1939 Michigan Wolverines football team

1939 Michigan Wolverines football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
APNo. 20
Record6โ€“2 (3โ€“2 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSingle-wing
MVPTom Harmon
CaptainArchie Kodros
Home stadiumMichigan Stadium
Seasons
← 1938
1940 →
1939 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 15 Ohio State $ 5 1 0 6 2 0
No. 9 Iowa 4 1 1 6 1 1
No. 20 Michigan 3 2 0 6 2 0
Purdue 2 1 2 3 3 2
Northwestern 3 2 1 3 4 1
Illinois 3 3 0 3 4 1
Minnesota 2 3 1 3 4 1
Indiana 2 3 0 2 4 2
Wisconsin 0 5 1 1 6 1
Chicago 0 3 0 2 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1939 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1939 Big Ten Conference football season. Under second-year head coach Fritz Crisler, Michigan compiled a 6โ€“2 record and outscored opponents 219 to 94. The team was ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll after winning its first four games by a combined score of 165 to 27, but lost its fifth and sixth games to Illinois and Minnesota. After winning its final two games, the Wolverines finished the season ranked No. 20 in the final AP Poll. In the post-season rankings by Frank Dickinson, the University of Illinois professor who developed the Dickinson System, Michigan ranked seventh in the country.

Michigan's junior halfback Tom Harmon was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player after leading the team with 102 points on 14 touchdowns, 15 kicks for point after touchdown (PAT) and one field goal. Harmon was also named a consensus All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player and finished second behind Nile Kinnick in the voting for both the Heisman Trophy and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy.

Junior quarterback Forest Evashevski was the team second leading scorer with 25 points and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player. Senior center, Archie Kodros, was the team captain.