| 1947Michigan State Spartans football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 7–2 |
| Head coach |
|
| MVP | Warren B. Huey |
| Captain | Robert B. McCurry |
| Home stadium | Macklin Field |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1Notre Dame | – | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | – | 5 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio Wesleyan | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wayne | – | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dayton | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington University | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | – | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan Tech | – | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | – | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | – | 2 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | – | 2 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State Normal | – | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings fromAP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The1947 Michigan State Spartans football team representedMichigan State College as an independent during the1947 college football season. The team compiled a 7–2 record and outscored opponents 167 to 101.[1][2]Biggie Munn was the first-year head coach,Ralph H. Young was the athletic director, and Robert McCurry was the team captain. The three assistants (Duffy Daugherty,Forest Evashevski,Kip Taylor) were all future head coaches.
In December 1946, afterCharlie Bachman resigned, Michigan State hired Munn as its head football coach. Munn had been the head coach atSyracuse in 1946 and had previously been the line coach atMichigan for seven years.[3] In their first season under Munn, the Spartans achieved their most successful since the1937 team finished 8–2.[4]
The Spartans began the Munn era with a 55–0 loss to in-state rivalMichigan. The Spartans' only other setback was a narrow 7 to 6 loss toBear Bryant'sKentucky Wildcats. In intersectional play, the Spartans beatMississippi State (7–0),Washington State (21–7),Santa Clara (28–0),Temple (14–6), andHawaii (58–19).[2] The Hawaii game was played inHonolulu with Bud Crane scoring four touchdowns for the Spartans.[5] The team's 58 points against Hawaii was its highest total since1932.[4]
Michigan State was ranked at No. 38 (out of 500 college football teams) in the finalLitkenhous Ratings for 1947.[6]
At the end of the 1947 season, Tommy Devine wrote in theDetroit Free Press that Munn had "restored athletic 'peace' to Michigan State."[7] At the team's post-season banquet, Robert McCurry was selected to serve another year as the team's captain, and end Warren B. Huey was named the team's most valuable player and recipient of the Governor of Michigan award.[8]
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27 | atMichigan | L 0–55 | 72,015 | [9][10] | |||
| October 4 | Mississippi State | W 7–0 | 22,562 | [11] | |||
| October 11 | atWashington State | W 21–7 | 18,000 | [12] | |||
| October 18 | Iowa State |
| W 20–0 | 20,987 | [13] | ||
| October 25 | Kentucky |
| L 6–7 | 26,997 | [14] | ||
| November 1 | Marquette |
| W 13–7 | 23,856 | [15] | ||
| November 8 | Santa Clara |
| W 28–0 | 21,867 | [16] | ||
| November 15 | atTemple | W 14–6 | 5,000 | [17] | |||
| November 29 | atHawaii | W 58–19 | 15,000 | [4] | |||
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From the 1947 team, 32 players and the student manager received varsity letters for their contributions to the team.[8] The players who received varsity letters are:
Frank O. May of Dearborn was the student manager.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mich. St. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| •Michigan | 14 | 14 | 20 | 7 | 55 |
On September 27, Michigan State opened the season with a non-conference game against Michigan. Playing in Ann Arbor in front of 73,115 spectators, the Wolverines defeated the Spartans, 55–0. The game was the first as head coach of the Spartans forBiggie Munn, who had been an assistant coach at Michigan from 1938 to 1945. Michigan dominated the game, outgaining Michigan State 504 yards to 56. Michigan head coachFritz Crisler played second, third, and fourth string players later in the game, using 37 players in all.Bob Chappuis ran for three touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass for another.[9][10]