The 1942 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin in the

1942 Big Ten Conference football season The 1942 Big Ten Conference football season was the 47th 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 1942 college football season. The 1942 Ohio ...

. The team compiled an 8–1–1 record (4–1 against conference opponents), finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference, led the conference in scoring defense (6.8 points allowed per game), and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. Harry Stuhldreher was in his seventh year as Wisconsin's head coach. The

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

selected Wisconsin as the 1942 national champion at the end of the season, giving the program its only national championship. Ohio State, a team that Wisconsin defeated, was selected as national champion in the AP Poll. The team played its home games at Camp Randall Stadium. During the 1942 season, the average attendance at home games was 29,026.

Schedule

Awards and honors

End Dave Schreiner received the ''Chicago Tribune'' Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player. Schreiner was also selected as a unanimous first-team player on the

1942 College Football All-America Team The 1942 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 1942. The nine selectors recognized by the ...

. Schreiner joined the United States Marine Corps and was killed in action during the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

in June 1945. In addition to Schreiner, other Wisconsin players receiving All-America or All-Big Ten honors in 1942 were: * Fullback Pat Harder was selected as a first-team All-American by the All-America Board and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Harder was also selected by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) as a first-team player on the

1942 All-Big Ten Conference football team The 1942 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Big Ten Conference teams selected by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) for the 1942 Big Ten Conference football season. Dave Schrei ...

. * Center

Fred Negus Frederick Wilson Negus (November 7, 1923 – April 18, 2005) was an American football player. He played college football for Wisconsin and Michigan and professional football in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Footbal ...

was selected by the AP and UP as a first-team All-Big Ten player. * Halfback Elroy Hirsch was selected by the AP as a first-team All-Big Ten player. * Tackle Paul Hirsbrunner was selected by the UP as a second-team All-Big Ten player. Three players from the 1942 Wisconsin team have been inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

: Dave Schreiner in 1955; Elroy Hirsch in 1974; and Pat Harder in 1993. Dave Schreiner received the team's most valuable player award. Schreiner and Mark Hoskins were the team

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

.2016 Fact Book, p. 185.

References

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