By Darin In this episode, we talk about the history of College Football in 1936. The Football History Rewind Series Part 78 goes through the rules revisions, the big games, the star players, a new source for ranking teams, and the top teams of the season.
1936: The Year That Changed College Football Forever
If you could hop into a "way back machine" and pick one season that defined the modern landscape of college football, 1936 would be a top contender. This wasn't just another year of leather helmets and hard-nosed rushing; it was the birth of the ranking systems and individual accolades we still obsess over today.
Based on the latest episode of the Pigskin Daily History Dispatch with Darren Hayes, here is a breakdown of why 1936 was arguably the most significant season in the history of the gridiron.
The Birth of the AP Poll
Before 1936, determining a national champion was a bit of a mathematical guessing game. While systems like the Dickinson or UPI (coaches) polls existed, October 20, 1936, marked a revolution: the first Associated Press (AP) Poll.
- The Panel:35 sports writers from across the country.
- The Format:A Top 10 list (though they eventually ranked the top 20 based on points).
- The Legacy:This writers' poll remained the gold standard for crowning national champions for over 60 years until the BCS era began in 1998.
The Heisman Gets Its Name
While the trophy for the most outstanding player was first awarded in 1935 (won by Jay Berwanger), it was originally known as the Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) Trophy.
In 1936, the DAC renamed the award to honor the legendary innovator John Heisman. The first player to hoist the trophy under its iconic new name was Larry Kelly, an end from Yale. Kelly remains a legend, but the man the trophy is named after was a titan of the game—credited with legalizing the forward pass and originating the center snap.
Dominance in the North: The Minnesota Dynasty
On the field, the story of 1936 was written in "Maroon and Gold." The Minnesota Golden Gophers put together a season for the ages:
- Record:Undefeated.
- The Defense:They allowed a staggering average of only3.7 points per game.
- The Reward:They were the consensus national champions, sweeping the AP Poll, the Boand Trophy, and the Holgate Trophy.
While teams like Pitt, Alabama, and Fordham had incredible runs, none could quite catch the Gophers in the eyes of the new AP voters.
New Traditions and Iconic Names
The 1936 season also looked toward the future of the "Bowl Season." On January 1, 1937, the Dallas-Fort Worth area hosted the very first Cotton Bowl Classic, adding another pillar to the New Year’s Day tradition.
The All-American roster from this year reads like a "Who’s Who" of football immortality:
- Sammy Baugh(TCU)
- Ace Parker(Duke)
- Larry Kelly(Yale)
- Alex Wojciechowicz(Fordham)
Final Whistle
From the first AP ballot to the first Heisman presentation, 1936 was the year college football grew up. It shifted from a regional pastime into a national conversation—one that we are still having every Saturday afternoon.
Fun Fact from the Sidelines: According to our "Coach" in the podcast intro, if your team is playing terrible, the least you can do is smell great. Shout out to Sterling Soap Company for keeping the 1936 locker rooms (and ours) fresh!
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