1940 Purdue Boilermakers football team

The 1940 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1940 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Mal Elward, the Boilermakers compiled a 2–6 record (1–4 record against conference opponents), finished in eighth place in the Big Ten Conference, and were outscored by opponents by a total of 106 to 96.^[1][2]

1940 Purdue Boilermakers football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	2–6 (1–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Mal Elward (4th season)
MVP	David Rankin
Captain	David Rankin
Home stadium	Ross–Ade Stadium
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

1940 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Minnesota $	6	–	0	–	0			8	–	0	–	0
No. 3 Michigan	3	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
No. 8 Northwestern	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Ohio State	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Wisconsin	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Iowa	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Indiana	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Purdue	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
Illinois	0	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Purdue was ranked at No. 29 (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
September 28	Butler*	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	W 28–0	17,500	^[4]
October 5	at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 14–17	54,556	^[5]
October 12	at Michigan State*	Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	L 7–20	16,500	^[6]
October 26	Wisconsin	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	L 13–14	22,000	^[7]
November 2	at Iowa	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	W 21–6	40,000	^[8]
November 9	at No. 17 Fordham*	Polo Grounds New York, NY	L 7–13	28,576	^[9]
November 16	at No. 1 Minnesota	Memorial Stadium Minneapolis, MN	L 6–33	30,163	^[10]
November 23	Indiana	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (Old Oaken Bucket)	L 0–3	30,000	^[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

References

1. . College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
2. "1940 Purdue Boilermakers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
3. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 19, 1940). "Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
4. W. Blaine Patton (September 29, 1940). "Purdue Turns Back Butler in Gridiron Opener: Big 10 Team Triumphs by 28-0 Margin". The Indianapolis Sunday Star. p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Howell, Fritz (October 6, 1940). "Ohio State Barely Beats Purdue". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Associated Press. p. 8S. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. George S. Alderton (October 13, 1940). "Spartans Beat Purdue's Boilermakers, 20 To 7". Lansing State Journal. pp. 17, 18 – via Newspapers.com.
7. W. Blaine Patton (October 27, 1940). "Wisconsin Nips Purdue in Final Seconds, 14-13: Pass on Last Play Settles Big Ten Game". The Indianapolis Star. pp. 41, 45 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Bert McGrane (November 3, 1940). "Purdue Rolls Over Iowa, 21-6: Hawks Lack Punch". Des Moines Sunday Register. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Jack Smith (November 10, 1940). "Fordham Triumphs Over Purdue, 13-7". New York Daily News. p. 94 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Bill Kimball (November 17, 1940). "Weatherman Aids Gopher Team on Dad's Big Day". Minneapolis Star Journal. pp. Peach 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Harold Harrison (November 24, 1940). "Field Goal in Final Seconds Gives Indiana 3-0 Victory Over Purdue: White And Zimmer In I.U. Hall Of Fame". The Muncie Sunday Star. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "2022 Purdue Football Record Book" (PDF). Purdue University Athletics. p. 84. Retrieved January 29, 2023.