*** Welcome to piglix ***

1940 Michigan Wolverines football team

1940 Michigan Wolverines football
Conference Big Ten Conference
Ranking
AP No. 3
1940 record 7–1 (3–1 Big Ten)
Head coach Fritz Crisler (3rd year)
Offensive scheme Single-wing formation
MVP Tom Harmon
Captain Forest Evashevski
Home stadium Michigan Stadium
Seasons
← 1939
1941 →
1940 Big Ten football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#1 Minnesota $ 6 – 0 – 0     8 – 0 – 0
#3 Michigan 3 – 1 – 0     7 – 1 – 0
#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
Week 1: Michigan at California
1 2 3 4 Total
• Michigan 7 14 7 13 41
California 0 0 0 0 0
Week 2: Michigan State at Michigan
1 2 3 4 Total
Michigan State 0 7 0 7 14
• Michigan 7 7 7 0 21
Week 3: Michigan at Harvard
1 2 3 4 Total
• Michigan 6 7 6 7 26
Harvard 0 0 0 0 0
Week 4: Illinois at Michigan
1 2 3 4 Total
Illinois 0 0 0 0 0
• Michigan 12 9 7 0 28
Week 5: Penn at Michigan
1 2 3 4 Total
Penn 0 0 0 0 0
• Michigan 7 0 7 0 14
Week 6: Michigan at Minnesota
1 2 3 4 Total
Michigan 0 6 0 0 6
• Minnesota 0 7 0 0 7
Week 7: Northwestern at Michigan
1 2 3 4 Total
Northwestern 0 6 0 7 13
• Michigan 14 6 0 0 20
Week 8: Michigan at Ohio State
1 2 3 4 Total
• Michigan 13 7 13 7 40
Ohio State 0 0 0 0 0
  • Date: November 23, 1940
  • Location: Ohio Stadium
    Columbus, OH
  • Game attendance: 73,648
  • Referee: James Masker (Northwestern)

The 1940 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1940 Big Ten Conference football season. Under third-year head coach Fritz Crisler, Michigan compiled a 7–1 record and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. The team outscored opponents 196 to 34. The team's sole setback was a 7–6 loss on the road against a Minnesota team that finished the season No. 1 in the final AP Poll.

The 1940 team featured one of the greatest backfields in Michigan football history with all four principal starters going on to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as either a player or coach. Left halfback Tom Harmon was a consensus All-American and the winner of the Heisman Trophy as the best overall player in college football. Harmon became the focus of nationwide media coverage, even appearing on the cover of Life magazine in November 1940. Quarterback Forest Evashevski won the Big Ten Medal as the school's best senior student-athlete and was later referred to by Coach Crisler as "the greatest quarterback I ever had." Fullback Bob Westfall, known as "Bullet Bob," was the country's fourth leading rusher in 1940, gaining 808 yards in eight games. (Harmon had 852 rushing yards.) Westfall went on to become a consensus All-American in 1941 and also won All-Pro honors for the Detroit Lions in 1945. David M. Nelson, who started the most games at right halfback, went on to a 20-year career as a college football coach and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach.

The line playing in front of Michigan's Hall of Fame backfield was also one of the best in school history with four of the seven starters going on to play in the NFL. Left tackle Al Wistert had his jersey retired at Michigan, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and was an eight-time All-Pro selection for the Philadelphia Eagles. Left guard Ralph Fritz was a first-team All-Big Nine player in 1940 and later played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Center Robert Ingalls played for the Green Bay Packers and later served for 12 years as the head football coach at Connecticut. End Ed Frutig, who was Harmon's principal receiver, was selected as a first-team member of the 1940 College Football All-America Team and later played for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.


...
Wikipedia

...