The 1938 Big Ten Conference football season was the 43rd season of

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

played by the member schools of the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

(also known as the Western Conference) and was a part of the

1938 college football season The 1938 college football season ended with the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University (TCU) being named the nation's No. 1 team by 55 of the 77 voters in the final Associated Press writers' poll in early December. Tennessee was also chosen b ...

. The Big Ten Conference championship went to

Bernie Bierman Bernard W. Bierman (March 11, 1894 – March 7, 1977) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. He coached from 1919 to 1950 except for a span during World War II when he served in the U.S. armed forces. Bierman was t ...

1938 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team The 1938 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1938 Big Ten Conference football season. In their seventh year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–2 record and outscore ...

. Minnesota compiled a 6–2 record, outscored its opponents 97 to 38, and was ranked No. 10 in the final

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

. Guard Frank Twedell was a first-team All-American. Twedell and quarterback

Wilbur Moore Wilbur John Moore (April 22, 1916 – August 9, 1965) was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Minnesota and was drafted in the ...

were first-team picks for the All-Big Ten team.

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, in its first year under head coach

Fritz Crisler Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler (; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and d ...

, compiled a 6–1–1 record, outscored opponents 131 to 40, led the conference in scoring offense (16.4 points per game), and was ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll. The team's only setbacks were a 7-6 loss to Minnesota and a scoreless tie with Northwestern. Michigan guard

Ralph Heikkinen Ralph Isaac "Hike" Heikkinen (May 14, 1917 – January 12, 1990) was an All-American guard for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1936 to 1938. He was a unanimous All-American in 1938, the first player from the Gogebic Rang ...

was a consensus first-team All-American. Sophomore backs

Tom Harmon Thomas Dudley Harmon (September 28, 1919 – March 15, 1990), known as Tom Harmon, as well as by the nickname "Old 98", was an American football player, military pilot, actor, and sports broadcaster. Harmon grew up in Gary, Indiana, and playe ...

and

Forest Evashevski Forest "Evy" Evashevski (February 19, 1918 – October 30, 2009) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight ...

were both first-team All-Big Ten players. Northwestern, under head coach

Pappy Waldorf Lynn Osbert "Pappy" Waldorf (October 3, 1902 – August 15, 1981) was an American college football player and coach. He received the first national collegiate football coach of the year award in 1935. Waldorf became known for his motivational coac ...

, compiled a 4–2–2 record, outscored opponents 93 to 32, led the conference in scoring defense (4.0 points per game), and was ranked No. 17 in the final AP Poll. Tackle

Bob Voigts Werner Robert Voigts (March 29, 1916 – December 7, 2000) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Northwestern University from 1947 to 1954, compiling a record of 33–39–1. Voigts led ...

was a first-team All-American. Wisconsin fullback

Howard Weiss Howard William Weiss (October 12, 1917 – November 12, 1997) was an American football fullback. He was drafted in the third round of the 1939 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions and played two seasons with the team. Later he played with the Milwau ...

received the

Chicago Tribune Silver Football The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the ''Chicago Tribune'' to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois wa ...

trophy as the most valuable player in the conference. Ralph Heikkinen finished in second place in the voting and

Larry Buhler Lawrence Abraham Buhler (May 28, 1917 – August 21, 1990) was a Fullback (American football), fullback/Halfback (American football), halfback in the National Football League (NFL) who played 21 games for the Green Bay Packers. He played for t ...

of Minnesota was third.

Season overview

Results and team statistics

Key
PPG = Average of points scored per game
PAG = Average of points allowed per game
MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the

trophy

Regular season

September 23–24

On September 23 and 24, 1938, the Big Ten began play with four non-conference games, resulting in two wins and two losses. * ''UCLA 27, Iowa 3''. The season began on Friday, September 23, 1938, with Iowa facing

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

before a crowd of 40,000 at the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a mem ...

. UCLA won by a 27 to 3 score. The game was billed as a duel between All-American candidates Kenny Washington of UCLA and

Nile Kinnick Nile Clarke Kinnick Jr. (July 9, 1918 – June 2, 1943) was an American naval aviator, law student, and college football player at the University of Iowa. He won the 1939 Heisman Trophy and was a consensus All-American. He died during a trainin ...

of Iowa, but both had subpar performances. Washington gained 60 net yards, while Kinnick had only 35 net yards. * ''Minnesota 15, Washington 0''. On Saturday, September 24, Minnesota defeated

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 15-0, in front of a crowd of 50,000 spectators at Memorial Stadium in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Several rest periods were called due to heat. Minnesota stopped Washington's highly touted passing attack, intercepting five of the 16 passes thrown by Washington's Jimmy Johnston and Dean McAdams. Defensive guard Bob Johnson returned an interception 77 yards for a touchdown. * ''Purdue 19, Detroit 6''. Purdue defeated

Gus Dorais Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais (July 2, 1891 – January 3, 1954) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. Dorais played college football at the University of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American in 1913 at quarterback ...

Detroit Titans The Detroit Mercy Titans (formerly known as the Detroit Titans) are the athletic teams of University of Detroit Mercy. The University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The school primarily competes in ...

, 19-6, before a crowd of more than 24,000 spectators at

Ross–Ade Stadium Ross–Ade Stadium is a stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, on the campus of Purdue University. It is the home field of Purdue Boilermakers football. The stadium was dedicated on November 22, 1924, and named in honor of Purdue alumni George Ade ...

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

. On a hot day, the teams played to a scoreless tie in the first half. Detroit took a 6 to 0 lead in the third quarter, but Purdue then rallied to 19 unanswered points. Brown, Krause and Byelene scored touchdowns for Purdue. * ''Ohio 6, Illinois 0''. Illinois defeated

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, 6-0, at Memorial Stadium in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

. Illinois out-gained Ohio, 205 yards to 59, but suffered from turnovers. After an Illinois fumble, Ohio halfback Jim Snyder scored the game's only points on a pass from Monk Montgomery.

October 1

On October 1, 1938, the Big Ten football teams played one conference game and seven non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in six wins and a tie. Iowa had a bye. * ''Minnesota 16, Nebraska 7''. Minnesota defeated Nebraska, 16-7, before a crowd of 46,000 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. * ''Michigan 14, Michigan State 0''. In its first game under new head coach

, Michigan defeated

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 ...

, 14-0, before a crowd of 73,589 spectators at

Michigan Stadium Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third largest stadium in the world, and the ...

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

. Sophomore halfback Paul Kromer, appearing in his first game for Michigan, scored both touchdowns. * ''Northwestern 21, Kansas State 0''. Northwestern defeated

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 ...

, 21-0, before a crowd of 35,000 spectators at

Dyche Stadium Ryan Field is a stadium in the central United States, located in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. Near the campus of Northwestern University, it is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Northwestern Wildc ...

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

. All three Northwestern touchdowns came on passes. Jack Ryan completed touchdown passes to George McGurn and Bernie Jefferson, and Paul Soper threw the third touchdown pass to Bob Daly. * ''Purdue 21, Butler 6''. * ''Wisconsin 27, Marquette 0''. * ''Ohio State 6, Indiana 0''. * ''Illinois 44, DePaul 7''. * ''Chicago 0, Bradley 0''.

October 8

On October 8, 1938, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in one win and one loss. * ''Minnesota 7, Purdue 0''. Minnesota defeated Purdue, 7-0, before a crowd of 52,000 spectators at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Fullback Marty Christiansen scored the game's only touchdown in third quarter. * ''Michigan 45, Chicago 7''. Michigan defeated Chicago, 45 to 7, before a crowd of 22,976 at Michigan Stadium. Michigan's 45 points was the most for a Michigan team since 1926. Michigan touchdowns were scored by Norm Purucker (44-yard run in the first quarter), Paul Kromer (25-yard run), Ed Czak (25-yard touchdown pass from Dave Strong),

(59-yard run in the third quarter),

Fred Trosko Fred Trosko (September 5, 1917 – February 6, 1999) was an American football player and coach. He played at the halfback position for the University of Michigan football team from 1937 to 1939. He later served as the head football coach at Easte ...

(five-yard run in fourth quarter), Howard Mehaffey (31-yard run in fourth quarter), and Dave Strong (14-yard run late in the game).Michigan totaled 476 rushing yards and 32 passing yards to Chicago's 133 rushing yards and 118 passing yards. * ''Northwestern 33, Drake 0''. * ''Wisconsin 31, Iowa 13''. * ''USC 14, Ohio State 7''. * ''Illinois 12, Indiana 2''.

October 15

On October 15, 1938, the Big Ten football teams played three conference games and four non-conference teams. The non-conference games resulted in two losses and two ties. * ''Minnesota 7, Michigan 6''. Minnesota defeated Michigan, 7-6, at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Neither team scored in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Michigan drove 90 yards with Paul Kromer scoring on a short run for touchdown, and Michigan missed the extra point. Later in the quarter,

fumbled at midfield, and Minnesota recovered the loose ball. After Harmon's fumble, Minnesota halfback Harold Van Every threw a long pass to Bill Johnson who was downed at Michigan's 14-yard line. Minnesota's drive was capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Van Every to halfback Wilbur Moore. Quarterback George Faust kicked the extra point to give Minnesota a one point margin of victory. Michigan gained 157 rushing yards and 97 passing yards to outperform Minnesota's 91 rushing yards and 41 passing yards. * ''Northwestern 0, Ohio State 0''. * ''Iowa 27, Chicago 14''. * ''Notre Dame 14, Illinois 6''. * ''Pittsburgh 26, Wisconsin 6''. * ''Indiana 0, Nebraska 0''. * ''Purdue 6, Fordham 6''.

October 22

On October 22, 1938, the Big Ten football teams played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two losses and one win. Minnesota had a bye week. * ''Michigan 15, Yale 13''. Michigan defeated

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, 15-13, at the

Yale Bowl The Yale Bowl Stadium is a college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in New Haven, Connecticut, on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles (2½ km) west of the main campus of Yale University. The home of the American footb ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

. Yale led, 13-2, at halftime. In the third quarter, Michigan scored on a two-yard run by Norm Purucker. In the fourth quarter, Harmon threw a touchdown to John Nicholson. * ''Northwestern 13, Illinois 0''. * ''Purdue 13, Wisconsin 7''. * ''Ohio State 42, Chicago 7''. * ''Colgate 14, Iowa 0''. * ''Kansas State 13, Indiana 6''.

October 29

On October 29, 1938, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two wins. * ''Northwestern 6, Minnesota 3''. * ''Michigan 14, Illinois 0''. Michigan defeated Illinois, 14-0, before a crowd of 43,006 at Michigan Stadium. In the first quarter,

ran for the Wolverines' first touchdown. In the third quarter, end Danny Smick blocked an Illinois punt and recovered the ball at the Illinois 29-yard line. After short gains, Harmon "rifled" a pass to

for Michigan's second touchdown. * ''Purdue 0, Iowa 0''. * ''Wisconsin 6, Indiana 0''. * ''Ohio State 32, NYU 0''. * ''Chicago 34, DePauw 14''.

November 5

On November 5, 1938, the Big Ten football teams played three conference games and three non-conference games. The three non-conference games resulted in two losses and one win. Illinois had a bye week. * ''Minnesota 28, Iowa 0''. * ''Michigan 19, Penn 13''. Michigan defeated Penn, 19-13, before a crowd of 31,292 at Michigan Stadium. Michigan's first touchdown was scored by guard

Milo Sukup Milo Frederick Sukup (July 9, 1917 – January 3, 1983) was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940, where he was the running guard and a key blocker for Heisman Troph ...

after Don Siegel blocked

Frank Reagan Francis Xavier Reagan (July 28, 1919 – November 20, 1972) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played professionally for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles during a seven-season Nation ...

's punt and the ball bounced back into the end zone. Paul Kromer scored Michigan's remaining touchdowns, one on a 50-yard punt return and the other on a 13-yard touchdown pass from

. Michigan led 19 to 0 at the start of the fourth quarter. Playing against Michigan's substitutes, Penn scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes, including a 62-yard touchdown run by Penn quarterback Johnny Dutcher. * ''Wisconsin 20, Northwestern 13''. * ''Purdue 12, Ohio State 0''. * ''Harvard 47, Chicago 13''. * ''Boston College 14, Indiana 0''.

November 12

On November 12, 1939, the Big Ten football teams played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two losses and a win. Purdue had a bye week. * ''Notre Dame 19, Minnesota 0''. Minnesota (ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll) lost to Notre Dame (ranked No. 1), 19-0, before a crowd of 56,000 at Notre Dame Stadium. An hour and a half before the game, two "football special" trains carrying fans to the game crashed in South Bend, injuring 91 persons and shaking up 950 others. * ''Michigan 0, Northwestern 0''. Michigan (ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll) and Northwestern played to a scoreless tie at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Northwestern had won the last three games. In the third quarter, Northwestern's Bernie Jefferson had a 51-yard run to Michigan's 11-yard line. Northwestern advanced to the one-yard line with a first-and-goal opportunity. After three unsuccessful running plays, Northwestern passed on fourth down, and the ball was intercepted in the end zone by Norm Purucker of Michigan. In the fourth quarter, Michigan advanced the ball to the Northwestern six-yard line, but a field goal attempt by

was unsuccessful. With one minute remaining, Purucker faked a punt and ran 44 yards to Northwestern's 25-yard line, but Michigan was unable to score. * ''Wisconsin 14, UCLA 7''. Wisconsin (ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll) defeated

, 14-7, before a crowd of 35,000 at the

. UCLA out-gained Wisconsin, but the Bruins fumbled 10 times with the Badgers recovering six of them. * ''Ohio State 32, Illinois 14''. Ohio State defeated Illinois, 32-14, in the annual battle for the

Illibuck Trophy The Illibuck Trophy is the centerpiece of an American college football rivalry between the Illinois Fighting Illini football team of the University of Illinois and Ohio State Buckeyes football team of Ohio State University, with the winner of the ...

. The game was played before a crowd of 18,000 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Fullback Jim Langhurst scored three touchdowns for Ohio State. * ''Indiana 7, Iowa 3''. Indiana defeated Iowa, 7-3, before a crowd of approximately 10,000 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana trailed 3-0 in the fourth quarter. * ''Pacific 32, Chicago 0''. Chicago lost to

Amos Alonzo Stagg Amos Alonzo Stagg (August 16, 1862 – March 17, 1965) was an American athlete and college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football. He served as the head football coach at the International YMCA Training School (now called Springfie ...

Pacific Tigers The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, in intercollegiate athletics. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I, and are currently in their second stint as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC). C ...

, 32-0, before a homecoming crowd of 10,000 at Stagg Field in Chicago. Stagg had been Chicago's head coach from 1892 to 1932, and the 1938 game was Stagg's first return to the University of Chicago as an opposing coach.

November 19

On November 19, 1938, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. Both non-conference games were losses. * ''Minnesota 21, Wisconsin 0''. Minnesota defeated Wisconsin (ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll) met with the Big Ten championship going to the winner of the game. Minnesota won easily, 21 to 0, before a crowd of 41,000 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Minnesota's touchdowns were scored by Larry Buhler (27-yard run), George Franck (13-yard run), and Marty Christiansen (short run). * ''Notre Dame 9, Northwestern 7''. Northwestern (ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll) lost to Notre Dame (ranked No. 1), 9-7, before a crowd of 48,500 at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern led, 7-6, at halftime. Second-string quarterback, Willard Clair Hofer, returned an interception 65 yards for Notre Dame's first touchdown; he then kicked a field goal in the third quarter to give Notre Dame its margin of victory. Northwestern's touchdown was scored by fullback George McGurn. * ''Michigan 18, Ohio State 0''. Michigan (ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll) defeated Ohio State, 18 to 0, in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

. Ohio State had won four consecutive shutouts over Michigan from 1934 to 1937. In the second quarter,

ran for a touchdown from the one-yard line, tallying Michigan's first points against Ohio State since 1933. In the fourth quarter, Harmon intercepted an Ohio State pass and then threw a 15-yard pass to

Ed Frutig Edward C. Frutig (August 19, 1918 – February 26, 2011) was an American football End (gridiron football), end who played for the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines football, Wolverines from 1938 Michigan Wolverines football team, 193 ...

for Michigan's second touchdown.

ran 38 yards around the left end for Michigan's third touchdown. Michigan's attempts at point after touchdown failed. After the game, a brawl erupted on the field as Michigan fans attempted to tear down the goalposts at

Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencement c ...

. The game's outcome was the most one-sided loss for Ohio State in five years under head coach,

Francis Schmidt Francis Albert Schmidt (December 3, 1885 – September 19, 1944) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at the University of Tulsa (1919–1921), the University of Arka ...

. The

United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

opined that Michigan's victory over the Buckeyes was the "climax of the Wolverines' return as a major gridiron power." * ''Purdue 13, Indiana 6''. Purdue defeated Indiana, 13-6, in the annual

Old Oaken Bucket The Old Oaken Bucket is a traveling trophy awarded in American college football as part of the rivalry between the Indiana Hoosiers football team of Indiana University and Purdue Boilermakers football team of Purdue University. It was first awa ...

rivalry game played before a crowd of 32,000 at

. * ''Nebraska 14, Iowa 0''. Iowa lost to

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, 19–0, at Iowa Stadium in Iowa City. Iowa passed for 220 yards but fumbled six times and was unable to score. In ''The Des Moines Register'', Bert McGrane wrote: "Iowa tramped the last weary mile of its rocky football road here Saturday and finished the season the way it began it – in defeat." * ''Illinois 34, Chicago 0''. Illinois defeated Chicago, 34-0, before a crowd of 5,000 at Stagg Field in Chicago. The margin was 13-0 at the end of the third quarter, but Chicago's desperate attempts at a comeback provided openings for Illinois to score 21 points in the fourth quarter. The defeat marked the close of Chicago's second consecutive season without a victory over a Big Ten opponent.

Bowl games

No Big Ten teams participated in any bowl games during the 1938 season. On December 3, 1938, the faculty committee of the Big Ten universities rejected a proposal from the

Pacific Coast Conference The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pac-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, with eight of the ten PCC members (including a ...

for the two conference's champions to compete in the Rose Bowl. The Big Ten reaffirmed its ban on postseason games and its rule that all football games must be completed on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

All-Big Ten players

The following players were picked by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

(AP) and/or the

(UP) as first-team players on the 1938 All-Big Ten Conference football team. * Cleo Diehl, end, Northwestern (AP, UP) * Erwin Prasse, end, Iowa (AP) * Frank Petrick, end, Indiana (UP) *

Joe Mihal Joseph Mihal (April 2, 1916 – September 18, 1979) was a professional American football player who played as a tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons with the Chicago Bears. He was elected as a starter for the 1939 Chicag ...

, tackle, Purdue (AP, UP) *

, tackle, Northwestern (UP) * Bob Haak, tackle, Indiana (AP) *

, guard, Michigan (AP, UP) * Francis Twedell, guard, Minnesota (AP) * Jack Murray center, Wisconsin (AP, UP) *

, quarterback, Michigan (AP) *

, quarterback, Minnesota (UP) *

Lou Brock Louis Clark Brock (June 18, 1939September 6, 2020) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He began his 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the 1961 Chicago Cubs but spent most of it as a left fielder for the St. Louis Car ...

, halfback, Purdue (AP, UP) *

, halfback, Michigan (AP, UP) *

, Wisconsin (AP, UP)

All-Americans

The only Big Ten player selected as a consensus first-team player on the 1938 College Football All-America Team was: *

, guard, Michigan (AAB, AP, UP, CP, CO, NEA, NYS, WC, INS, LIB, NW, SN, DT, PW) Other Big Ten players to receive first-team honors from at least one selector were: *

, tackle, Northwestern (AAB, WC) * Frank Twedell, guard, Minnesota (INS, SN, ID, PW) *

, halfback, Wisconsin (ID)

1939 NFL Draft

The following Big Ten players were selected in the first nine rounds of the

1939 NFL Draft The 1939 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1938, at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Chicago Cardinals selected center Ki Aldrich. Player selections Round one ...

References

{{Big Ten Conference football navbox