1971 Michigan State Spartans football team

1971 Michigan State Spartans football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record6–5 (3–4 Big Ten)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorDenny Stolz (1st season)
MVPEric Allen
CaptainEric Allen, Ron Curl
Home stadiumSpartan Stadium
Seasons
← 1970
1972 →
1971 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Michigan $ 8 0 0 11 1 0
Northwestern 6 3 0 7 4 0
Ohio State 5 3 0 6 4 0
Michigan State 5 3 0 6 5 0
Illinois 5 3 0 5 6 0
Wisconsin 3 5 0 4 6 1
Minnesota 3 5 0 4 7 0
Purdue 3 5 0 3 7 0
Indiana 2 6 0 3 8 0
Iowa 1 8 0 1 10 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1971 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1971 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 18th season under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled a 6–5 overall record (5–3 against Big Ten opponents) and finished in a tie for third place in the Big Ten Conference.[1][2]

Four Spartans were selected by either the Associated Press (AP) or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1971 All-Big Ten Conference football team: running back Eric Allen (AP-1, UPI-1); offensive guard Joe DeLamielleure (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive tackle Ron Curl (AP-1, UPI-1); and defensive back Brad Van Pelt (AP-1, UPI-1).[3][4]

  1. ^ "Michigan State Yearly Results (1970-1974)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  2. ^ "2015 Michigan State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State University. p. 146. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 17, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  3. ^ "All Big Ten Selected". Daily Illini. November 24, 1971.
  4. ^ "Unbeaten Michigan Dominate UPI Team Picked by Coaches: Ohio State Places 7 On All-Big Ten Teams". The Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. November 25, 1971. p. 9D.