| 1950 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| Sport: | American football |
| No Of Teams: | 9 |
| Top Pick: | Chuck Ortmann |
| Season Champs: | Michigan |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Second Place: | Ohio State, Wisconsin |
| Mvp: | Vic Janowicz |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1949 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1951 |
The 1950 Big Ten Conference football season was the 55th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1950 college football season.
The 1950 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, won the 1950 Big Ten championship with a 6–3–1 record (4–1–1 against Big Ten opponents) and was ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll. In the last game of the regular season, Michigan defeated Ohio State, 9 - 3, in the Snow Bowl, played in a blizzard, at 10 degrees above zero, on an icy field, and with winds gusting over 30 miles per hour. Michigan then defeated California in the 1951 Rose Bowl. Don Dufek was selected as the team's most valuable player. Tackle Allen Wahl was a first-team All-American.
The 1950 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Wes Fesler, compiled a 6–3 record, led the conference in scoring offense (31.8 points per game), and was ranked No. 14 in the final AP Poll. Halfback Vic Janowicz was a consensus first-team All-American and won both the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Big Ten's most valuable player and the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football.
The 1950 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Ray Eliot, compiled a 7–2 record, led the conference in scoring defense (6.2 points allowed per game), and was ranked No. 13 in the final AP Poll. End Tony Klimek was selected as the team's most valuable player. Tackle Albert Tate and center Bill Vohaska both received first-team All-American honors.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Bennie Oosterbaan |
|
| 6–3–1 | 4–1–1 | 15.0 | 11.4 | Don Dufek |
| 2 | Ohio State | Wes Fesler |
|
| 6–3 | 5–2 | 31.8 | 12.3 | Vic Janowicz |
| 3 | Wisconsin | Ivy Williamson | NR |
| 6–3 | 5–2 | 15.1 | 10.8 | Bob Radcliffe |
| 4 | Illinois | Ray Eliot |
|
| 7–2 | 4–2 | 15.2 | 6.2 | Tony Klimek |
| 5 | Northwestern | Bob Voigts | NR |
| 6–3 | 3–3 | 17.2 | 15.9 | Chuck Hagmann |
| 6 | Iowa | Leonard Raffensperger | NR |
| 3–5–1 | 2–4 | 13.4 | 22.3 | Harold Bradley |
| 7 | Minnesota | Bernie Bierman | NR |
| 1–7–1 | 1–4–1 | 8.8 | 21.8 | Wayne Robinson |
| 8 (tie) | Indiana | Clyde B. Smith | NR |
| 3–5–1 | 1–4 | 11.0 | 17.2 | Bob Robertson |
| 8 (tie) | Purdue | Stu Holcomb | NR |
| 2–7 | 1–4 | 15.9 | 22.2 | James Janosek |
On September 30, 1950, the Big Ten football teams played nine non-conference games, resulting in four wins, four losses, and one tie.
On October 7, 1950, the Big Ten played two conference games and five non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in four wins and a loss, bringing the Big Nine's non-conference record to 8–5–1.
On October 13 and 14, 1950, the Big Ten played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in one win and two losses, bringing the Big Nine's non-conference record to 9–7–1.
On October 21, 1950, the Big Ten played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins, bringing the Big Nine's non-conference record to 12–7–1.
On October 28, 1950, the Big Ten played four conference games and one non-conference game. The non-conference game was a loss, bringing the Big Nine's non-conference record to 12–8–1.
On November 4, 1950, the Big Ten played four conference games and one non-conference game. The non-conference game was a loss, bringing the Big Nine's non-conference record to 12–9–1.
On November 11, 1950, the Big Ten played four conference games and one non-conference game. The non-conference game was a loss, bringing the Big Nine's non-conference record to 12–10–1.
On November 18, 1950, the Big Ten played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conferences game resulted in two wins and a loss, bringing the Big Nine's non-conference record to 14–11–1.
On November 25, 1950, the Big Ten played four conference games and one non-conference game. The non-conference game was a loss, bringing the Big Nine's non-conference record to 14–12–1. Three of the non-conference losses were to Michigan State.
See main article: 1951 Rose Bowl.
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press (UP) as first-team players on the 1950 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[4] [5]
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Vic Janowicz | Ohio State | AP, UP |
| Halfback | Chuck Ortmann | Michigan | AP, UP |
| Halfback | Dick Raklovits | Illinois | AP, UP |
| Fullback | Don Dufek, Sr. | Michigan | AP |
| Fullback | Bill Reichardt | Iowa | UP |
| End | Tony Klimek | Illinois | AP, UP |
| End | Don Stonesifer | Northwestern | AP, UP |
| Tackle | Bill Trautwein | Ohio State | AP, UP |
| Tackle | Robert Wahl | Michigan | AP, UP |
| Guard | Chuck Brown | Illinois | AP, UP |
| Guard | John Biltz | Ohio State | AP, UP |
| Center | Bill Vohaska | Illinois | AP, UP |
At the end of the 1950 season, Big Ten players secured only one of the consensus first-team picks for the 1950 College Football All-America Team.[6] The Big Ten's consensus All-American was:
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End | Don Stonesifer | Northwestern | AP | |
| Tackle | Robert Wahl | Michigan | AAB, AP, INS | |
| Tackle | Albert Tate | Illinois | FWAA | |
| Guard | Bob Momsen | Ohio State | FWAA | |
| Center | Bill Vohaska | Illinois | AP | |
| Center | Bob McCullough | Ohio State | AFCA |
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1951 NFL draft:[7]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck Ortmann | Running back | Michigan | 2 | 20 | |
| Don Stonesifer | End | Northwestern | 3 | 30 | |
| Barry "Bear" French | Tackle | Purdue | 4 | 45 | |
| Lynn Lynch | Guard | Illinois | 5 | 51 | |
| Tony Momsen | Center | Michigan | 5 | 59 | |
| Bob Momsen | Tackle | Ohio | 7 | 80 | |
| Dick Raklovits | Back | Illinois | 8 | 91 | |
| Dick McWilliams | Tackle | Michigan | 9 | 99 |