| 1951 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| Sport: | American football |
| No Of Teams: | 9 |
| Top Pick: | Johnny Karras |
| Season Champs: | Illinois |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Mvp: | Bill Reichardt |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1950 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1952 |
The 1951 Big Ten Conference football season was the 56th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference (also known as the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) and was a part of the 1951 college football season.
The 1951 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Ray Eliot, compiled a 9–0–1 record, won the Big Ten championship, was ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll, and defeated Stanford 40–7 in the 1952 Rose Bowl. The lone setback was a scoreless tie with Ohio State. Halfback Johnny Karras was the Big Ten's only consensus first-team All-American. Linebacker Chuck Boerio was selected as the team's most valuable player.
The 1951 Wisconsin Badgers football team, under head coach Ivy Williamson, compiled a 7–1–1 record, led the conference in scoring defense (5.9 points allowed per game), and was ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll. Quarterback John Coatta was the first-team All-Big Ten quarterback. Defensive end Pat O'Donahue was selected as a first-team All-American by multiple selectors.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | Ray Eliot |
|
| 9–0–1 | 5–0–1 | 22.0 | 8.3 | Chuck Boerio | |
| 2 | Purdue | Stu Holcomb | NR | NR | 5–4 | 4–1 | 17.0 | 16.9 | Pete Brewster | |
| 3 | Wisconsin | Ivy Williamson |
|
| 7–1–1 | 5–1–1 | 21.8 | 5.9 | Hal Faverty | |
| 4 | Michigan | Bennie Oosterbaan | NR |
| 4–5 | 4–2 | 15.0 | 13.6 | Don Peterson | |
| 5 | Ohio State | Woody Hayes | NR |
| 4–3–2 | 2–3–2 | 12.1 | 11.6 | Vic Janowicz | |
| 6 | Northwestern | Bob Voigts | NR |
| 5-4 | 2-4 | 12.4 | 13.8 | John Steeb | |
| 7 | Minnesota | Wes Fesler | NR | NR | 2–6–1 | 1–4–1 | 18.0 | 28.7 | Ron Engel | |
| 8 | Indiana | Bernie Crimmins | NR | NR | 2–7 | 1–5 | 15.9 | 24.9 | Gene Gedman | |
| 9 | Iowa | Leonard Raffensperger | NR | NR | 2–5–2 | 0–5–1 | 17.9 | 25.9 | Bill Reichardt |
See main article: 1952 Rose Bowl.
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP)as first-team players on the 1951 All-Big Ten Conference football team. The AP picked separate offensive and defensive units, whereas the UP selected a single, eleven man unit.
AP offense and UP overall selections
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | John Coatta | Wisconsin | AP, UP | |
| Halfback | Johnny Karras | Illinois | AP, UP | |
| Halfback | Paul Giel | Minnesota | AP | |
| Halfback | Vic Janowicz | Ohio State | UP | |
| Fullback | Bill Reichardt | Iowa | AP, UP | |
| End | Lowell Perry | Michigan | AP, UP | |
| End | Rex Smith | Illinois | AP | |
| End | Leo Sugar | Purdue | AP [defensive end], UP [end] | |
| Tackle | Tom Johnson | Michigan | AP, UP | |
| Tackle | Chuck Ulrich | Illinois | AP, UP | |
| Guard | Don MacRae | Northwestern | AP, UP | |
| Guard | Chuck Studley | Illinois | AP, UP | |
| Center | Wayne Robinson | Minnesota | AP | |
| Center | Chuck Boerio | Illinois | AP [linebacker], UP [center] |
AP defensive unit
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | Pat O'Donahue | Wisconsin | AP | |
| Defensive end | Leo Sugar | Purdue | AP [defensive end], UP [end] | |
| Defensive tackle | Dick Logan | Ohio State | AP | |
| Defensive tackle | Jerry Smith | Wisconsin | AP | |
| Defensive guard | Robert Kennedy | Wisconsin | AP | |
| Defensive guard | Deral Teteak | Wisconsin | AP | |
| Linebacker | Chuck Boerio | Illinois | AP [linebacker], UP [center] | |
| Linebacker | Roger Zatkoff | Michigan | AP | |
| Defensive back | Vic Janowicz | Ohio State | AP | |
| Defensive back | Al Brosky | Illinois | AP | |
| Defensive back | Fred Bruney | Ohio State | AP |
At the end of the 1951 season, only one Big Ten player secured a consensus first-team pick on the 1951 College Football All-America Team.[2] The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive end | Hal Faverty | Wisconsin | INS | |
| Offensive tackle | Chuck Ulrich | Illinois | INS | |
| Center | Chuck Boerio | Illinois | NEA | |
| Defensive end | Pat O'Donahue | Wisconsin | AP, FWAA, NEA | |
| Defensive end | Leo Sugar | Purdue | CT | |
| Defensive tackle | Tom Johnson | Michigan | CT | |
| Defensive back | Al Brosky | Illinois | AP [defensive halfback], FWAA [safety] |
Illinois running back Johnny Karras finished sixth in the voting for the 1951 Heisman Trophy.[3]
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1952 NFL draft:[4]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Karras | Back | Illinois | 2 | 16 | |
| Pete Brewster | End | Purdue | 2 | 21 | |
| Joe Campanella | Tackle | Ohio State | 3 | 36 | |
| Chuck Ulrich | Tackle | Illinois | 4 | 41 | |
| Pat O'Donahue | End | Wisconsin | 5 | 57 | |
| Tom Johnson | Tackle | Michigan | 6 | 63 | |
| Bill Reichardt | Back | Iowa | 7 | 76 | |
| Vic Janowicz | Back | Ohio State | 7 | 79 | |
| Mel Becket | Center | Indiana | 8 | 87 | |
| Wayne Robinson | Center | Minnesota | 8 | 89 | |
| Hubert Johnston | Tackle | Iowa | 8 | 91 | |
| Jerry Smith | Tackle | Wisconsin | 8 | 94 | |
| Deral Teteak | Guard | Wisconsin | 9 | 100 |