1939 Michigan
6–2 (3–2 Western Conference), coached by Fritz Crisler, finished No. 20 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 6 Ohio State 21–14Nov 25
Ohio State was ranked No. 6, above it.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7 | vs Michigan State | W 26–13 | 56% |
| Oct 14 | vs Iowa | W 27–7 | 77% |
| Oct 21 | atChicago | W 85–0 | 82% |
| Oct 28 | vs Yale | W 27–7 | 75% |
| Nov 4 | at Illinois | L 7–16 | 71% |
| Nov 11 | vs Minnesota | L 7–20 | 62% |
| Nov 18 | at Pennsylvania | W 19–17 | 49% |
| Nov 25 | vs 6Ohio State | W 21–14 | 50% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Ohio State 21–14; No. 20 in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Western Conference.
In program history: The 99th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 140 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 6
- Wk 2: 3
- Wk 3: 2
- Wk 4: 10
- Wk 7: 15
- Final: 20
Players on this team
Tom HarmonRunning back
Bob WestfallFullback
Bill DaleyFullback
Elmer MadarEnd
Forest EvashevskiQuarterback
Ed FrutigEnd
Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 1939.
Heisman voteTom Harmon, second
Led the nationTom Harmon: points (102 pts), total offense per game (169.5)
- Record
- 6–2
- Conference
- 3–2 tied for 3rd in Western Conference
- AP final
- No. 20 peak No. 2
- Points
- 219–94
- Coach
- Fritz Crisler
- Elo
- 1590 +28 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- 7.5 No. 31 of 124 major-college teams
- Recruiting class
- —
- Captain
- Archie Kodros
- Most valuable player
- Tom Harmon
- Offense
- Single-wing
All-Big Ten
1 first team, 1 second teamFirst team
- Tom HarmonRBAP-1; UP-1
Second team
- Forest EvashevskiQBAP-2
From Wikipedia’s 1939 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
1939 Western Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 5–1 | 6–2 | 15 |
| Iowa | 4–1–1 | 6–1–1 | 9 |
 Michigan | 3–2 | 6–2 | 20 |
 Purdue | 2–1–2 | 3–3–2 | |
 Northwestern | 3–2–1 | 3–4–1 | |
| Illinois | 3–3 | 3–4–1 | |
| Minnesota | 2–3–1 | 3–4–1 | |
 Indiana | 2–3 | 2–4–2 | |
 Wisconsin | 0–5–1 | 1–6–1 | |
| Chicago | 0–3 | 2–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.