The 1936 Marquette Golden Avalanche football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

team that represented

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...

as an independent during the

1936 college football season The 1936 college football season was the first in which the Associated Press writers' poll selected a national champion. The first AP poll, taken of 35 writers, was released on October 20, 1936. Each writer listed his choice for the top ten teams ...

. In its 15th and final season under head coach Frank Murray, the team compiled a 7–2 record (7–1 in the regular season) and outscored opponents by a total of 136 to 60. The team played its home games at

Marquette Stadium Marquette Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the home field of the Golden Avalanche of Marquette University, its intercollegiate football team. Located in the Merrill Park neighborhood west of the university, the ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

. In the post-season, Marquette played TCU in the inaugural

Cotton Bowl Classic The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...

, losing to by a 16–6 score. Marquette led, 6–3, in the first quarter, but TCU quarterback

Sammy Baugh Samuel Adrian Baugh (March 17, 1914 – December 17, 2008) was an American professional football player and coach. During his college and professional careers, he most notably played quarterback, but also played as a safety and punter. He ...

threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to give TCU the lead. Marquette was led by quarterback Ray Buivid. Buivid finished third in the voting for the 1936 Heisman Trophy and later became the first quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in a

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

game.

Arthur Guepe Arthur Leo Guepe (January 28, 1915 – November 4, 2001) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Virginia from 1946 to 1952 and Vanderbilt University from 1953 to 1962, compiling a career colle ...

also starred in the backfield for the 1936 Marquette team. Guepe returned a punt 60 yards in the 1937 Cotton Bowl, the first touchdown in Cotton Bowl history.

Schedule

Rankings

Game summaries

Wisconsin

Source:''The Hilltop'', p. 77 In their 1935 meeting, Marquette defeated the rival

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Badgers Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by the ...

33–0 and with many players returning from that squad entered the game as an eight to five favorite. On the road at

Camp Randall Stadium Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a fully functioning stadiu ...

the Golden Avalanche were victorious 12–6. Both of Marquette's touchdowns came on a pair of

receptions from Ray Buivid in the first and third quarters. The Badgers responded with their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter when Irv Windward threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Roy Bellin. Although the Badgers outgained the Golden Avalanche in total offense 201 yards to 177, they lost the game 12–6.

Saint Louis

Source:''The Hilltop'', p. 78 A week after their victory over Wisconsin to open the season, Marquette traveled to

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...

in Chicago and defeated the

Saint Louis Billikens The Saint Louis Billikens are the collegiate athletic teams that represent Saint Louis University, located in St. Louis, Missouri. The Billikens compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the ...

, 32–6. The Golden Avalanche took a 6–0 lead on their first possession after driving 65-yards with Ray Buivid making the touchdown score after he recovered his own fumble from six-yards out. Their lead was then extended further to 13–0 on the second play of the second quarter when

scored on a 72-yard touchdown run. After a Guepe touchdown run extended the Marquette lead to 20–0 in the third, the Golden Avalanche scored on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Both scores came on touchdown passes to Raymond Sonnenberg, the first from Guepe and the second from Buivid. The Billikens did score a late touchdown to ruin the

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

after Ralph Hemp connected with Carl Totsch for a 35-yard touchdown. Marquette outgained Saint Louis in total offense 318 yards to 91 in their 32–6 victory.

Kansas State

Source:''The Hilltop'', p. 79 In the first game played at

for the season, the Golden Avalanche defeated the

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

13–0. After a scoreless tie through three quarters, Marquette scored a touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter when Al Guepe scored on a three-yard run.

then scored the final Golden Avalanche points later in the quarter. Although the Wildcats outgained Marquette in total offensive yardage 164 to 127 yards, the Golden Avalanche won 13–0.

Michigan State

Source:''The Hilltop'', pp. 80–81 On

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

at Marquette, the Golden Avalanche defeated the previously unbeaten

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

Spartans Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

13–7. After a scoreless first quarter, Marquette scored first after Ray Buivid threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to

to give the Golden Avalanche a 6–0 halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Spartans took a 7–6 lead after John Pingel threw a seven-yard touchdown strike to Ernest Bremer. Trailing for the first time all season, Marquette secured the 13–7 victory with a fourth-quarter touchdown. The score came on a Ray Buivid touchdown pass to Herbert Anderson.

Saint Mary's

Source:''The Hilltop'', p. 82 Before the largest crowd to ever witness a Marquette football game at Chicago's Soldier Field, the Golden Avalanche defeated the

Saint Mary's Gaels The Saint Mary's Gaels are the athletic teams that compete at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California. The nickname applies to the college's intercollegiate NCAA Division I teams and to the school's club sports teams. Most varsit ...

, 20–6. Ray Buivid scored the first touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run to give Marquette a 7–0 lead. On the ensuing Gaels drive, Saint Mary's quarterback Edward O'Laughlin threw an

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

that was returned by Buivid 75-yards for a touchdown and a 13–0 Golden Avalanche lead. O'Laughlin responded on the ensuing 65-yard drive with a rushing touchdown to cut the Marquette lead to 13–6. The final points of the game came late in the fourth quarter when Red Higgins caught a deflected Buivid pass for a touchdown. The 20–6 loss by the Gaels was their worst intersectional defeat since

Slip Madigan Slip or SLIP may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole * Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting * Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy Computing and ...

took over as their head coach in 1921.

Creighton

Source:''The Hilltop'', p. 83 In the 1936

game for the Creighton Bluejays, the visiting Golden Avalanche did not score an offensive touchdown, but was able to secure a 7–6 victory to remain undefeated for the season. After a scoreless first, Creighton scored the first points of the game in the second quarter. Frank Wilcox intercepted a Ray Buivid pass and returned it for a touchdown. Frank Jones then missed the

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

and the Bluejays took a 6–0 lead, which they retained through the fourth quarter. In the fourth,

returned a Creighton punt 80-yards for an apparent touchdown only to be called back due to a Marquette offsides penalty. After failing to score on the ensuing drive and holding the Bluejays scoreless on their next possession, Guepe returned the next Creighton punt 75-yards for a game-tying touchdown.

Ward Cuff Ward Lloyd Cuff (August 12, 1913 – December 24, 2002) was an American football halfback and placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, Chicago Cardinals, and Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Marqu ...

then successfully converted the extra point and the Golden Avalanche took a 7–6 lead that they would not relinquish to remain undefeated.

Ole Miss

Source:''The Hilltop'', p. 84 In the final regular season home game, Marquette shutout the Ole Miss, 33–0. After a scoreless first,

scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 14-yard run in the second quarter to give Marquette a 7–0 lead after a successful extra point. Later in the period, Ray Buivid threw a five-yard touchdown strike to Raymond Sonnenberg to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive. The Golden Avalanche lead was then extended to 20–0 after a one-yard Guepe touchdown run in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Guepe scored his final touchdown of the game on a 40-yard punt return and Buivid connected with LeRoy McMahon on a 27-yard touchdown pass to make the final score 33–0.

Duquesne

Source:''The Hilltop'', p. 85 Before the largest crowd to ever see Duquesne play at

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers ...

, the

Dukes Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

shutout the favored Golden Avalanche 13–0 for their first loss of the season. Boyd Brumbaugh was responsible for both of the Dukes' touchdowns. The first came on a Brumbaugh pass to

Ernie Hefferle Ernest Edward Hefferle (January 12, 1915 – August 8, 2000) was an American football player and coach. He served as head football coach at Boston College from 1960 to 1961 and as the interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National ...

on a faked reverse in the first and the second on a three-yard run in the fourth quarter.

TCU

Source:''The Hilltop'', p. 86 With a regular season record of 7–1, on December 16 the TCU Horned Frogs were granted permission from the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...

to compete against the Golden Avalanche in the inaugural

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Billed as a battle between college football's two most prolific passes of the previous two seasons, TCU's

and Marquette's Ray Buivid, the Horned Frogs prevailed 16–6. L. D. Meyer opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal to give TCU an early 3–0 lead. The Avalanche responded with its only points of the game later in the quarter when

returned a punt 60-yards to give Marquette its only lead of the game at 6–3. The Horned Frogs retook the lead at the end of the first quarter when Baugh threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Meyer to give TCU a 10–6 lead which they would not relinquish. The final points of the game came in the second quarter on an 18-yard Vic Montgomery touchdown strike again to Meyer to give the Horned Frogs the 16–6 victory.

Personnel

Coaching staff

The Golden Avalanche was led by head coach Frank Murray who entered his 15th season in that role at Marquette. He resigned his position in February 1937 to assume the role of head coach at

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Players

*Herbert Anderson *Robert Boylan * Ray Buivid, left halfback *Morgan Busch *Oliver Butler *James Fenimore Cooper *Joseph Cuchetti *

*Walter Eichenberger *Al Guepe *

, quarterback *Robert Hanel *Howard Hansen *Norman Helding *Vincent Hotton *Roy Hovel *William Jennings *Harold Kieffer *George Knipp *Ralph Kuhn *Joseph Lauterbach *Wallace Lauterbach *Roger Lumb *Joseph Matt *Earl McEssy *LeRoy McMahon *Elroy Mieritz *Joseph Mosovsky *Edwin Niemi *John O'Melia *John Puestow *Myles Reif *Delbert Rider *Edward St. Eve * Roy Schoemann *Carl Siefert *Raymond Sonnenberg *Lloyd Tappa *Patrick Toal *Anthony Weiler *Brendan Williams References:''The Hilltop'', p. 76

References

General * Specific {{Marquette Golden Avalanche football navbox Marquette Marquette Golden Avalanche football seasons

Marquette Golden Avalanche football : ''For information on all Marquette University sports, see Marquette Golden Eagles'' The Marquette Golden Avalanche football program, commonly known as the Marquette Hilltoppers from approximately 1940 to 1953 and as the Marquette Warriors from ...