1949 Michigan State Spartans football team

The 1949 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College as an independent the 1949 college football season. In their third season under head coach Clarence Munn, the Spartans compiled a 6–3 record and were ranked No. 19 in the final AP Poll.^[1][2]

1949 Michigan State Spartans football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 19
Record	6–3
Head coach	Clarence Munn (3rd season)
MVP	Eugene Glick
Captain	Harold L. Vogler
Home stadium	Macklin Stadium
Seasons ← 1948 1950 →

1949 Midwestern college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame			–					10	–	0	–	0
Ball State			–					8	–	0	–	0
Xavier			–					10	–	1	–	0
Valparaiso			–					8	–	1	–	1
Washington University			–					7	–	2	–	0
Baldwin–Wallace			–					6	–	2	–	0
Wabash			–					5	–	2	–	1
Dayton			–					6	–	3	–	0
John Carroll			–					6	–	3	–	0
No. 19 Michigan State			–					6	–	3	–	0
Toledo			–					6	–	4	–	0
Youngstown			–					4	–	3	–	1
Bowling Green			–					4	–	5	–	0
Marquette			–					4	–	5	–	0
Central Michigan			–					3	–	4	–	0
Wayne			–					3	–	5	–	0
Indiana State			–					1	–	9	–	0
Michigan State Normal			–					0	–	8	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

After the University of Chicago formally withdrew from the Big Ten Conference in 1946, conference officials began considering other schools to fill the vacancy. In December 1948, conference officials voted unanimously to admit Michigan State College, selecting the Spartans over a competing bid from the University of Pittsburgh.^[3] The decision was certified in May 1949, with Spartans' participation slated to begin in the fall of 1950 with the exception of football where their participation was delayed until 1953.^[4]

Two Spartans received first-team honors on the 1949 College Football All-America Team. Guard Ed Bagdon was a consensus first-team All-American,^[5] and halfback Lynn Chandnois received first-team honors from the International News Service^[6] and Collier's Weekly,^[7] and second-team honors from the United Press^[8] and Football Writers Association of America.^[9]

The 1949 Spartans lost their annual rivalry games against Notre Dame by a 34 to 21 score and against Michigan by a 7 to 3 score.^[2]

In intersectional play, the Spartans beat Maryland (14–7), William & Mary (42-13), Penn State (24–0), Temple (62–14), and Arizona (75–0), but lost to Oregon State (25–20).^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 24	at Michigan		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	L 3–7	97,239
October 1	Marquette		Macklin Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 48–7	29,992
October 8	Maryland	No. 13	Macklin Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 14–7	32,080	[10]
October 15	William & Mary	No. 19	Macklin Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 42–13	33,268
October 22	Penn State	No. 15	Macklin Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	W 24–0	43,495
October 29	Temple	No. 12	Macklin Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 62–14	35,003–36,986	[11]
November 5	No. 1 Notre Dame	No. 10	Macklin Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	L 21–34	50,965
November 12	at Oregon State	No. 8	Multnomah Stadium Portland, OR	L 20–25	22,239	[12]
November 19	at Arizona	No. 18	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	W 75–0	16,000
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1949 NCAA football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
AP	13	19	15	12 (1)	10 (2)	8	18	—	19

References

1. "2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State University. pp. 146, 154. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
2. "1949 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
3. "Big 9 Admits MSC: Conference Backing Unanimous". Detroit Free Press. December 13, 1948. p. 1.
4. Tommy Devine (May 21, 1949). "Michigan State Accepted by Western Conference". Detroit Free Press. p. 18.
5. "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
6. "Three Notre Dame Gridders on INS All-America". The Milwaukee Sentinel. November 27, 1949.
7. "Pitt's Barkouskie Picked On Collier's All-America". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 2, 1949.
8. "Midwest Teams Again Dominate U.P. All-America". St. Petersburg Times (UP story). November 24, 1949.
9. "FWAA All America" (PDF). Football Writers Association of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
10. "Michigan State rallies to edge stubborn Maryland, 14 to 7". Battle Creek Enquirer. October 9, 1949. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Segreti, James (October 30, 1949). "Spartans Roll Up 62-14 Victory over Temple". Chicago Sunday Tribune. Chicago, Ill. sect. 2, p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Beavers in upset over Mich. State". Napa Sunday Journal. November 13, 1949. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.