The 1935 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in the

1935 college football season The 1935 college football season was the last one before the Associated Press writers' poll was used in selecting the national champion. There were seven contemporary math system selectors that year who are informally recognized by the NCAA as "n ...

. In their seventh season under head coach

Harry Kipke Harry George Kipke (; March 26, 1899 – September 14, 1972) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was the head football coach at Michigan State College in 1928 and at the University of Michigan from 1929 to 1937 ...

, the Wolverines compiled a 4–4 record (2–3 against

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 ...

opponents, finished in a tie for seventh place in the Big Ten), and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 131 to 68. The team had a 4–1 record after five games, but was shut out in its final three games. Michigan's 40–0 loss to 1935 consensus national champion

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the annual Little Brown Jug game was the worst defeat suffered by a Michigan Wolverines football team since 1892. All eight opponents faced by the Wolverines during the 1935 season were led by head coaches who were later inducted into the

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. Quarterback

William Renner William Wilford Renner (September 16, 1910 – July 5, 1969) was an American football player. He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan teams from 1931 to 1935. He was a member of the undefeated national champion 193 ...

was the team captain and also received the team's most valuable player award. End

Matt Patanelli Matthew Lewis Patanelli (July 13, 1914 – May 27, 1992) was an American football, baseball and basketball player and coach. He played and coached all three sports at the University of Michigan and was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1 ...

was the only Michigan player selected as a first-team player on the 1935 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Halfback Chris Everhardus was the team's leading scorer with 13 points.

Schedule

Season summary

Michigan State

On October 5, 1935, Michigan opened its 1935 season with its annual rivalry game against the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

. The Spartans had defeated the Wolverines in 1934 for the first time since 1915. Led by head coach

Charlie Bachman Charles William Bachman Jr. (December 1, 1892 – December 14, 1985) was an American college American football, football player and head coach. Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he played colleg ...

and left halfback Kurt Warmbein, the Spartans again defeated the Wolverines, 25 to 6. It was the first time the Spartans had defeated the Wolverines in consecutive games. Michigan's only touchdown was scored in the first quarter. Lining up for a placekick,

threw a short touchdown pass to Cedric Sweet. Chris Everhardus missed the kick for extra point. Despite the one-sided score,

Tod Rockwell Ferdinand Almon "Tod" Rockwell (1900 – March 22, 1952) was an American football player and coach. He attended the University of Michigan, where he played quarterback for the Wolverines football team in 1923 and 1924, helping the 1923 team win ...

opined in the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' that the 1935 Wolverines appeared to be a much better team than the 1934 Wolverines that had compiled a 1–7 record.

Indiana

On October 12, 1935, Michigan defeated

Bo McMillin Alvin Nugent "Bo" McMillin (January 12, 1895 – March 31, 1952) was an American football player and coach at the collegiate and professional level. He played college football at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where he was a three-tim ...

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in NCAA Division I, Division I of the Nationa ...

, 7 to 0, at Michigan Stadium. The victory was Michigan's first over a

opponents since the 1933 season. Indiana out-gained Michigan, 296 to 113, but the Wolverines held the Hoosiers scoreless. The only touchdown of the game was scored in the second quarter when Indiana fumbled a punt and Michigan end

fell on the loose ball in the Indiana end zone. Johnny Viergever kicked the extra point.

At Wisconsin

On October 19, 1935, Michigan defeated

Clarence Spears Clarence Wiley "Doc" Spears (July 24, 1894 – February 1, 1964) was an American football player, coach, and doctor. He was an All-American guard at Dartmouth College (1914–1915) and served as the head football coach at Dartmouth (1917–1920), ...

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

, 20 to 12, at

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

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. Quarterback

threw three touchdown passes (two in the first quarter, one in the second) to lead Michigan to a 20 to 0 lead at halftime. Renner threw touchdown passes covering 10 yards to Johnny Smithers, 13 yards to Mike Savage, and 25 yards to Chris Everhardus. Johnny Viergever and Chris Everhardus each kicked one extra point. An injury to Renner's hand late in the second quarter slowed the Wolverines in the second half, and Wisconsin scored twice in the second half to narrow the gap.

At Columbia

On October 26, 1935, Michigan played

Lou Little Luigi "Lou Little" Piccirilli December 6, 1891 – May 28, 1979) was an American football player and coach born in Boston, Massachusetts. City of Boston, Birth Registrations, number 8583, December 6, 1891After Lou's birth, his father changed his ...

Columbia Lions The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is Peter Pilling. Ivy League athletics Th ...

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in New York. Little's teams had lost only one game in each of the 1933 and 1934 seasons and had defeated Stanford in the 1934 Rose Bowl. Michigan defeated the Lions, 19 to 7. On the opening kickoff, Columbia fumbled a backward pass, and

recovered the ball for Michigan at Columbia's 17-yard line. Johnny Smithers scored three plays later on a short run. Chris Everhardus returned a punt 42 yards for Michigan's second touchdown, giving Michigan a 13 to 0 lead in the first quarter. Michigan and Columbia each scored touchdowns in the third quarter. Michigan's final tally came on a five-yard touchdown pass from Bill Renner to Ernest Johnson, and Steve Remias kicked the extra point. Al Barabas, star of the 1934 Rose Bowl, ran 74 yards for Columbia's only touchdown.

Penn

On November 2, 1935, Michigan defeated

Harvey Harman Harvey John Harman (November 5, 1900 – December 17, 1969) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Haverford College (1922–1929), Sewanee: The University of the South (1930), the University of Pennsylvania (19 ...

Penn Quakers The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 33 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing. School colors There are se ...

, 16 to 6, before a homecoming crowd of 30,751 at Michigan Stadium. Penn had won its prior two games by a combined score of 101 to 0, and Michigan's victory was considered "an outstanding upset." Michigan led 13 to 0 at halftime.

threw a three-yard touchdown pass to

Arthur Valpey Arthur Ludgate Valpey Jr. (August 5, 1915 – March 12, 2007) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Harvard University from 1948 to 1949 and at the University of Connecticut from 1950 to 1951, compilin ...

in the first quarter, and Cedric Sweet ran 18 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Steve Remnias kicked an extra point. Bill Kurlish scored for Penn in the fourth quarter, and Johnny Viergever added a field goal for Michigan.

At Illinois

On November 9, 1935, Michigan lost to

Robert Zuppke Robert Carl Zuppke (July 2, 1879 – December 22, 1957) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1913 until 1941, compiling a career college football record of 131–81 ...

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

, 3 to 0, before a homecoming crowd of 28,136 at a rainy Memorial Stadium in

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. In a low-scoring match, Lowell Spurgeon kicked a 22-yard field goal for Illinois in the second quarter. Michigan's offense was stifled by the Illinois defense. The Wolverines gained only 10 yards of total offense and secured only one first down, that one coming on an Illinois penalty for running into the punter in the third quarter. Michigan threw only two forward passes, with either one or both of them resulting in an interception.

Minnesota

On November 16, 1935, Michigan lost 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 ...

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big Te ...

, 40–0, before a crowd of 32,029 at Michigan Stadium. It was Minnesota's 23rd consecutive game without a loss and the worst defeat in the history of the Michigan football program since a 44–0 loss to Cornell in 1892. Minnesota gained 432 rushing yards to 99 for Michigan and also held Michigan to 35 passing yards. Clarence Thompson returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Andrew Uram scored two touchdowns on runs of 60 and 73 yards.

Sheldon Beise Sheldon Beise (September 15, 1911 – April 1, 1960) was an American football player and coach. Biography Beise was a native of Mound, Minnesota, where he was an all-around athlete, winning varsity letters in basketball, track, baseball and footb ...

also scored two touchdowns. Vernal LeVoir scored on a 30-yard touchdown reception and kicked four extra points.

Ohio State

On November 23, 1935, Michigan lost to

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 ...

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

, 38-0, before a crowd of 53,322 at Michigan Stadium. It remains the worst defeat for a Michigan team in the history of the Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry. Michigan was held to 12 rushing yards and 73 passing yards. Richard Heekin scored two touchdowns for Ohio State. Tippy Dye returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. Johnny Bettridge and Frank Boucher also scored touchdowns for Ohio State. Ohio State finished the season tied with Minnesota for the Big Ten championship and ranked No. 5 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 ...

Players

Varsity letter winners

The following 26 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1935 Michigan football team. Players who started at least four games are shown in bold. For players who were starters, the list also includes the number of games started by position. *Vincent J. Aug, halfback, junior,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

*William C. Barclay, halfback, sophomore,

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

*Frank S. Bissell, guard, junior,

Hyannisport, Massachusetts Hyannis Port (or Hyannisport) is a small residential village located in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It is an affluent summer community on Hyannis Harbor, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to the south-southwest of Hyannis. Community It has ...

- started 7 games at left guard, 1 game at right guard *Robert D. Campbell, halfback, junior,

Ionia, Michigan Ionia is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Ionia County, Michigan, United States. The population was 13,378 at the 2020 census. Every July it hosts what is said to be the world's largest free-admission fair. The city is mostly within ...

- started 1 game at left halfback *Chris Everhardus, halfback, junior,

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

- started 5 games at left halfback *Jesse G. Garber, guard, junior,

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

- started 1 game at right guard *Cloyce E. Hanshue, guard, junior, Kalamazoo, Michigan - started 2 games at right tackle *Ernest C. Johnson, end, senior,

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

- started 1 game at right end *Melvin G. Kramer, tackle, sophomore,

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

- started 6 games at right tackle *James H. Lincoln, tackle, sophomore,

Harbor Beach, Michigan Harbor Beach is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,703 at the 2010 census. History The earliest settlers to this area arrived in 1837 and established a sawmill for processing lumber. The settlement event ...

*Earle B. Luby, tackle, sophomore,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois - started 1 game at left tackle *Earl J. Meyers, halfback, junior, Detroit, Michigan - started 1 game at right guard *

, end, junior,

Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana, east of Chicago, Illinois, and north of Indianapolis, Indiana. Elkhart has the larger population of the two principal cities of th ...

- started 8 games at left end *Ernest A. Pederson, guard, junior,

Grand Blanc, Michigan Grand Blanc is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint. The population was 7,784 as of the 2020 US Census. History The unincorporated village of Grand Blanc, or Grumlaw, was a former Indian campground firs ...

*Steve Remias, fullback, senior, Chicago, Illinois - started 1 game at fullback *

, quarterback, senior,

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

- started 8 games at quarterback *Joe Rinaldi, center, sophomore, Elkhart, Indiana - started 1 game at center * Stark Ritchie, halfback, sophomore,

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, Michigan, Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle C ...

- started 2 games at left halfback *Michael Savage, end, senior,

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States pe ...

- started 5 games at right end *Stanton J. Schuman, center, junior,

Winnetka, Illinois Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...

- started 1 game at left guard, 1 game at right guard *John A. Smithers, halfback, sophomore, Elkhart, Indiana - started 8 games at right halfback *Solomon Sobsey, end, sophomore,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York - started 3 games at right guard *Cedric Sweet, fullback, junior,

Fremont, Michigan Fremont is a city in Newaygo County, Michigan, United States. The population was 4,516 at the time of the 2020 census. History The first inhabitants of the Fremont area were Native Americans. A group of settlers led by Daniel Weaver first s ...

- started 7 games at fullback *

, end, sophomore, Detroit, Michigan - 2 games at right end *John D. Viergever, tackle, senior,

Algonac, Michigan Algonac is a city in St. Clair County, Michigan, St. Clair County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,110 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Algonac is located at the southern end of the St. Clair River, just before it ...

- started 7 games at left tackle *Harry T. Wright, center, junior,

Mt. Clemens, Michigan Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,314 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat, seat of government of Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County. History Mount Clemens was first s ...

- started 6 games at center

Varsity reserves

The following six players were identified as varsity reserves on the roster of the 1935 Michigan football team. *Robert Y. Amrine - started 1 game at center *Joseph O. Ellis, halfback, junior,

Eagle River, Wisconsin Eagle River is a city in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,398 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Vilas County. Because of the many lakes in the area, the city is a popular vacation and retirement destinatio ...

*Charles Gray, quarterback, sophomore,

Lombard, Illinois Lombard is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. The population was 43,165 at the 2010 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2019 to be 44,303. History Originally part of ...

*Winfred Nelson, halfback, senior,

Greenville, Michigan Greenville is a city in Montcalm County, Michigan, Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,816 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Greenville is named after its founder, John Green, who settled in t ...

*Chester C. Stabovitz, end, junior, Chicago, Illinois *Frederick C. Ziem, guard, sophomore,

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

- started 1 game at right guard

Scoring leaders

Awards and honors

*Captain:

*All-Conference:

*Most Valuable Player: William Renner *Meyer Morton Award: Bob Cooper

Coaching staff

*Head coach:

*Assistant coaches: William Borgmann,

Franklin Cappon Franklin C. "Cappy" Cappon (October 17, 1900 – November 29, 1961) was an American college football and college basketball player and coach. He played football and basketball at Phillips University and the University of Michigan and coached at Lu ...

Ray Courtright Raymond O. Courtright (September 19, 1891 – August 1979) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach of football, basketball, golf, and wrestling, and college athletics administrator. Courtright attended the University of Okl ...

, Ray Fisher,

Cliff Keen Clifford Patrick Keen (June 13, 1901 – November 4, 1991) was an American coach who served as the head coach of the University of Michigan collegiate wrestling team from 1925 to 1970. He led the Michigan Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Conference cha ...

Bennie Oosterbaan Benjamin Oosterbaan ( ; February 24, 1906 – October 25, 1990) was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team, and an All-Big Ten C ...

, Carl Savage,

Wally Weber Walter J. Weber (February 27, 1903 – April 14, 1984) was an American football player and coach at the University of Michigan. He played Halfback (American football), halfback and Fullback (American football), fullback for the Michigan Wolverines ...

The 1936 Michiganensian, at page 291, identifies seven assistant football coaches: Fielding H. Yost, Ray Courtright, Cliff Keen, Ray Fisher, "Wallie Weber," Bennie Oosterbaan, and Franklin Cappon. *Trainer: Ray Roberts *Manager: Daniel F. Hulgrave, William Bates (assistant), Robert Weisert (assistant), Herbert Seegal (assistant), John Becker (assistant)

References

External links

1935 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History
{{Michigan Wolverines football navbox

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 ...

Michigan Wolverines football seasons

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...