The 1933 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

in the 1933 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled a 4–0–4 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 64 to 32. Halfback Pug Lund was selected for the team's Most Valuable Player award. Tackle

Marshall Wells Marshall Wells (February 20, 1912 – June 16, 1972) was an American college football and college basketball coach. He served as the head football coach at Millikin College in Decatur, Illinois from 1940 to 1941 and again from 1946 to 1957, compi ...

was named All-Big Ten first team. Fullback John Baumgartner was named Academic All-Big Ten. Total attendance for the season was 164,301, which averaged to 27,384. The season high for attendance at Memorial Stadium was 45,000 against

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

Schedule

Game summaries

Michigan

On November 18, 1933, Minnesota played Michigan. Minnesota had two weeks to prepare for the Wolverines following a bye week. The game ended in a scoreless tie. Each team attempted three passes, and neither team completed any. Two of Michigan's three pass attempts were intercepted by Minnesota. Bierman's Golden Gophers also held Michigan to 58 rushing yards. Michigan's best scoring opportunity was set up by a

Statue of Liberty play The Statue of Liberty is a trick play in American football named after the Statue of Liberty. Execution of the play Although many variations of the play exist, the most common involves the quarterback taking the snap from the center, dropping back, ...

in which

Bill Renner William Arthur Renner, Jr. (born May 23, 1959) is a former punter in the National Football League who played for the Green Bay Packers. Renner played collegiate ball for Virginia Tech and played professionally for 2 seasons retired in 1987. ...

dropped back to pass and cocked his arm to throw.

Stanley Fay Stanley E. Fay (February 18, 1910 – August 31, 1987) was an American football player and businessman. He played at the halfback and quarterback positions for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1931 to 1933. He was the leading sc ...

ran behind Renner and took the ball from Renner's extended hand. Fay ran around the end and eluded one tackler before being tackled by Vernal Levoir and Pug Lund at the Gophers' 30-yard line. Michigan was unable to penetrate further. Minnesota gained 132 yards on the ground, mostly by left halfback Pug Lund. In the third quarter, Lund ran for a 42-yard gain, and in the fourth quarter, he ran from kick formation, taking the ball to Michigan's 38-yard line. Two plays later, Minnesota fullback Vernal Levoir took the ball to Michigan's 16-yard line. When Michigan held Minnesota on three plays, Bill Bevan attempted a field goal from the 25-yard line. The kick went wide, and Minnesota's best scoring chance was lost. After the game, Michigan coach Harry Kipke told reporters: "We got off easy. . . . Minnesota has a great football team, and it is only fair to say we were lucky to hold them scoreless. . . . Our offense probably would have looked better on a dry field. Everhadus is our only hard driving back, while Minnesota has three, . . . Our other ball carriers depend on sidestepping to go places and they couldn't do much of that with the footing so slippery." One sports columnist wrote: "No game I have seen this season more clearly brought out the inestimable value of consistent punting as did this bruise and batter struggle . . . No matter where Michigan was located when Johnny Regeczi went back to kick, the boot almost always was good enough to place Minnesota on the defensive." The tie snapped a 16-game winning streak for Kipke's Wolverines dating back to November 14, 1931. Bierman's Golden Gophers went on to undefeated national championship seasons in 1934 and

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

References

{{Big Ten Conference football champions

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 t ...

Minnesota Golden Gophers football seasons Big Ten Conference football champion seasons College football undefeated seasons

Minnesota Golden Gophers football The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Founded in 1882, Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its ince ...