| 1979 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| Sport: | American football |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Top Pick: | Curtis Greer |
| Season Champs: | Ohio State |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Second Place: | Purdue |
| Mvp: | Tim Clifford |
| Prevseason Year: | 1978 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1980 |
The 1979 Big Ten Conference football season was the 84th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1979 Ohio State Buckeyes football team compiled an 11–1 record, won the Big Ten championship, lost to USC in the 1980 Rose Bowl, and was ranked No. 4 in the final AP and UPI polls. Quarterback Art Schlichter led the team with 2,246 yards of total offense, finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, and was selected as a first-team All-American by the NEA and The Sporting News. Offensive guard Ken Fritz was a consensus All-American. Earl Bruce, in his first year as head coach, was selected as the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Doug Donley led the Big Ten with 800 receiving yards, and Vlade Janakievski led the conference with 97 points scored. Defensive lineman Jim Laughlin was selected as the team's most valuable player.
The 1979 Purdue Boilermakers football team, under head coach Jim Young, finished in second place in the Big Ten, compiled a 10–2 record, defeated Tennessee in the 1979 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, led the conference in both scoring offense (32.5 points per game) and scoring defense (10.5 points allowed per game), and was ranked No. 10 in the final AP and UPI polls. Quarterback Mark Herrmann led the conference with 2,377 passing yards and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Tight end Dave Young was selected as the team's most valuable player.
The 1979 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bo Schembechler, compiled an 8–4 record, finished third in the Big Ten, lost to North Carolina in the 1979 Gator Bowl, and was ranked No. 18 in the final AP poll. Linebacker Ron Simpkins was selected as the team's most valuable player and as a consensus All-American. Defensive end Curtis Greer was also selected as a first-team All-American by multiple selectors. Butch Woolfolk ranked second in the Big Ten with 990 rushing yards.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | Earle Bruce |
|
| 11–1 | 8–0 | 32.5 | 10.5 | Jim Laughlin | |
| 2 | Purdue | Jim Young |
|
| 10–2 | 7–1 | 23.9 | 18.8 | Dave Young | |
| 3 | Michigan | Bo Schembechler |
|
| 8–4 | 6–2 | 26.0 | 12.6 | Ron Simpkins | |
| 4 | Indiana | Lee Corso |
|
| 8–4 | 5–3 | 26.2 | 21.0 | Tim Clifford | |
| 5 | Iowa | Hayden Fry | NR | NR | 5–6 | 4–4 | 21.7 | 19.6 | Dennis Mosley | |
| 6 | Minnesota | Joe Salem | NR | NR | 4–6–1 | 3–5–1 | 24.0 | 24.6 | Mark Carlson | |
| 7 (tie) | Michigan State | Darryl Rogers | NR |
| 5–6 | 3–5 | 21.8 | 23.0 | Danny Bass | |
| 7 (tie) | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | NR | 4–7 | 3–5 | 18.9 | 28.3 | Tom Stauss | |
| 9 | Illinois | Gary Moeller | NR | NR | 2–8–1 | 1–6–1 | 14.2 | 24.2 | L. McCullough | |
| 10 | Northwestern | Rick Venturi | NR | NR | 1–10 | 0–9 | 10.5 | 35.1 | Chuck Kern |
On September 8, 1979, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two wins.
On September 15, 1979, the Big Ten teams played one conference games and eight non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in four wins and four losses, giving the Big Ten a 6–4 record to that point in the season.
On September 22, 1979, the Big Ten teams played 10 non-conference games, resulting in six wins and four losses. The results gave the Big Ten a 12–8 record to that point in the season
On September 29, 1979, the Big Ten teams played one conference game and eight non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in four wins and four losses, giving the Big Ten a 16–12 record to that point in the season.
On October 6, 1979, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On October 13, 1979, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On October 20, 1979, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On October 27, 1979, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 3, 1979, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 10, 1979, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 17, 1979, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
See main article: 1980 Rose Bowl.
See main article: 1979 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.
See main article: 1979 Gator Bowl.
See main article: 1979 Holiday Bowl.
1. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (2,377)
2. Mark Carlson, Minnesota (2,188)
3. Tim Clifford, Indiana (2,078)
4. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (1,816)
5. John Wangler, Michigan (1,431)[1]
1. Dennis Mosley, Iowa (1,267)
2. Butch Woolfolk, Michigan (990)
3. Steve Smith, Michigan State (972)
4. Calvin Murray, Ohio State (872)
5. Garry White, Minnesota (861)[1]
1. Doug Donley, Ohio State (800)
2. Tom Stauss, Wisconsin (660)
3. Todd Sheets, Northwestern (614)
4. Doug Marsh, Michigan (612)
5. Bart Burrell, Purdue (607)[1]
1. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (2,246)
2. Tim Clifford, Indiana (2,158)
3. Mark Carlson, Minnesota (2,149)
4. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (2,094)
5. John Wangler, Michigan (1,455)[1]
1. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (145.9)
2. Mark Carlson, Minnesota (125.7)
3. Tim Clifford, Indiana (Indiana 124.1)
4. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (120.0)
5. Phil Suess, Iowa (118.0)[1]
1. Garry White, Minnesota (6.4)
2. Ben McCall, Purdue (5.6)
3. Lawrence Reid, Michigan (5.4)
4. Mike Holmes, Illinois (5.4)
5. Derek Hughes, Michigan State (5.3)[1]
1. Doug Donley, Ohio State (21.6)
2. Gary Williams, Ohio State (19.2)
3. Eugene Byrd, Michigan State (18.6)
4. Doug Marsh, Michigan (18.5)
5. Tom Stauss, Wisconsin (17.4)[1]
1. Vlade Janakievski, Ohio State (97)
2. Dennis Mosley, Iowa (96)
3. Butch Woolfolk, Michigan (78)
4. Marion Barber, Jr., Minnesota (72)
5. Derek Hughes, Michigan State (66)[1]
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1979 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
Offense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Art Schlichter | Ohio State | AP, UPI | |
| Running back | Dennis Mosley | Iowa | AP, UPI | |
| Running back | Butch Woolfolk | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Fullback | Dave Mohapp | Ohio State | UPI | |
| Split end | Elmer Bailey | Minnesota | AP | |
| Flanker | Doug Donley | Wisconsin | AP, UPI | |
| Tight end | Dave Young | Purdue | AP | |
| Tight end | Mark Brammer | Michigan State | UPI | |
| Center | Jay Hilgenberg | Iowa | AP | |
| Center | Tom Waugh | Ohio State | UPI | |
| Guard | Ken Fritz | Ohio State | AP, UPI | |
| Guard | Dale Schwan | Purdue | AP | |
| Guard | John Arbeznik | Michigan | UPI | |
| Tackle | Steve McKenzie | Purdue | AP, UPI | |
| Tackle | Ray Snell | Wisconsin | AP, UPI |
Defense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive line | Curtis Greer | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive line | Ken Loushin | Purdue | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive line | Keena Turner | Purdue | AP | |
| Defensive line | Luther Henson | Ohio State | UPI | |
| Defensive line | Calvin Clark | Purdue | AP | |
| Defensive line | Jim Laughlin | Ohio State | AP, UPI [linebacker] | |
| Defensive line | Mike Trgovac | Michigan | UPI | |
| Linebacker | Ron Simpkins | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Linebacker | Dan Bass | Michigan State | AP, UPI | |
| Linebacker | Leven Weiss | Iowa | AP | |
| Defensive back | Mike Guess | Ohio State | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive back | Mike Jolly | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive back | Tim Wilbur | Indiana | AP | |
| Defensive back | Todd Bell | Ohio State | UPI | |
| Defensive back | Vince Skillings | Ohio State | UPI |
At the end of the 1979 season, two Big Ten players were consensus first-team picks for the 1979 College Football All-America Team.[3] The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive guard | Ken Fritz | Ohio State | AP, FWAA, UPI, NEA, WCFF | |
| Linebacker | Ron Simpkins | Michigan | AP, FWAA, UPI, WCFF |
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Art Schlichter | Ohio State | NEA, TSN | |
| Offensive guard | Ray Snell | Wisconsin | TSN | |
| Defensive end | Curtis Greer | Michigan | AFCA, FWAA, NEA |
The 1980 NFL draft was held in New York on April 29–30, 1979.[5] The following players were among the first 100 picks:[6]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis Greer | Defensive end | Michigan | 1 | 6 | |
| Ray Snell | Guard | Wisconsin | 1 | 22 | |
| Doug Marsh | Tight end | Michigan | 2 | 33 | |
| Angelo Fields | Offensive tackle | Michigan State | 2 | 38 | |
| Keena Turner | Linebacker | Purdue | 2 | 39 | |
| Ralph Clayton | Wide receiver | Michigan | 2 | 47 | |
| Mike Fried | Wide receiver | Indiana | 3 | 62 | |
| Mark Brammer | Tight end | Michigan State | 3 | 67 | |
| Ray Sydnor | Tight end | Wisconsin | 3 | 83 | |
| Jim Laughlin | Linebacker | Ohio State | 4 | 91 | |
| Mike Jolly | Defensive back | Michigan | 4 | 96 | |
| Elmer Bailey | Wide receiver | Minnesota | 4 | 100 |