CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

1929 Minnesota

6–⁠2 (3–⁠2 Western Conference), coached by Clarence Spears.

Schedule and results

Minnesota in 1929, game by game: won vs. Coe 39–0; won vs. Vanderbilt 15–6; won at Northwestern 26–14; won vs. Ripon 54–0; won vs. Indiana 19–7; lost at Iowa 7–9; lost vs. Michigan 6–7; won vs. Wisconsin 13–12+54−2Won 39–0 vs. Coe+39CoeWon 15–6 vs. Vanderbilt+9VanderbiltWon 26–14 at Northwestern+12NorthwesternWon 54–0 vs. Ripon+54RiponWon 19–7 vs. Indiana+12IndianaLost 7–9 at Iowa-2IowaLost 6–7 vs. Michigan-1MichiganWon 13–12 vs. Wisconsin+1Wisconsin
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Oct 5vsCoeW 39–⁠093%
Oct 12vsVanderbiltW 15–⁠657%
Oct 19atNorthwesternW 26–⁠1453%
Oct 26vsRiponW 54–⁠096%
Nov 2vsIndianaW 19–⁠788%
Nov 9atIowaL 7–⁠957%
Nov 16vsMichiganL 6–⁠777%
Nov 23vsWisconsinW 13–⁠1274%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Wisconsin 13–⁠12; tied for 3rd in the Western Conference.

In program history: The 26th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).

Photographs from 1929

  • Elmer Apmann
    Elmer ApmannPhoto: Hennepin County Library, No Copyright – United States, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Allen 'Tuck' Teeter
    Allen ‘Tuck’ TeeterPhoto: Hennepin County Library, No Copyright – United States, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Paul Ziegelmaier
    Paul ZiegelmaierPhoto: Hennepin County Library, No Copyright – United States, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Eddie Lynch
    Eddie LynchPhoto: Hennepin County Library, No Copyright – United States, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Les Pulkrabek
    Les PulkrabekPhoto: Hennepin County Library, No Copyright – United States, via Digital Public Library of America
  • Allen 'Tuck' Teeter
    Allen ‘Tuck’ TeeterPhoto: Hennepin County Library, No Copyright – United States, via Digital Public Library of America

Photographs from libraries and archives found through the Digital Public Library of America, each under the rights statement its holder gives (no copyright in the United States, public domain or Creative Commons) and credited to it. Captions as each collection catalogues them.

Players on this team

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 1929.

Consensus All-AmericanBronko Nagurski, FB

Record
6–⁠2
Conference
3–⁠2 tied for 3rd in Western Conference
AP poll
Began in 1936
Points
179–⁠55
Coach
Clarence Spears
Elo
1642 +34 this season
SP+ rating
—
SRS
13.2 No. 17 of 100 major-college teams
Recruiting class
—

All-Big Ten

3 first team

First team

  • Bob TannerEAP-1; NEA-1; UP-1; WE-1
  • Bronko NagurskiOTAP-1; NEA-1; UP-1; WE-1
  • Art PharmerRB

From Wikipedia’s 1929 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).

1929 Western Conference standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Purdue5–⁠08–⁠0
Illinois3–⁠1–⁠16–⁠1–⁠1
Minnesota3–⁠26–⁠2
Northwestern3–⁠26–⁠3
Iowa2–⁠2–⁠24–⁠2–⁠2
Ohio State2–⁠2–⁠14–⁠3–⁠1
Michigan1–⁠3–⁠15–⁠3–⁠1
Indiana1–⁠3–⁠12–⁠6–⁠1
Chicago1–⁠37–⁠3
Wisconsin1–⁠44–⁠5

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.