| 1942Ohio State Buckeyes football | |
|---|---|
 | |
AP Poll national champion Big Ten champion | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 9–1 (5–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive scheme | Heavy run |
| Base defense | Multiple |
| MVP | Jack Graf |
| Home stadium | Ohio Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1Ohio State $ | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3Wisconsin | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9Michigan | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19Minnesota | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1942 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was anAmerican football team that representedOhio State University in theBig Ten Conference during the1942 season. In their second season under head coachPaul Brown, the Buckeyes compiled a 9–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 337 to 114, won the Big Ten championship, and was ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll, thus earning Ohio State their first evernational championship in program history.
The team was led by wingbackLes Horvath,quarterback and team captain George Lynn, and halfbackGene Fekete. Fekete led the Big 10 with 910 rushing yards.
The Buckeyes' only loss was to No. 3Wisconsin. Half of the Buckeye players contracted an intestinal disorder after drinking from an unsanitary drinking fountain on the train toMadison.[1] Horvath then led the Buckeyes to three scores through the air to upsetMichigan.
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | Fort Knox* | W 59–0 | 22,555 | |||
| October 3 | Indiana |
| W 32–21 | 48,227 | ||
| October 10 | USC* |
| W 28–12 | 56,436 | ||
| October 17 | Purdue | No. 1 |
| W 26–0 | 45,943 | |
| October 24 | atNorthwestern | No. 1 | W 20–6 | 40,000 | ||
| October 31 | at No. 6Wisconsin | No. 1 | L 7–17 | 45,000 | ||
| November 7 | Pittsburgh* | No. 6 |
| W 59–19 | 34,893 | [2] |
| November 14 | vs. No. 13Illinois | No. 10 | W 44–20 | 68,586 | ||
| November 21 | No. 4Michigan | No. 5 |
| W 21–7 | 71,691 | |
| November 28 | Iowa Pre-Flight* | No. 3 |
| W 41–12 | 27,259 | [3] |
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| Week | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Final |
| AP | 2(12) | 1(58) | 1(80) | 6 | 10(1) | 5(1) | 3(16) | 1(84) |
| Player | Round | Pick | Position | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Les Horvath | 6 | 45 | Halfback | Cleveland Rams |
| Bill Vickroy | 12 | 105 | Center | Cleveland Rams |
| Don McCafferty | 13 | 116 | End | New York Giants |