1940 Michigan State Spartans football team

The 1940 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In their eighth season under head coach Charlie Bachman, the Spartans compiled a 3–4–1 record and lost their annual rivalry game with Michigan by a 21 to 14 score. In inter-sectional play, the team lost to Temple (21–19) and Kansas State (32–0), played Santa Clara to a scoreless tie, and defeated West Virginia (17–0).^[1][2]

1940 Michigan State Spartans football
Conference	Independent
Record	3–4–1
Head coach	Charlie Bachman (8th season)
Offensive scheme	Notre Dame Box
MVP	Jack Amon
Captain	Jack Amon, Paul L. Griffeth
Home stadium	Macklin Field
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

1940 Midwestern college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Wayne			–					4	–	1	–	3
Detroit			–					7	–	2	–	0
Notre Dame			–					7	–	2	–	0
Xavier			–					7	–	3	–	0
Ohio			–					5	–	2	–	2
Dayton			–					6	–	3	–	0
Cincinnati			–					5	–	3	–	1
Wichita			–					6	–	4	–	0
Central Michigan			–					4	–	3	–	1
Marquette			–					4	–	4	–	0
Michigan State			–					3	–	4	–	1
Ohio Wesleyan			–					2	–	4	–	3
Akron			–					2	–	5	–	2
Western State Teachers (MI)			–					2	–	5	–	0
Michigan State Normal			–					1	–	5	–	1
Miami (OH)			–					0	–	7	–	1

Ole Miss was ranked at No. 22 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 5	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	L 14–21	69,951
October 12	Purdue	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	W 20–7	16,500
October 18	at Temple	Temple Stadium Philadelphia, PA	L 19–21	15,000	[4]
October 25	Santa Clara	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	T 0–0	18,500	[5]
November 2	Kansas State	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	W 32–0
November 9	at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (rivalry)	L 0–20
November 16	at Marquette	Marquette Stadium Milwaukee, WI	L 6–7	10,000	[6]
November 23	West Virginia	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	W 17–0	9,500	[7]
Homecoming

Game summaries

Michigan

Week 2: Michigan State at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan State 0 7 0 7 14 • Michigan 7 7 7 0 21 Date: October 5, 1940 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI Game attendance: 69,951 Referee: Lyle Clarno (Bradley)

On October 5, 1940, Michigan State lost to Michigan by a 21 to 14 score. The game was the 35th played between the two programs.^[8] Tom Harmon scored all 21 points for Michigan on three touchdowns and three kicks for extra point. Michigan gained 312 rushing yards compared to 49 rushing yards for Michigan State. Both Michigan State touchdowns were scored by right halfback Walt Pawlowski.^[9][10][11]

References

1. "2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State University. pp. 146, 153. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
2. "1940 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
3. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 19, 1940). "Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Temple Tops Michigan State, 21-19". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 19, 1940. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Spartans, Santa Clara In Scoreless Tie". Lansing State Journal. October 27, 1940. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Apolskis Runs 70 Yards and Hilltops Win". The Capital Times. November 17, 1940. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Spartans beat W.V.U. in season's finale". The State Journal. November 24, 1940. Retrieved July 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Michigan vs. Michigan St". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
9. "Tom Harmon's Scores Whip State, 21-14". Chicago Tribune. October 6, 1940. p. 2-1.
10. "65,438 See Michigan Gain 21-14 Triumph; Harmon Scores All Points on Michigan State, Making His Two-Game Total 49; Spartans' Passes Click; Sophomore Pawlowski Grabs Tosses for Advances of 45 and 37 Yards to Tally". The New York Times. October 6, 1940.
11. 1941 Michiganensian, page 195.