bot ...

. In their first season under head coach

Earl Martineau Earl Thomas Martineau (August 30, 1896 – January 20, 1966) was an American college football player and coach. He played Halfback (American football), halfback at the University of Minnesota and was selected as an All-American in 1922 College Foo ...

, the Hilltoppers compiled a 5–1–1 record and outscored their opponents, 101 to 46. Tackle Oscar Johnson was the team captain. Martineau was hired as the Hilltoppers' head coach in June 1924. He had played college football for Minnesota the prior year and been selected by

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system ...

to the

1923 College Football All-America Team The 1923 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1923. The only two selectors recognized by t ...

. Minnesota coach

William H. Spaulding William H. Spaulding (May 4, 1880 – October 12, 1966) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. Spaulding coached at UCLA from 1925 to 1938. He had a successful tenure, compiling a 72–51–8 () record. H ...

, who had previously coached the Hilltoppers, recommended Martineau for the job.

Schedule

References

Western State Normal Western Michigan Broncos football seasons Western State Normal Hilltoppers football {{collegefootball-1924-season-stub