1937 Michigan State Spartans football team

The 1937 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College as an independent during the 1937 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach Charlie Bachman, the Spartans compiled an 8–2 record and won their annual rivalry game with Michigan by a 19 to 14 score. In inter-sectional play, the team defeated Kansas (16–0), Temple (13–6), Carnegie Tech (13–6), and San Francisco (14–0), but lost to Manhattan (3–0) and Auburn (6–0 in the 1938 Orange Bowl).^[1][2]

1937 Michigan State Spartans football
Conference	Independent
Record	8–2
Head coach	Charlie Bachman (5th season)
Offensive scheme	Notre Dame Box
MVP	Harry Speelman
Captain	Harry Speelman
Home stadium	Macklin Field
Seasons ← 1936 1938 →

1937 Midwestern college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Michigan State			–					8	–	2	–	0
Akron			–					7	–	2	–	0
Central Michigan			–					6	–	2	–	0
DePaul			–					5	–	1	–	2
Wayne			–					6	–	2	–	0
No. T–9 Notre Dame			–					6	–	2	–	1
Detroit			–					7	–	3	–	0
Michigan State Normal			–					5	–	2	–	1
Western State Teachers (MI)			–					5	–	3	–	0
Xavier			–					4	–	5	–	1
Marquette			–					3	–	6	–	0
Haskell			–					2	–	7	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Halfback John Pingel was selected by the Associated Press (AP) as a second-team player, and by the International News Service (INS) and Central Press Association as a third-team player, on the 1937 College Football All-America Team.^[3][4][5] Pingel was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25	Wayne	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	W 19–0	18,000	[6]
October 2	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	W 19–14	71,200	[7]
October 9	at Manhattan	Ebbets Field Brooklyn, NY	L 0–3	8,000	[8]
October 16	at Missouri	Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO	W 2–0	10,000	[9]
October 23	Marquette	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	W 21–7	15,000	[10]
October 30	Kansas	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	W 16–0	10,000	[11]
November 6	at Temple	Temple Stadium Philadelphia, PA	W 13–6	12,000	[12]
November 13	Carnegie Tech	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	W 13–6	20,000	[13]
November 27	at San Francisco	Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 14–0	20,000	[14][15]
January 1, 1938	vs. Auburn	Burdine Stadium Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	L 0–6	18,000	[16]
Homecoming

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. "1937 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
3. Alan Gould (December 4, 1937). "Associated Press 1937 All-America Is Team of Iron Men". The Daily Tribune. Wisconsin Rapids.
4. "INS All-American Grid Selections". Waterloo Daily Courier. December 1, 1937.
5. Bill Braucher (December 3, 1937). "NATION'S CAPTAINS PICK CENTRAL PRESS ALL-AMERICANS". Hammond Times.
6. Tod Rockwell (September 26, 1937). "Wayne Eleven Holds Spartans to Three Touchdowns". Detroit Free Press. p. Sports 1, 6 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Tod Rockwell (October 3, 1937). "State Makes History with Fourth Straight Over U. of M.: Pingel's Pass to Nelson Climaxes 19-14 Victory". Detroit Free Press. pp. Sports 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Jack Mahon (October 10, 1937). "Jaspers Down State, 3-0, on Field Goal". New York Daily News. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
9. George S. Alderton (October 17, 1937). "Spartans Lack Punch But Beat Missouri, 2-0". The Lansing State Journal. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Charles P. Ward (October 24, 1937). "State Beats Marquette, 21-7: Pingel Climaxes Drive with 80-Yard Sprint". Detroit Free Press. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. George S. Alderton (October 31, 1937). "Reserves Provide Spark As State Wins, 16-0". The Lansing State Journal. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Michigan State Downs Temple: Spartan Rally in Last Period Defeats Owls". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 7, 1937. pp. Sports 1, 3 – via Newspapers.com.
13. George S. Alderton (November 14, 1937). "Spartans Repel Carnegie Tech Powerhouse". The Lansing State Journal. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
14. George S. Alderton (November 28, 1937). "Spartan Grid Forces Down San Francisco, 14-0". The Lansing State Journal. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Prescott Sullivan (November 28, 1937). "Michigan State Whips U.S.F. Dons, 14-0". San Francisco Examiner. p. SF-1 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Jack Bell (January 2, 1938). "18,000 See Auburn Win Orange Bowl: Michigan State Bows In Colorful Classic". The Miami News. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.