1941 Minnesota
8–0 (5–0 Western Conference), coached by Bernie Bierman, finished No. 1 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Best winBeat No. 3 Michigan 7–0Oct 25
Over the best-ranked team it beat, on the road.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27 | at Washington | W 14–6 | 47% |
| Oct 11 | vs Illinois | W 34–6 | 82% |
| Oct 18 | vs Pittsburgh | W 39–0 | 77% |
| Oct 25 | at 3Michigan | W 7–0 | 38% |
| Nov 1 | vs 9Northwestern | W 8–7 | 68% |
| Nov 8 | vs Nebraska | W 9–0 | 75% |
| Nov 15 | at Iowa | W 34–13 | 69% |
| Nov 22 | vs Wisconsin | W 41–6 | 87% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Wisconsin 41–6; No. 1 in the final AP poll; Western Conference champions.
In program history: The 5th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 1
- Wk 2: 1
- Wk 3: 1
- Wk 4: 2
- Wk 5: 1
- Wk 6: 1
- Wk 7: 1
- Final: 1
Players on this team
Dick WildungOffensive tackle
Bruce SmithRunning back
Bill DaleyFullback
Bill DaleyFullback
Paul MitchellOffensive tackle
Len LevyGuard
Bill GarnaasBack
Vic KulbitskiBack- Urban OdsonOffensive tackle
- Bob SweigerBack
- Rudy SikichOffensive tackle
- Gordon PaschkaGuard
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.
National championsNo. 1 in the final AP poll, and a title the school claims
Western Conference champions5–0 in the conference
- Record
- 8–0
- Conference
- 5–0 first in Western Conference
- AP final
- No. 1 peak No. 1
- Points
- 186–38
- Coach
- Bernie Bierman
- Elo
- 1734 +118 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- 23.8 No. 2 of 119 major-college teams
- Recruiting class
- —
- Captain
- Bruce Smith
- Most valuable player
- Bob Sweiger
- Offense
- Single-wing
Drafted in 1942
The 1942 draft| Rd 1 | Urban Odson OT | Green Bay Packers |
| Rd 3 | Bob Sweiger B | New York Giants |
| Rd 4 | Len Levy OG | Cleveland Rams |
| Rd 4 | Gordon Paschka OG | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Rd 7 | Bob Fitch E | Washington Redskins |
All-Big Ten
5 first team, 2 second teamFirst team
Bob FitchEAP-2; UP-1; INS-2- Dick WildungOTAP-1; UP-1; INS-1
Butch LevyOGAP-1; UP-1- Bill DaleyRB
- Bruce SmithRB
Second team
- Helge PukemaOGAP-2; INS-2
- Bill GarnaasQBAP-2; UP-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.