1950 Michigan State Spartans football team

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1950 Michigan State Spartans football
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 8
Record8–1
Head coach
MVPSonny Grandelius
CaptainLeRoy R. Crane
Home stadiumMacklin Stadium
Seasons
← 1949
1951 →
1950 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Valparaiso   –   9 – 1 – 0
No. 8 Michigan State   –   8 – 1 – 0
Xavier   –   8 – 1 – 0
John Carroll   –   8 – 2 – 0
Baldwin–Wallace   –   5 – 2 – 1
Marquette   –   5 – 3 – 1
Wabash   –   4 – 2 – 3
Butler   –   4 – 4 – 1
Notre Dame   –   4 – 4 – 1
Toledo   –   4 – 5 – 0
Bowling Green   –   3 – 4 – 2
Dayton   –   4 – 6 – 0
Youngstown   –   3 – 5 – 0
Ball State   –   2 – 4 – 1
Washington University   –   2 – 7 – 0
Wayne   –   2 – 7 – 0
Indiana State   –   1 – 7 – 1
Rose Poly   –   0 – 8 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1950 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College as an indepdennt during the 1950 college football season. In their fourth season under head coach Clarence Munn, the Spartans compiled an 8–1 record and were ranked No. 8 in the final AP Poll.[1][2]

Two Spartans received first-team honors on the 1950 College Football All-America Team. Fullback Sonny Grandelius received first-team honors from the Associated Press,[3] International News Service,[4] and Central Press Association,[5] and end Dorne Dibble received the honors from the Football Writers Association of America.[6]

The 1950 Spartans won their annual rivalry games against Notre Dame by a 36–33 score and against Michigan by a 14–7 score.[2] In intersectional play, the Spartans beat Oregon State (6–0), William & Mary (33–14), and Pittsburgh (19–0), but lost to Maryland (34–7).[2]

Schedule[edit]

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23Oregon StateNo. 19
W 38–1332,500
September 30at No. 3 MichiganNo. 19
W 14–797,239
October 7MarylandNo. 2
  • Macklin Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
L 7–3439,376[7]
October 14William & MarydaggerNo. 20
  • Macklin Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
W 33–1435,656[8]
October 21Marquette
  • Macklin Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
W 34–629,029
October 28at Notre DameNo. 15
W 36–3357,886
November 4IndianaNo. 13
  • Macklin Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI (rivalry)
W 35–045,237
November 11MinnesotaNo. 12
  • Macklin Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
W 27–047,361
November 18at PittsburghNo. 10
W 19–028,679
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries[edit]

Michigan[edit]

Week 1: Michigan State at Michigan
1 234Total
• Michigan St. 7 007 14
Michigan 0 070 7

Michigan, ranked No. 3 in the country, opened the 1950 season playing against Michigan State College in Ann Arbor. Though favored by two touchdowns, the Wolverines were upset by the Spartans 14–7. The defeat was Michigan's first loss in the opening game of a season since 1937. Michigan played most of the game without its leading player, Chuck Ortmann. Ortmann was injured while being tackled on a 35-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. On the next play, Ortmann dropped back to pass but fell to the ground and was unable to return to the game. Michigan State took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a touchdown run by Sonny Grandelius. Michigan tied the score in the third quarter on a touchdown pass from Don Peterson to Fred Pickard. Michigan's touchdown was set up when Frank Howell intercepted a Michigan State pass and returned it 32 yards to the Michigan State 20-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Michigan State returned a punt to the Michigan 19-yard line and scored on a run by Michigan State fullback Leroy Crane. Michigan drove to the Michigan State 10-yard line in the fourth quarter, but the drive ended when quarterback Bill Putich threw an interception.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State University. pp. 146, 154. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "1950 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  3. ^ "Two Platoons Selected for All-American Team". Janesville Daily Gazette. December 6, 1950.
  4. ^ Lawton Carver (November 27, 1950). "Youth Dominates INS All-America Teams". Lebanon Daily News.
  5. ^ "Central Press Captains' All-American". Titusville Herald. December 2, 1950.
  6. ^ "FWAA All America" (PDF). Football Writers Association of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  7. ^ "Terps upset MSC, 34–7". Port Huron Times Herald. October 8, 1950. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Michigan State downs William & Mary, 33–14". Wisconsin State Journal. October 15, 1950. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "97,239 See Michigan State Vanquish Wolverines, 14-7". The New York Times. October 1, 1950.


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