| 1936Minnesota Golden Gophers football | |
|---|---|
AP Poll national champion | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 7–1 (4–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive scheme | Single-wing |
| MVP | Ed Widseth |
| Captain |
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| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7Northwestern $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1Minnesota | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 0 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented theUniversity of Minnesota in the1936 college football season. In their fifth year under head coachBernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled a 7–1 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 203 to 32.[1] The team was named national champion by nine NCAA-designated major selectors, then and in the decades since:Associated Press,Billingsley Report,Dickinson System,Dunkel System,Helms Athletic Foundation,Litkenhous,National Championship Foundation,Poling System, andWilliamson.[2][3] This marked the third consecutive year the team was selected contemporaneously as national champion by at least three math systems. However, theBig Ten Conference did not allow its members to play postseason bowl games at the time, a conference bylaw that would not be changed until 1946.
TackleEd Widseth was named anAll-American byCollier's/Grantland Rice,Associated Press, INS, NEA,New York Sun,Look Magazine, New York Morning Telegram, Hearst,United Press International and Paramount News.[4] Widseth and halfbackAndy Uram were named All-Big Ten first team.[5]
Ed Widseth was awarded the Team MVP award.[6]
Total attendance for the season was 247,653, which averaged to 49,531. The season high for attendance was againstIowa.[7]
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | atWashington* | W 14–7 | 36,864–40,000 | |||
| October 10 | Nebraska* | W 7–0 | 53,000 | |||
| October 17 | Michigan |
| W 26–0 | 48,000 | [8][9] | |
| October 24 | No. 5Purdue | No. 1 |
| W 33–0 | 47,780 | |
| October 31 | at No. 3Northwestern | No. 1 | L 0–6 | 48,347 | ||
| November 7 | Iowa | No. 2 |
| W 52–0 | 63,200 | |
| November 14 | Texas* | No. 2 |
| W 47–19 | 47,400 | [10] |
| November 21 | atWisconsin | No. 2 | W 24–0 | 33,000 | ||
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