| 1935 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| Sport: | Football |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Top Pick: | Jay Berwanger |
| Season Champs: | Minnesota |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Second Place: | Ohio State |
| Mvp: | Jay Berwanger |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1934 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1936 |
The 1935 Big Ten Conference football season was the 40th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference (also known as the Western Conference) and was a part of the 1935 college football season.
The 1935 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, under head coach Bernie Bierman, compiled an undefeated 8–0 record, outscored opponents, 194 to 36, and has been recognized as the 1935 national champion by seven of the 13 selectors recognized as official by the NCAA. Tackle Ed Widseth was a consensus, first-team All-American.
The 1935 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Francis Schmidt, compiled a 7–1 record, tied with Minnesota for the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring offense (29.6 points per game), and outscored opponents, 237 to 57. Ohio State's sole loss was to Notre Dame by an 18-13 score. Center Gomer Jones was a consensus, first-team All-American.
Chicago Maroons halfback Jay Berwanger was the first recipient of the Heisman Trophy, received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player, and was the first player selected in the 1936 NFL draft.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | Overall record | Conf. record | UP final | PPG | PAG | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (tie) | Minnesota | Bernie Bierman | 8–0 | 5–0 |
| 24.3 | 5.8 | Babe LeVoir | |
| 1 (tie) | Ohio State | Francis Schmidt | 7–1 | 5–0 |
| 29.6 | 7.1 | Gomer Jones | |
| 3 | Purdue | Noble Kizer | 4–4 | 3–3 | NR | 8.1 | 7.1 | Frank Loebs | |
| 4 | Indiana | Bo McMillin | 4–3–1 | 2–2–1 | NR | 8.8 | 6.9 | Wendel Walker | |
| 5 | Northwestern | Pappy Waldorf | 4–3–1 | 2–3–1 |
| 11.3 | 9.9 | Wally Cruice | |
| 6 | Iowa | Ossie Solem | 4–2–2 | 1–2–2 |
| 15.3 | 4.9 | Dick Crayne | |
| 7 (tie) | Chicago | Clark Shaughnessy | 4–4 | 2–3 | NR | 12.8 | 13.8 | Jay Berwanger | |
| 7 (tie) | Michigan | Harry Kipke | 4–4 | 2–3 | NR | 8.5 | 16.4 | William Renner | |
| 9 (tie) | Illinois | Robert Zuppke | 3–5 | 1–4 | NR | 7.4 | 6.8 | Ed Gryboski | |
| 9 (tie) | Wisconsin | Clarence Spears | 1–7 | 1–4 | NR | 6.6 | 21.4 | Eddie Jankowski |
No Big Ten teams participated in any bowl games during the 1935 season.
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP), the United Press (UP) and/or the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) as first-team players on the 1935 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Babe LeVoir | Minnesota | AP, UP | |
| Halfback | Jay Berwanger | Chicago | AP, NEA [quarterback], UP | |
| Halfback | Ozzie Simmons | Iowa | AP, NEA [fullback], UP | |
| Halfback | Andy Pilney | Notre Dame | NEA | |
| Fullback | Sheldon Beise | Minnesota | AP, NEA [halfback], UP | |
| End | Merle Wendt | Ohio State | AP, NEA, UP | |
| End | Matt Patanelli | Michigan | UP | |
| End | Henry W. Longfellow | Northwestern | AP | |
| End | Trevor J. Rees | Ohio State | NEA | |
| Tackle | Ed Widseth | Minnesota | AP, NEA, UP | |
| Tackle | Dick Smith | Minnesota | AP, NEA, UP | |
| Guard | Paul Tangora | Northwestern | AP, UP | |
| Guard | Bud Wilkinson | Minnesota | AP, NEA | |
| Guard | Ed Grybowski | Illinois | UP | |
| Center | Gomer Jones | Ohio State | AP, UP | |
| Center | Ted Osmaloski | Iowa | NEA |
Three Big Ten players were selected as consensus first-team players on the 1935 College Football All-America Team. They were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halfback | Chicago | AAB, AP, COL, INS, LIB, NANA, NEA, TSN, UP, CP, KCS, NYS, PTH, WCFF | ||
| Tackle | Minnesota | AAB, INS, LIB, NANA, TSN, UP, CP, KCS | ||
| Center | Ohio State | AAB, LIB, NANA, UP, CP, KCS, WCFF |
Other Big Ten players received first-team honors from at least one selector. They were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Dick Smith | Minnesota | AP, COL, INS, NEA, UP, NYS, PTH | |
| End | Merle Wendt | Ohio State | LIB, NEA | |
| Guard | Paul Tangora | Northwestern | AP, TSN | |
| Guard | Inwood Smith | Ohio State | COL, PTH | |
| Halfback | Ozzie Simmons | Iowa | TSN | |
| Fullback | Sheldon Beise | Minnesota | NANA, CP |
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 players selected in the 1936 NFL draft:[3]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Berwanger | Halfback | Chicago | 1 | 1 | |
| Dick Crayne | Fullback | Iowa | 1 | 4 |