| 1947 Big Nine Conference football season | |
| Sport: | Football |
| No Of Teams: | 9 |
| Top Pick: | Jug Girard |
| Season Champs: | Michigan |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Second Place: | Wisconsin |
| Mvp: | Bump Elliott |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1946 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1948 |
The 1947 Big Nine Conference football season was the 52nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Nine Conference (also known as the Western Conference and the Big Ten Conference) and was a part of the 1947 college football season.
The 1947 Big Ten champion was Michigan. The Wolverines compiled a perfect 10–0 record, outscored its opponents by a combined total of 394 to 53, and defeated the USC Trojans by a score of 49 to 0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl game.
Michigan halfback Bob Chappuis led the conference with 1,395 yards of total offense, which was also the fourth best in the country.[1] Chappuis also finished second in the voting for the 1947 Heisman Trophy, trailing Johnny Lujack by a tally of 742 votes to 555 votes, with both finishing ahead of Doak Walker and Bobby Layne.[2]
Wisconsin finished in second place in the conference, led by sophomore halfback Jug Girard. Girard, a triple-threat man who also returned two punts for touchdowns,[3] was the first conference player selected in the 1948 NFL draft, being chosen by the Green Bay Packers with the seventh pick in the first round.[4]
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Fritz Crisler | 2 | 1 | 10–0 | 6–0 | 39.4 | 5.3 | Bump Elliott |
| 2 | Wisconsin | Harry Stuhldreher | NR | 9 | 5–3–1 | 3–2–1 | 19.0 | 17.3 | Red Wilson |
| 3 (tie) | Minnesota | Bernie Bierman | NR | 13 | 6–3 | 3–3 | 19.3 | 14.1 | Larry Olsonoski |
| 3 (tie) | Illinois | Ray Eliot | NR | NR | 5–3–1 | 3–3 | 22.7 | 11.3 | Ike Owens |
| 3 (tie) | Purdue | Stuart Holcomb | NR | NR | 5–4 | 3–3 | 22.8 | 14.4 | Phil O'Reilly |
| 6 (tie) | Indiana | Bo McMillin | NR | NR | 5–3–1 | 2–3–1 | 17.3 | 11.3 | Howard Brown |
| 6 (tie) | Iowa | Eddie Anderson | NR | NR | 3–5–1 | 2–3–1 | 16.1 | 19.9 | Hal Schoener |
| 8 | Northwestern | Robert Voigts | NR | NR | 3–6 | 2–4 | 14.3 | 21.8 | Art Murakowski |
| 9 | Ohio State | Wes Fesler | NR | NR | 2–6–1 | 1–4–1 | 6.7 | 16.7 | Dave Templeton |
On September 20, 1947, Iowa opened its season with a non-conference victory.
On September 26 and 27, 1947, the Big Nine schools played one conference game and seven non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in five wins and two losses, bringing the conference's record in non-conference games to 6-3.
On October 4, 1948, the Big Nine schools played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins, bringing the conference's record in non-conference games to 9-3.
On October 11, 1947, the Big Nine football teams played two conference games and five non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in one win, three losses and one tie, bringing the conference's record in non-conference games to 10-6-1.
On October 18, 1947, the Big Nine football teams played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins, bringing the conference's record in non-conference games to 13-6-1.
On October 25, 1947, the Big Nine football teams played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in one win and two losses, bringing the conference's record in non-conference games to 14-8-1.
On November 1, 1947, the Big Nine football teams played four conference games and one non-conference game. The non-conference game resulted in a win, bringing the conference's record in non-conference games to 15-8-1.
On November 8, 1947, the Big Nine football teams played four conference games and one non-conference game. The non-conference game resulted in a win, bringing the conference's record in non-conference games to 16-8-1.
On November 15, 1947, the Big Nine football teams played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two wins and a loss, bringing the conference's record in non-conference games to 18-9-1.
On November 22, 1947, the Big Nine football teams played four conference games. Iowa, which opened the season early on September 20, had a bye week.
See main article: 1948 Rose Bowl. On January 1, 1948, Michigan defeated USC, 49-0, in the 1948 Rose Bowl. The 49-point margin was the worst defeat in the history of the USC football program, and Michigan's 491 yards of total offense set a Rose Bowl record. The Wolverines threw four touchdown passes, and Jack Weisenburger ran for three touchdowns. Michigan completed 17 of 27 passes for 272 passing yards in the game.[8]
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP), the United Press (UP) and/or the International News Service (INS) as first-team players on the 1947 All-Big Ten Conference football team:[9] [10] [11]
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End | Bob Mann | Michigan | AP, INS, UP | |
| End | Ike Owens | Illinois | AP, INS, UP | |
| Tackle | Phil O'Reilly | Purdue | AP, INS, UP | |
| Tackle | Lou Agase | Illinois | AP, INS | |
| Tackle | Bill Pritula | Michigan | UP | |
| Guard | Howard Brown | Indiana | AP, INS, UP | |
| Guard | Leo Nomellini | Minnesota | AP, INS, UP | |
| Center | Red Wilson | Wisconsin | AP, INS, UP | |
| Quarterback | Howard Yerges | Michigan | AP, UP | |
| Halfback | Bob Chappuis | Michigan | AP, INS, UP | |
| Halfback | Bump Elliott | Michigan | AP, INS, UP | |
| Halfback | Harry Szulborski | Purdue | INS | |
| Fullback | Russ Steger | Illinois | AP, INS, UP |
Only two Big Ten players, both of them halfbacks for the Michigan squad, were selected as first-team players on the 1947 College Football All-America Team. They are:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halfback | Bob Chappuis | Michigan | AP, UP, AFCA, CO, NEA, CP, INS, TSN, WCFF, FWAA | |
| Halfback | Bump Elliott | Michigan | AFCA |
The following Big Nine players were among the first 100 picks in the 1948 NFL draft:[4]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jug Girard | Back | Wisconsin | 1 | 7 | |
| Les Bingaman | Tackle | Illinois | 3 | 15 | |
| Jack Weisenburger | Fullback | Michigan | 6 | 38 | |
| Larry Olsonoski | Guard | Minnesota | 6 | 41 | |
| Howard Duncan | Center | Ohio State | 6 | 42 | |
| Bob Brugge | Back | Ohio State | 6 | 44 | |
| Phil O'Reilly | Tackle | Purdue | 6 | 45 | |
| Bob Pfohl | Back | Purdue | 7 | 46 | |
| Bob Cunz | Tackle | Illinois | 8 | 61 | |
| Ken Wiltgen | End | Northwestern | 9 | 71 | |
| Dick Deranek | Back | Indiana | 10 | 82 | |
| Dick Flanagan | End | Ohio State | 10 | 83 | |
| Jim Brieske | Center | Michigan | 11 | 97 |