1940 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

1940 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
AP Poll national champion
Big Ten champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
APNo. 1
Record8–0 (6–0 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSingle-wing
MVPBob Paffrath
CaptainBob Bjorklund, Bill Johnson
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1939
1941 →
1940 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Minnesota $ 6 0 0 8 0 0
No. 3 Michigan 3 1 0 7 1 0
No. 8 Northwestern 4 2 0 6 2 0
Ohio State 3 3 0 4 4 0
Wisconsin 3 3 0 4 4 0
Iowa 2 3 0 4 4 0
Indiana 2 3 0 3 5 0
Purdue 1 4 0 2 6 0
Illinois 0 5 0 1 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1940 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1940 Big Ten Conference football season. In their ninth year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled an undefeated 8–0 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 154 to 71.[1]

The team was selected national champion by ten NCAA-designated major selectors in Associated Press, Berryman, Boand, DeVold, Dickinson, Football Research, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess)[2] The team did not play in a bowl game.

Tackle Urban Odson was named an All-American by Liberty.[3] Halfback George Franck was named an All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Associated Press, United Press International, Look Magazine and Collier's.[3] Franck placed third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.[4] Franck and Odson were also named All-Big Ten first team.[5]

Quarterback Bob Paffrath received the Team MVP Award.[6]

Total attendance for the season was 234,990, which averaged to 46,998. The season high for attendance was against Michigan.[7]

  1. ^ "1940 Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  2. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. p. 122. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 179[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 182[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 180[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 181[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 160[permanent dead link]