1934 college football season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1934 college football season was the 66th season of college football in the United States. Two New Year's Day bowl games were initiated to rival the Rose Bowl Game. On February 15, Warren V. Miller and Joseph M. Cousins organized the New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association and by October, the group had enough funds to sponsor the Sugar Bowl. Meanwhile, W. Keith Phillips and the Greater Miami Athletic Club worked in November at a January 1 game for Florida, and the Orange Bowl was created.

Once again, a Big Ten team was selected by Professor Dickinson (of the University of Illinois) as the national champion, with the undefeated Minnesota Golden Gophers being accorded the honor. The conference, however, still had a bar against its members playing in the postseason, so Minnesota did not play in any of the bowl games. The undefeated and eventual Rose Bowl champion Alabama Crimson Tide was selected national champions by Dunkel, Williamson and Football Thesaurus.

Conference realignment[]

Membership changes[]

School 1933 conference 1934 conference
Butler Bulldogs Missouri Valley Indiana
Iowa Teachers Panthers Iowa North Central
Loyola (MD) Greyhounds Independent dropped program
Omaha Mavericks Independent North Central

September[]

September 22 Stanford opened with a 48–0 win over San Jose State, while in Houston, Rice opened with a 12–0 win over Loyola College of New Orleans.

September 29 Minnesota beat North Dakota State 56–12 and Illinois beat Bradley 40–7. Alabama beat Samford 24–0, and Tulane beat UT-Chattanooga 41–0. Rice and LSU played to a 9–9 tie while Stanford and Santa Clara tied 7–7. Navy defeated William & Mary 20–7 while Pittsburgh beat Washington & Jefferson 26–6.

October[]

October 3 On a Wednesday game Minnesota beat Nebraska 20–0. Illinois beat Washington University (at St. Louis) 12–7, and on Friday, Alabama beat Sewanee 35–6 in Montgomery.

October 6 Navy beat Virginia 21–6 in a game in Washington, DC. In New Orleans, Tulane beat Auburn 13–0. At Portland, Stanford beat Oregon State 17–0. Columbia opened its season in New York with a 12–6 win over Yale, and Colgate beat St. Lawrence 32–0. Pittsburgh won at West Virginia 27–6. Ohio State beat Indiana 33–0. Rice won at Purdue 14–0.

October 13 Illinois beat Ohio State 14–13. Stanford beat visiting Northwestern 20–0. Pittsburgh defeated visiting USC 20–6. Alabama defeated Mississippi State 41–0, Rice defeated SMU 9–0, and Tulane won at Florida 28–12. Navy defeated Maryland 16–13, Colgate beat St. Bonaventure 62–0 and Columbia beat VMI 29–6.

October 20 Minnesota won at Pittsburgh, 13–7. Ohio State defeated visiting Colgate 10–7. Navy beat Columbia 18–7. Alabama and Tennessee, both 3–0–0, met in Birmingham, with Bama winning 13–6. Tulane edged visiting Georgia 7–6. In Omaha, Rice beat Creighton University 47–13. Stanford beat USF at San Francisco, 3–0.

October 27 Alabama beat Georgia 26–6 at Birmingham, while in New Orleans, Tulane beat Georgia Tech 20–12. Rice stayed unbeaten with a 20–9 win over visiting Texas. Minnesota won at Iowa 48–12, . Illinois won at Michigan 7–6, and Ohio State won at Northwestern 28–6. Stanford registered its fourth shutout, a 16–0 win over USC. Navy won at Penn, Colgate won at Holy Cross 20–7 and Columbia beat visiting Penn State 14–7. Pittsburgh beat host school Westminster College of Pennsylvania, 30–0

November[]

November 3 Pitt (4–1–0) and Notre Dame (3–0–0) met in Pittsburgh, with the Panthers winning 19–0. Minnesota beat Michigan 34–0. In Cleveland, Ohio State won at Western Reserve 76–0. Illinois beat Army 7–0. Alabama won at Kentucky 34–14. Rice beat Texas A&I 27–0. Tulane beat Ole Miss 15–0. In Los Angeles, Stanford beat UCLA 27–0. Columbia defeated Cornell 14–0 and Navy beat Washington & Lee 26–0.

November 10 At Yankee Stadium, Tulane (6–0–0) faced Colgate (3–1–0), with the Red Raiders handing the Green Wave their first loss, 20–6. In a meeting of unbeaten teams, Stanford (7–0–1) hosted Washington (4–0–0) and had a sixth straight shutout 24–0. Over in Cleveland, Navy beat Notre Dame 10–6. Pittsburgh won at Nebraska 25–6. Minnesota beat Indiana 30–0, Illinois won at Northwestern 14–3, and Ohio State beat Chicago 33–0 Alabama beat Clemson 40–0 and Rice won at Arkansas 7–0. Columbia beat Brown 39–0

November 17 Navy (7–0–0) hosted Pittsburgh (6–1–0) and lost 31–7

Minnesota beat Chicago 35–7 and Ohio State defeated Michigan 34–0. Previously unbeaten (6–0–0) Illinois was upset at Madison when it faced a (3–3–0) Wisconsin Badgers team, falling 7–3. Alabama defeated Georgia Tech 40–0, while Tulane won at Kentucky 20–7. Stanford beat the Olympic Club team 40–0, and had a record of 192–7 against its opponents to that time. Colgate won at Syracuse 13–2 and Columbia edged Penn 13–12. Rice beat Texas A&M 25–6. Yale's 11 "Iron Men" (they played the entire game with no substitutions) upset Princeton 7–0 at Princeton.[1]

November 24 Minnesota won at Wisconsin 34–0, Ohio State beat Iowa 40–7, and Illinois won at Chicago 7–1. Stanford clinched a trip to the Rose Bowl with a 9–7 win at California. Colgate beat Rutgers 14–0. Tulane beat Sewanee 32–0. Columbia (7–1–0) beat Syracuse (6–1–0) in a Sunday game 12–0. In Houston, previously unbeaten (8–0–1) Rice hosted (6–3–0) Texas Christian (TCU) and was upset, 7–2.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 29, Alabama beat Vanderbilt in Birmingham, 34–0, and was invited soon after to meet Stanford at the Rose Bowl. Pittsburgh beat crosstown rival Carnegie Tech, 20–0, and Kansas State beat Nebraska 19–7 to clinch the Big Six Conference championship.

December[]

December 1 In Louisiana, Tulane (8–1–0) and LSU (6–0–2) faced each other in Baton Rouge. Both teams were likely hosts for the first Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, and Tulane edged the Tigers 13–12 to become the host team, where it would face 7–0–2 Temple University. Rice ended at 9–1–1 with a 32–0 win at Baylor. Colgate closed its season with a 20–13 win in Providence against Brown. At the Army–Navy Game, held in Philadelphia, Navy (7–1–0) beat Army (7–2–0) on a field goal, 3–0.

Conference standings[]

Eastern[]

1934 Middle Three Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Rutgers $ 2 0 0 5 3 1
Lehigh 1 1 0 4 4 0
Lafayette 0 2 0 2 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 New England Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
New Hampshire $ 1 0 0 3 4 2
Rhode Island State 2 1 0 6 3 0
Connecticut State 0 1 0 1 7 0
Maine 0 2 0 4 3 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Tufts     8 0 0
Trinity (CT)     7 0 0
La Salle     7 0 1
Franklin & Marshall     8 1 0
Pittsburgh     8 1 0
Colgate     7 1 0
Columbia     7 1 0
Princeton     7 1 0
Duquesne     8 2 0
Holy Cross     8 2 0
Temple     7 1 2
Syracuse     6 2 0
Bucknell     7 2 2
Army     7 3 0
Northeastern     6 1 1
Rochester     5 2 0
Dartmouth     6 3 0
Saint Anselm     6 3 0
Amherst     5 3 0
Fordham     5 3 0
Yale     5 3 0
Massachusetts State     5 3 1
CCNY     4 3 0
Providence     4 3 0
Drexel     4 3 1
Boston College     5 4 0
Bates     3 3 1
Middlebury     3 3 1
Penn     4 4 0
Penn State     4 4 0
Williams     4 4 0
Carnegie Tech     4 5 0
Washington & Jefferson     4 5 0
Villanova     3 4 2
NYU     3 4 1
Boston University     3 4 0
Colby     3 4 0
Springfield (MA)     2 3 3
Manhattan     3 5 1
Harvard     3 5 0
Vermont     2 4 2
Wesleyan     3 5 0
Brown     3 6 0
Geneva     2 5 2
Saint Joseph's     2 5 1
Cornell     2 5 0
Lafayette     2 6 0
Norwich     2 6 0
Bowdoin     0 6 1
Lowell Textile     0 7 1

Midwestern[]

1934 Big Six Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Kansas State $ 5 0 0 7 2 1
Nebraska 4 1 0 6 3 0
Oklahoma 2 2 1 3 4 2
Kansas 1 2 2 3 4 3
Iowa State 1 3 1 5 3 1
Missouri 0 5 0 0 8 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Minnesota $ 5 0 0 8 0 0
No. 8 Ohio State 5 1 0 7 1 0
No. 4 Illinois 4 1 0 7 1 0
Purdue 3 1 0 5 3 0
Wisconsin 2 3 0 4 4 0
Northwestern 2 3 0 3 5 0
Chicago 2 4 0 4 4 0
Indiana 1 3 1 3 3 2
Iowa 1 3 1 2 5 1
Michigan 0 6 0 1 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from Dickinson System
1934 Buckeye Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Cincinnati $ 3 0 1 6 2 1
Ohio Wesleyan 3 1 0 7 2 0
Miami (OH) 2 2 0 5 4 0
Ohio 1 2 1 4 4 1
Marshall 0 4 0 3 6 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1934 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Fort Hays State $ 4 1 0 6 2 1
Emporia Teachers 3 2 0 7 2 0
Pittsburg State 3 2 0 6 3 0
Washburn 2 3 0 2 6 1
Wichita 2 3 0 5 3 1
Southwestern (KS) 1 4 0 5 5 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Augustana (IL) + 6 0 0 9 0 0
Millikin + 5 0 1 7 0 1
Southern Illinois 5 1 0 5 3 0
Illinois College 5 1 0 6 1 0
Northern Illinois State 4 1 2 5 1 2
Illinois Wesleyan 3 1 2 4 2 �� 3
Western Illinois 4 2 0 5 3 0
Bradley 3 2 0 5 3 0
North Central 3 2 0 5 2 0
Elmhurst 2 2 0 4 2 1
Monmouth (IL) 2 2 0 6 2 1
Illinois State Normal 2 3 2 2 4 2
McKendree 1 4 0 4 5 0
Eastern Illinois 1 4 0 3 4 0
Carthage 1 4 0 2 6 0
Eureka 0 3 2 0 3 2
St. Viator 0 3 0 2 6 0
Wheaton (IL) 0 4 1 1 5 1
Knox (IL) 0 5 0 0 8 0
Lake Forest 0 4 0 3 4 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1934 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Butler $ 6 0 1 6 1 1
DePauw 6 1 0 7 1 0
Hanover 4 1 0 7 2 0
Valparaiso 4 1 0 6 2 0
Wabash 4 1 2 4 2 2
Earlham 2 2 0 3 4 0
Indiana State 3 3 0 3 5 0
Evansville 3 4 1 3 4 1
Franklin (IN) 3 5 0 3 5 0
Manchester 1 2 0 6 2 0
Ball State 2 6 0 2 6 0
Central Normal 1 4 0 2 5 0
Rose Poly 1 5 0 2 6 0
Oakland City 0 5 0 0 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Iowa Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Simpson $ 3 2 1 3 5 2
St. Ambrose 5 0 0 6 2 0
Parsons 5 1 0 6 2 0
Iowa State Teachers 1 0 2 3 3 2
Buena Vista 3 2 0 6 2 0
Upper Iowa 5 0 0 6 0 0
Dubuque 0 2 1 2 3 1
Luther 2 1 2 3 3 2
Morningside 1 2 0 4 3 1
Penn (IA) 1 3 1 2 4 1
Columbia (IA) 1 3 1 1 4 1
Western Union 0 3 0 0 7 0
Iowa Wesleyan 1 4 1 3 5 1
Central (IA) 1 6 1 1 6 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Conference standings were based on Stanley-Dean ranking.
1934 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Kansas Wesleyan + 4 1 0 5 4 0
Baker + 4 1 0 4 4 1
McPherson 3 1 1 6 2 1
College of Emporia 2 2 1 2 5 1
Ottawa 1 4 0 1 6 1
Bethany (KS) 0 5 0 1 8 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1934 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Kalamazoo + 2 1 1 3 3 1
Hope + 2 1 1 3 2 1
Alma 1 1 2 1 4 2
Albion 1 2 1 3 4 1
Hillsdale 1 2 1 2 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Monmouth (IL) $ 4 0 1 7 1 1
Coe 3 0 1 5 1 2
Carleton 3 1 0 6 1 0
Lawrence 2 2 0 4 3 1
Beloit 2 2 1 3 3 1
Cornell (IA) 1 4 0 2 7 0
Ripon 0 2 1 0 5 2
Knox (IL) 0 4 0 0 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Concordia (MN) $ 4 0 0 7 1 1
St. Thomas (MN) 4 1 0 6 2 1
Hamline 3 1 0 3 2 0
Saint John's (MN) 2 1 1 5 1 1
St. Olaf 2 1 1 3 2 2
Saint Mary's (MN) 2 2 1 4 3 2
Macalester 1 3 1 1 5 1
Gustavus Adolphus 0 4 0 0 4 1
Augsburg 0 5 0 0 5 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Central Methodist $ 3 0 1 6 1 2
William Jewell 3 1 0 4 3 1
Tarkio 1 2 1 3 4 1
Culver–Stockton 1 3 0 3 5 0
Missouri Valley 1 3 0 1 7 2
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Kirksville State $ 4 0 0 8 0 0
SE Missouri State 3 1 0 8 1 0
NW Missouri State 2 2 0 4 5 0
SW Missouri State 1 3 0 1 5 1
Central Missouri State 0 4 0 4 4 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Washington University $ 1 0 0 7 3 0
Creighton 2 1 0 2 7 0
Oklahoma A&M 1 1 0 4 5 1
Drake 2 2 0 3 6 1
Grinnell 0 2 0 2 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Nebraska College Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Nebraska Wesleyan $ 4 0 0 6 2 1
Hastings 3 1 0 7 2 0
Midland 2 2 0 3 4 0
Doane 1 3 0 3 5 0
York (NE) 0 4 0 5 5 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Omaha $ 3 0 1 4 1 2
Chadron State 3 1 0 6 2 0
Peru State 2 2 0 5 3 0
Wayne State (NE) 1 2 1 2 4 2
Kearney State 0 4 0 1 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 North Central Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
North Dakota $ 3 1 0 7 1 0
North Dakota Agricultural 2 1 1 5 3 2
Morningside 2 1 1 4 3 1
South Dakota State 2 2 0 6 4 0
South Dakota 0 4 0 2 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 North Dakota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Jamestown $ 5 0 0 6 3 0
Wahpeton 3 1 0 4 3 0
Dickinson State 2 2 1 3 3 1
Valley City State 2 2 1 2 2 1
Mayville State 1 4 0 ? ? ?
Ellendale Teachers 0 4 0 ? ? ?
Minot State 2 1 0 5 2 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Northern Teachers Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Duluth State $ 3 1 0 6 1 0
St. Cloud State 3 2 0 3 4 0
Moorhead State * 2 2 0 4 2 1
Mankato State 2 2 0 2 4 1
Winona State 2 2 0 2 5 0
Bemidji State 1 4 0 3 5 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – forfeited victories over Duluth State and Winona State because of ineligible player
1934 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Wooster $ 8 0 0 8 1 0
Baldwin–Wallace 5 0 0 7 1 0
Ohio Northern 4 0 1 6 0 1
Toledo 4 1 0 5 3 0
Xavier 2 1 0 6 2 1
Muskingum 4 2 1 5 3 1
Mount Union 4 3 0 4 4 0
John Carroll 1 1 2 5 2 2
Dayton 0 0 1 4 3 1
Case 2 2 1 4 3 2
Kent State 2 3 3 2 3 3
Akron 3 4 0 3 4 1
Bowling Green 2 3 2 2 3 2
Marietta 1 2 2 2 3 2
Oberlin 1 2 1 2 5 1
Heidelberg 2 4 0 3 5 0
Otterbein 2 4 0 2 7 0
Capital 2 5 0 2 5 0
Hiram 2 5 0 2 5 0
Ashland 1 4 1 2 6 1
Kenyon 0 5 1 0 7 1
Findlay 0 1 0 3 3 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Huron + 5 0 0 5 0 0
Spearfish + 4 0 0 7 1 0
Augustana (SD) + 4 0 0 6 2 0
Sioux Falls 5 2 0 6 2 0
Yankton 3 3 0 4 4 0
South Dakota Mines 2 2 0 2 4 0
Southern Normal 1 3 1 1 3 2
Northern State 1 5 0 2 6 0
Eastern Normal 0 4 0 1 4 0
Dakota Wesleyan 0 6 1 0 7 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • South Dakota Mines and Spearfish played twice. The second game was not counted in the conference stnadings.
1934 Tri-State Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Aurora + 3 1 0 5 2 2
Wartburg + 3 1 0 3 3 0
Northwestern (WI) 2 1 1 2 3 1
Mission House 1 1 2 1 3 2
Wisconsin Mines 1 3 1 1 3 1
Milton 1 4 0 2 4 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1934 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Northern Division
La Crosse State x 3 0 1 5 1 2
River Falls State 3 1 0 5 3 0
Superior State 1 1 2 2 3 3
Eau Claire State 1 2 1 5 2 1
Stout State 0 4 0 0 6 0
Southern Division
Stevens Point State x 4 0 0 7 1 0
Milwaukee State 3 1 0 3 4 1
Whitewater State 2 2 0 3 4 0
Oshkosh State 1 3 0 3 3 1
Platteville State 0 4 0 1 4 0
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
1934 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Michigan State     8 1 0
Wayne     7 1 0
Western State Teachers (MI)     7 1 0
Michigan State Normal     5 2 0
Notre Dame     6 3 0
Central State (MI)     5 3 0
Detroit     5 3 1
DePaul     4 3 0
Saint Louis     3 3 2
Marquette     4 5 0
Haskell     3 6 1
Missouri Mines     2 6 0
Wittenberg     2 7 0

Southern[]

1934 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Morgan $ 4 0 3 5 0 3
Bluefield State 7 0 1 8 0 1
North Carolina A&T 7 1 0 7 1 0
Virginia Union 4 2 2 4 2 2
Virginia State 4 3 1 4 4 1
Hampton 3 5 0 3 5 0
North Carolina College 4 4 0 4 4 0
Saint Paul's (VA) 3 5 0 3 5 0
St. Augustine's 1 2 1 3 2 1
Howard 3 1 2 4 2 2
Shaw 1 6 0 1 6 1
Johnson C. Smith 1 2 1 1 2 1
Lincoln (PA) 0 5 0 1 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Dixie Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Birmingham–Southern $ 5 0 0 9 0 0
Chattanooga 3 0 1 3 3 2
Millsaps 2 1 1 7 1 2
Mississippi College 2 2 0 5 4 0
Centre 1 1 0 5 5 0
Southwestern (TN) 1 3 1 3 6 1
Howard (AL) 0 1 0 3 4 2
Mercer 0 2 1 3 6 1
Spring Hill 0 4 0 4 5 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Lone Star Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
East Texas State $ 4 0 0 8 0 0
North Texas State 2 2 0 5 4 0
Sam Houston State 2 2 0 4 3 2
Stephen F. Austin 1 2 1 3 3 2
Southwest Texas State 0 3 1 2 7 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 North State Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Elon $ 3 0 1 6 2 1
Catawba 2 0 2 5 2 3
Appalachian State * 1 0 0 3 4 1
Lenoir–Rhyne 2 1 1 5 4 1
Guilford 1 3 0 2 7 0
Western Carolina 0 5 0 3 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – Appalachian State was ineligible for championship because of limited conference schedule.
1934 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Central State (OK) $ 5 0 0 7 2 0
Northeastern State 3 2 0 4 5 0
Southwestern Oklahoma State 3 2 0 5 2 1
East Central 1 3 1 2 5 2
Southeastern Oklahoma State 1 3 1 2 6 1
Northwestern Oklahoma State 1 4 0 5 4 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Smoky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Milligan $ 3 1 1 6 2 1
Tusculum 3 2 1 5 2 1
Cumberland (TN) 1 1 0 7 3 0
King 2 2 1 5 3 1
Carson–Newman 2 2 2 4 3 2
East Tennessee State Teachers 2 2 1 3 3 2
Maryville 2 3 0 4 6 0
Appalachian State 0 2 0 3 5 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Tulane + 8 0 0 10 1 0
Alabama + 7 0 0 10 0 0
Tennessee 5 1 0 8 2 0
LSU 4 2 0 7 2 2
Georgia 3 2 0 7 3 0
Vanderbilt 4 3 0 6 3 0
Florida 2 2 1 6 3 1
Ole Miss 2 3 1 4 5 1
Kentucky 1 3 0 5 5 0
Auburn 1 6 0 2 8 0
Sewanee 0 4 0 2 7 0
Mississippi State 0 5 0 4 6 0
Georgia Tech 0 6 0 1 9 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1934 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Washington and Lee $ 4 0 0 7 3 0
North Carolina 2 0 1 7 1 1
Duke 3 1 0 7 2 0
Maryland 3 1 0 7 3 0
Clemson 2 1 0 5 4 0
South Carolina 3 2 0 5 4 0
VPI 3 3 0 5 5 0
NC State 1 3 1 2 6 1
Virginia 1 4 0 3 6 0
VMI 0 5 0 1 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Furman $ 4 0 0 5 4 0
Union (KY) 4 0 1 5 0 2
Millsaps 4 0 2 7 1 2
Centenary 3 0 0 10 2 0
Rollins 3 0 0 5 3 0
Centre 4 1 0 5 5 0
Western Kentucky State Teachers 4 1 1 4 2 2
Loyola (LA) 3 1 0 4 5 0
The Citadel 3 1 0 3 5 1
Murray State 5 2 0 6 3 0
Miami (FL) 2 1 1 5 3 1
Mississippi College 4 2 0 5 4 0
Howard (AL) 2 1 1 3 4 2
Louisiana Normal 3 2 0 4 4 0
Presbyterian 3 2 1 3 5 2
Transylvania 3 3 0 3 5 0
Georgetown (KY) 2 2 1 2 6 1
Southwestern (TN) 1 1 1 3 6 1
SW Louisiana 2 3 0 4 5 0
Union (TN) 2 3 1 6 4 1
Wofford 2 3 1 4 4 1
Mississippi State Teachers 2 3 1 3 4 2
Louisville 2 3 0 2 5 0
Louisiana College 2 4 1 3 4 1
Middle Tennessee State Teachers 1 3 0 2 7 0
Mercer 1 4 0 3 6 1
Newberry 1 4 0 4 7 0
Tennessee Tech 1 4 0 3 5 1
Eastern Kentucky State Teachers 1 5 0 1 6 0
Stetson 0 2 1 1 4 1
Morehead State 0 4 0 2 4 0
Erskine 0 4 0 1 8 0
Louisiana Tech 0 5 0 4 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Rice $ 5 1 0 9 1 1
Texas 4 1 1 7 2 1
SMU 3 2 1 8 2 2
TCU 3 3 0 8 4 0
Arkansas 2 3 1 4 4 2
Texas A&M 1 4 1 2 7 2
Baylor 1 5 0 3 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Texas College $ 4 0 1 9 0 1
Langston 3 1 0 7 1 0
Southern 1 1 0 4 3 0
Prairie View 2 3 0 5 4 0
Wiley 1 2 1 5 4 1
Samuel Huston 0 4 0 ? ? ?
Bishop 0 0 0 6 0 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Southern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Western Maryland     8 0 1
Navy     8 1 0
Texas A&I     5 1 1
Tulsa     5 2 1
George Washington     6 3 1
West Virginia     6 4 0
Oglethorpe     5 4 1
Delaware     4 3 1
Georgetown     4 3 1
Texas Mines     4 4 0
Catholic University     3 4 1
William & Mary Norfolk Division     3 5 1
South Georgia Teachers     4 6 0
East Carolina     1 4 1
Oklahoma City     1 8 0
1934 Texas Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Howard Payne $ 5 0 1 9 0 1
St. Edward's 2 1 2 2 4 2
Daniel Baker 2 1 2 3 5 3
McMurry 2 1 3 3 3 3
Hardin–Simmons 2 2 1 3 5 2
Austin 2 4 2 3 5 2
Southwestern (TX) 2 4 1 3 5 2
Trinity (TX) 1 3 1 2 6 1
Abilene Christian 1 3 1 1 7 2
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Virginia Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Richmond + 2 1 0 8 1 0
William & Mary + 2 1 0 2 6 0
Emory and Henry 1 2 0 8 2 0
Roanoke 1 2 0 5 5 0
  • + – Conference co-champions

Western[]

1934 Border Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Texas Tech $ 1 0 0 7 2 1
New Mexico 3 1 0 8 1 0
Arizona 2 1 1 7 2 1
Arizona State 2 2 1 4 3 1
New Mexico A&M 0 1 3 4 1 3
Arizona State–Flagstaff 0 3 1 1 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Reference[2]
1934 Far Western Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Fresno State + 3 0 1 7 2 1
San Jose State + 2 0 3 3 3 4
Chico State 2 1 1 4 3 1
Pacific (CA) 2 2 0 4 5 0
Cal Aggies 0 2 2 0 5 3
Nevada 0 4 1 1 7 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1934 Northwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Willamette + 5 0 0 8 1 0
College of Idaho + 4 0 0 8 1 0
Pacific (OR) 3 1 1 4 2 3
Puget Sound 2 2 1 3 5 1
Linfield 2 3 0 5 3 0
Whitman 0 5 0 1 6 0
Albany College (OR) 0 5 0 0 9 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1934 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Stanford $ 5 0 0 9 1 1
Washington State 4 0 1 4 3 1
Washington 5 1 1 6 1 1
Oregon 4 2 0 6 4 0
California 3 2 0 6 6 0
UCLA 2 3 0 7 3 0
USC 1 4 1 4 6 1
Idaho 1 4 0 3 5 0
Oregon State 0 5 2 3 6 2
Montana 0 4 1 2 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Colorado Teachers + 6 1 0 6 1 0
Colorado + 6 1 0 6 1 2
Colorado Agricultural + 6 1 1 6 2 1
Utah State 5 1 1 5 1 1
Utah 4 2 0 5 3 0
Denver 4 4 0 5 5 1
BYU 3 5 0 4 5 0
Wyoming 2 4 0 3 5 0
Colorado College 1 6 0 1 7 0
Colorado Mines 1 6 0 1 6 0
Western State (CO) 0 3 0 2 5 0
Montana State 0 4 0 2 5 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1934 Southern California Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Whittier $ 5 0 0 7 2 1
San Diego State 2 1 1 3 5 1
Occidental 2 2 0 3 5 1
Redlands 2 3 0 3 4 1
La Verne 1 2 1 4 3 1
Santa Barbara State 0 4 0 2 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1934 Western college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Hawaii     6 0 0
Gonzaga     8 2 1
Saint Mary's     7 2 0
Loyola (CA)     7 2 1
Santa Clara     7 2 1
Cal Poly     6 2 0
San Francisco     3 3 1
San Francisco State     3 3 1
Pomona     2 5 1
Humboldt State     1 3 0
Columbia (OR)     1 6 1

Minor conference champions[]

Conference Champion(s) Record
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Morgan College 5–0–3
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kansas State Teachers–Hays 4–1–0
Far Western Conference Fresno State Normal
San Jose State Teachers
3–0
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference Butler 6–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Simpson 3–2–1
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Baker
Kansas Wesleyan
4–1
Lone Star Conference East Texas State Teachers 4–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hope
Kalamazoo
2–1–1
Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference Adrian
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Coe
Monmouth (IL)
3–0–1
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Concordia–Moorhead 4–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northeast Missouri State Teachers 4–0
Nebraska College Athletic Conference Nebraska Wesleyan 4–0
Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association Omaha University 4–0
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Dakota 3–0
North Dakota College Athletic Conference Jamestown College 5–0
Northern Teachers Athletic Conference Moorhead State Teachers 4–0
Ohio Athletic Conference College of Wooster 8–0
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Central State Teachers (OK) 5–0
Pacific Northwest Conference Willamette 5–0
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Indiana State Teachers 6–0
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Whittier 5–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Augustana (SD) 3–1
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Morris Brown
Southwestern Athletic Conference Texas College 4–0–1
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Howard Payne 5–0–1
Tri-Normal League State Normal–Cheney 2–0
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference North: La Crosse State Teachers
South: Stevens Point State Teachers
3–0–1
4–0

AP Poll and the Dickinson rankings[]

The first ever published AP Poll came in 1934.[3] However, this was a one time event and the AP sportswriters' poll did not begin continuous publication until 1936.[4] Frank G. Dickinson, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, had invented the Dickinson System to rank colleges based upon their records and the strength of their opposition. The Rissman Trophy, and later the Rockne Memorial Trophy, was awarded to the winning university.[5]

In an AP story with the caption "Figure This Out!", the system was explained: "For each victory of a first division team over another first division team, the winner gets 30 points and the loser 15 points. For each tie between two first division teams, each team gets 22.5 points. For each victory of a first division team over a second division team, the first division winner gets 20 points and the second division loser 10 points. For each tie between two second division teams, each gets 15 points. For each tie between a first division team and a second division team, the first division team gets 15 points and the second division team gets 20 points. Then, after each team has been given its quota of points its final "score" is tabulated by taking an average on the number of games played."[6]

Final Dickinson rankings[]

Minnesota (8–0) and Alabama (9–0) were both unbeaten and untied, and ranked first and sixth, respectively, in the Dickinson ratings.[7]

Rank Team Record Rating
1 Minnesota 8–0 23.51
2 Pittsburgh 8–1 23.19
3 Navy 8–1 23.00
4 Illinois 7–1 22.01
5 Rice 9–1–1 21.97
6 Alabama 9–0 21.70
7 Columbia 7–1 21.67
8 (t) Colgate 7–1 21.06
8 (t) Ohio State 7–1–1 21.06
10 Stanford 9–0–1 20.34
11 Tulane 9–1 20.03

Bowl games[]

Bowl game Winning team Losing team
Rose Bowl No. 6 Alabama 29 No. 10 Stanford 13
Sugar Bowl No. 11 Tulane 20 Temple 14
Orange Bowl Bucknell 26 Miami (FL) 0
Sun Bowl dagger El Paso All-Stars 25 Ranger (Texas) 21
dagger played with non-collegiate teams

Rankings from the Dickinson System

In the first Sugar Bowl game, Tulane (9–1) hosted unbeaten Temple (7–0–2) before a crowd of 30,000 in New Orleans. Temple took a 14–0 lead before Tulane came back to win the game, 20–14.[8] Temple had closed its season with a scoreless tie against Bucknell, which finished at 6–2–2, and the Bison were invited to play the Miami Hurricanes in the first Orange Bowl. The 'Canes best days were still ahead of them, and they made only three first downs altogether. Although 15,000 were expected, only 5,000 turned out to watch Bucknell beat Miami, 26–0.[9]

The big game remained the Rose Bowl with Stanford, at 9–0–1, and Alabama, at 9–0. With both teams unbeaten, a crowd of 85,000 turned out in Pasadena to watch them. Stanford led 7–0 in the first quarter, but Alabama scored 22 points in the second, with the help of quarterback Dixie Howell and future Pro Football Hall of Fame Don Hutson, with Alabama winning, 29–14.[10] The Sun Bowl was given a test drive with non-collegiate teams, as the El Paso All-Stars beating the visiting Ranger Bulldogs, 25–21, before a crowd of 3,000 in El Paso. In Honolulu, the Hawaii team beat vacationing California, 14–0, and in Houston, Tuskegee beat Prairie View, 15–6, in a New Year's Day game for negro colleges [11]

Awards and honors[]

All-Americans[]

The consensus 1934 College Football All-America Team included:

Position Name Height Weight (lbs.) Class Hometown Team
Quarterback Bobby Grayson 5'11" 195 Jr. Portland Oregon Stanford
Halfback Dixie Howell 5'11" 164 Sr. Hartford, Alabama Alabama
Halfback Buzz Borries 6'0" 175 Sr. Louisville, Kentucky Navy
Fullback Pug Lund 5'11" 185 Sr. Rice Lake, Wisconsin Minnesota
End Don Hutson 6'1" 183 Sr. Pine Bluff, Arkansas Alabama
Tackle Bill Lee 6'2" 231 Sr. Eutaw, Alabama Alabama
Guard Chuck Hartwig Sr. Wileyville, West Virginia Pittsburgh
Center Jack Robinson Sr. Long Island, New York Notre Dame
Center Darrell Lester 6'3" 218 Jr. Jacksboro, Texas TCU
Center George Shotwell 6'2" 159 Sr. Hanover Township, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh
Guard Bill Bevan Sr. St. Paul, Minnesota Minnesota
Tackle Bob Reynolds 6'4" 220 Jr. Okmulgee, Oklahoma Stanford
End Frank Larson Sr. Duluth, Minnesota Minnesota

Statistical leaders[]

  • Points scored: Bill Shepherd, Western Maryland, 133
  • Total offense: Dixie Howell, Alabama, 1,437
  • Receptions: Don Hutson, Alabama, 19

References[]

  1. ^ "Yale Football Book:Bulldogs' History Featured in New Book". The official website of the Yale University Athletics. Archived from the original on 2015-06-18.
  2. ^ "1934 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  3. ^ "November 15, 1934 AP Football Poll". AP Poll Archive. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  4. ^ "1936 Final AP Football Poll". AP Poll Archive. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  5. ^ Nissenson, Herschel (2001). Tales From College Football's Sidelines. Sports Publishing. pp. 93. ISBN 1-58261-327-3.
  6. ^ "Grid Season Put In Hands 'Brain Trust'," The Evening Tribune (Albert Lea, Minn.) Nov. 27, 1934, p. 12
  7. ^ "Name Gophers National Champs," Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.), December 9, 1934, p22
  8. ^ "Tulane Victory Assures More N.O. Games," San Antonio Light, January 2, 1935, p10
  9. ^ "Bucknell Wins Game At Miami," Charleston (WV) Daily Mail, Jan. 2, 1935, p8
  10. ^ "Alabama Passes Thrill West Coast," San Antonio Light, January 2, 1935, p10
  11. ^ "Football Results," San Antonio Light, Jan. 2, 1935, p11
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