The 1940 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

1940 Big Ten Conference football season The 1940 Big Ten Conference football season was the 45th 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 1940 college football season. The University of ...

. In their ninth year under head coach

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 ...

, the Golden Gophers compiled an undefeated 8–0 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 154 to 71. The team was selected national champion by ten NCAA-designated major selectors in

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. ne ...

, Berryman, Boand, DeVold, Dickinson, Football Research,

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Litkenhous A national championship in the highest level of college football in the United States, currently the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), is a designation awarded annually by various organizations to their selection of the best co ...

National Championship Foundation The National Championship Foundation (NCF) was established by Mike Riter of Hudson, New York. The NCF retroactively selected college football national champions for each year from 1869 to 1979, and its selections are among the historic national ch ...

, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) The team did not play in a bowl game. Tackle Urban Odson was named an All-American by Liberty. Halfback George Franck was named an All-American by the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

, Associated Press,

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, Look Magazine and Collier's. Franck placed third in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Franck and Odson were also named All-Big Ten first team. Quarterback Bob Paffrath received the Team MVP Award. Total attendance for the season was 234,990, which averaged to 46,998. The season high for attendance was against

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Schedule

Game summaries

Michigan

On November 9, 1940, Minnesota played its annual rivalry game with Michigan. The game was the 31st between the programs, with Minnesota having won the previous six games under head coach

. The 1940 game was played "in the mud and rain" 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 ...

. Both teams came into the game undefeated with Minnesota ranked #2 and Michigan ranked #3 in the

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 broad ...

. The game was played before a crowd of 63,894 spectators, the largest crowd at a Minnesota home game to that point. In the first quarter, Michigan drove to the Minnesota one-yard line, but

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 ...

slipped on fourth down, and the ball went to Minnesota on downs. In the second quarter, Michigan took a 6-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Harmon to

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 ...

. Harmon missed "by inches" the kick for extra point. Later in the second quarter, Michigan's

Ed Frutig Edward C. Frutig (August 19, 1918 – February 26, 2011) was an American football end who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1938 to 1940. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1940 by William Randolph Hearst' ...

blocked a Minnesota punt that was recovered by Michigan's

Reuben Kelto Reuben W. Kelto (September 10, 1919 – March 19, 1998) was an American football player. He played at the tackle position for the University of Michigan from 1939 to 1941. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1941 Michigan Wolv ...

at the Minnesota three-yard line. However, Harmon's pass into the end zone was intercepted, and Minnesota took over at the 20-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, Minnesota scored on an 80-yard run by

Bruce Smith Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...

. Joe Mernik kicked the extra point which was the difference in the game, Minnesota winning by a 7-6 score. Michigan outgained Minnesota with 210 yards from scrimmage to 199 for Minnesota and also led with 15 first downs to five for the Gophers. The 1941 ''Michiganensian'' opined: "The Wolverines completely outplayed the Bierman charges with fifteen first downs to five . . . but it was to no avail, as Harmon, trying to dive forward with his famous cutback, was continually pulled down by old man mud. . . . Minnesota went on to win the National Championship, while Michigan finished third, but here in Ann Arbor, we'll always believe it was rain and not the Gophers which pushed Michigan out of what would have been its first national championship since 1932."1941 Michiganensian, page 199.

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 to ...

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