1941 Michigan
6–1–1 (3–1–1 Western Conference), coached by Fritz Crisler, finished No. 5 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 5 Northwestern 14–7Oct 18
Northwestern was ranked No. 5, above it.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27 | vs Michigan State | W 19–7 | 74% |
| Oct 4 | vs Iowa | W 6–0 | 74% |
| Oct 11 | vs Pittsburgh | W 40–0 | 76% |
| Oct 18 | at 5Northwestern | W 14–7 | 51% |
| Oct 25 | vs 1Minnesota | L 0–7 | 62% |
| Nov 1 | at Illinois | W 20–0 | 73% |
| Nov 15 | at Columbia | W 28–0 | 64% |
| Nov 22 | at 14Ohio State | T 20–20 | 71% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Tied Ohio State 20–20; No. 5 in the final AP poll; tied for 2nd in the Western Conference.
In program history: The 43rd-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: 7
- Wk 4: 8
- Wk 5: 7
- Wk 6: 5
- Wk 7: 6
- Final: 5
Players on this team
Bob WestfallFullback
Bill DaleyFullback
Al WistertOffensive tackle
Merv PregulmanCenter
Elmer MadarEnd
Forest EvashevskiQuarterback
Elroy HirschRunning back
Milan LazetichOffensive tackle
John GreeneOffensive tackle- George CeithamlBack
- Jack CarpenterOffensive tackle
- Rudy SmejaEnd
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 1941.
- Record
- 6–1–1
- Conference
- 3–1–1 tied for 2nd in Western Conference
- AP final
- No. 5 peak No. 3
- Points
- 147–41
- Coach
- Fritz Crisler
- Elo
- 1703 +66 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- 20.5 No. 3 of 119 major-college teams
- Recruiting class
- —
- Captain
- Bob Westfall
- Most valuable player
- Reuben Kelto
- Offense
- Single-wing
Drafted in 1942
The 1942 draft| Rd 1 | Bob Westfall FB | Detroit Lions |
All-Big Ten
4 first team, 2 second teamFirst team
- Al WistertOT
Robert IngallsCAP-1; UP-1- Tom KuzmaRB
- Bob WestfallFB
Second team
- Joe RogersEAP-2
- Merv PregulmanOGUP-2
From Wikipedia’s 1941 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
1941 Western Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 5–0 | 8–0 | 1 |
| Michigan | 3–1–1 | 6–1–1 | 5 |
| Ohio State | 3–1–1 | 6–1–1 | 13 |
| Northwestern | 4–2 | 5–3 | 11 |
 Wisconsin | 3–3 | 3–5 | |
| Iowa | 2–4 | 3–5 | |
 Purdue | 1–3 | 2–5–1 | |
 Indiana | 1–3 | 2–6 | |
| Illinois | 0–5 | 2–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.