1939 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 1939 Northwestern Wildcats team was an American football team that represented Northwestern University during the 1939 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fifth year under head coach Pappy Waldorf, the Wildcats compiled a 3–4–1 record (3–2–1 against Big Ten Conference opponents) and finished in fifth place in the Big Ten Conference.^[2]

1939 Northwestern Wildcats football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	3–4–1 (3–2–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Pappy Waldorf (5th season)
Offensive scheme	Single-wing
MVP	Jack Haman
Captain	Hal Method^[1]
Home stadium	Dyche Stadium
Seasons ← 1938 1940 →

1939 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 15 Ohio State $	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Iowa	4	–	1	–	1			6	–	1	–	1
No. 20 Michigan	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Purdue	2	–	1	–	2			3	–	3	–	2
Northwestern	3	–	2	–	1			3	–	4	–	1
Illinois	3	–	3	–	0			3	–	4	–	1
Minnesota	2	–	3	–	1			3	–	4	–	1
Indiana	2	–	3	–	0			2	–	4	–	2
Wisconsin	0	–	5	–	1			1	–	6	–	1
Chicago	0	–	3	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Northwestern was not ranked in the final AP poll, but it was ranked at No. 29 in the 1939 Williamson System ratings,^[3] and at No. 30 in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 7	Oklahoma*	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	L 0–23	45,000	^[5]
October 14	at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 0–13	55,622	^[6]
October 21	Wisconsin	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 13–7	40,000	^[7]
October 28	Illinois	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry)	W 13–0	35,000	^[8]
November 4	at Minnesota	Memorial Stadium Minneapolis, MN	W 14–7	53,200	^[9]
November 11	Purdue	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	L 0–3	40,000	^[10]
November 18	at No. 9 Notre Dame*	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	L 0–7	53,000	^[11]
November 25	No. 9 Iowa	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	T 7–7	40,000	^[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). 2007. p. 146. (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
2. "1939 Northwestern Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
3. Paul Williamson (December 8, 1941). "Texas Aggies Ranked Nation's Top". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
4. E. E. Litkenhous (December 31, 1939). "Vols Second In Final Litkenhous Grid Rankings; Southern California Tenth". Johnson City Sunday Press. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Wilfrid Smith (October 8, 1939). "Oklahoma Gives Wildcats Sharp Lesson, 23 to 0: Purple Errors Lead to 2 Touchdowns". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "State Blanks Northwestern, 13-0: Scott and Langhurst Score Touchdowns In Fourth Period Rally". Springfield News-Sun. October 15, 1939. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Edward Burns (October 22, 1939). "Northwetern Wins: Overcomes 7-0 Wisconsin Lead for 13-7 Edge". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Charles Bartlett (October 29, 1939). "Soper Runs 74 Yards in 13 to 0 Defeat of Illini". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "De Correvont Leads Wildcats to 14-7 Victory: Bill's 61 Yard Sprint Beats Minnesota". Chicago Tribune. November 5, 1939. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Arch Ward (November 12, 1939). "Purdue Stops N.U.'s Thrusts, Then Wins on Montague's Kick". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Jack Ledden (November 20, 1939). "Notre Dame Whips N.U., 7-0, in Drizzle: Piepul Makes Only Counter Late in Game; Wildcats Outplayed Before 53,000 Wet Fans". The South Bend Tribune. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Irving Vaughan (November 26, 1939). "Hawkeyes Score in Fourth Period To Tie Wildcats; Kinnick Is Hurt". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.