1931 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 1931 Northwestern Wildcats team represented Northwestern University during the 1931 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Dick Hanley, the Wildcats compiled a 7–1–1 record (5–1 against Big Ten Conference opponents), finished in a three-way with Purdue and Michigan for the Big Ten championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 138 to 40.^[2]

1931 Northwestern Wildcats football
Big Ten co-champion
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	7–1–1 (5–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Dick Hanley (5th season)
Captain	Dal Marvil[1]
Home stadium	Dyche Stadium
Seasons ← 1930 1932 →

1931 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Purdue +	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Michigan +	5	–	1	–	0			8	–	1	–	1
No. 4 Northwestern +	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	1
Ohio State	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Minnesota	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Wisconsin	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	1
Indiana	1	–	4	–	1			2	–	5	–	1
Chicago	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	1
Iowa	0	–	3	–	1			1	–	6	–	1
Illinois	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from Dickinson System

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 3	Nebraska*	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 19–7	35,000	[3][4]
October 10	vs. Notre Dame*	Soldier Field Chicago, IL	T 0–0	70,000	[5]
October 17	UCLA*	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 19–0	35,000	[6]
October 24	at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	W 10–0	41,455	[7]
October 31	Illinois	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 32–6	40,000	[8]
November 7	Minnesota	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 32–14	48,000	[9]
November 14	Indiana	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 7–6	19,000	[10]
November 21	at Iowa	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	W 19–0		[11]
November 28	vs. Purdue	Soldier Field Chicago, IL	L 0–7	40,000	[12]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). 2007. p. 146. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
2. "1931 Northwestern Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
3. "Northwestern beats Huskers, 19–7". The South Bend Tribune. October 4, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. McBride, Gregg (November 6, 1934). "Saturday Turnout is Likely Top Previous Mark at Nebraska U." The Lincoln Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. p. 8. Retrieved March 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "70,000 see mud and rain grid classic". The Des Moines Register. October 11, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Uclans make surprise showing despite loss to Northwestern". The San Bernardino County Sun. October 18, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "40,000 see Wildcats stop Ohio State, 10 to 0". Waterloo Sunday Courier. October 25, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "N.U. routs Illinois, 32–6". Chicago Tribune. November 1, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Late attack nets victory for Cats". The Chattanooga Times. November 8, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "I.U. holds Northwestern to 7–6 win". The Muncie Sunday Star. November 15, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Iowa puts up stubborn battle but loses, 19–0". The Richmond Item. November 22, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Purdue upsets Wildcats to throw Big Ten race into three way tie". The Sioux City Journal. November 29, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.