1948 Purdue Boilermakers football team
| 1948 Purdue Boilermakers football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Nine Conference |
| Record | 3–6 (2–4 Big Nine) |
| Head coach |
|
| MVP | Harry Szulborski |
| Captain | Phil O'Reilly |
| Home stadium | Ross–Ade Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Michigan $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Northwestern | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Minnesota | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1948 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1948 Big Nine Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Stu Holcomb, the Boilermakers compiled a 3–6 record, finished in a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten Conference with a 2–4 record against conference opponents, and were outscored by their opponents by a total of 175 to 126.[1][2]
Several players from the 1948 team went on to have successful careers in football, both at the professional level and in coaching. Notable players from the 1948 Purdue team included halfback Harry Szulborski and tackle Phil O'Reilly.
Purdue was ranked at No. 34 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System ratings for 1948.[3] Despite the challenges, the season helped lay the groundwork for future improvements in the program under Coach Holcomb's leadership.
Schedule
[edit]| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | at Notre Dame* | L 27–28 | 59,343 | |||
| October 2 | at Northwestern | L 0–21 | 37,000 | |||
| October 9 | No. 7 Michigan | No. 15 | L 0–40 | 47,152 | ||
| October 16 | at Iowa | W 20–13 | 47,000 | |||
| October 23 | at Illinois | L 6–10 | 56,451 | |||
| October 30 | Marquette* |
| W 14–9 | 32,000 | ||
| November 6 | at No. 19 Minnesota | L 7–34 | 66,953 | |||
| November 13 | Pittsburgh* |
| L 13–20 | 30,000–35,000 | [4] | |
| November 20 | Indiana |
| W 39–0 | 47,000 | ||
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Rankings
[edit]| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Roster
[edit]- Norbert Adams, HB
- Bob Agnew, FB
- Pete Barbolak, T
- John Beletic, T
- Ronald Bland, E
- Herb Campfield, FB
- John Considine, T
- Clement Crowe, C
- Bill Deem, G
- Bob DeMoss, QB
- Bill Feldkircher, QB
- Abe Gibron, G
- Ken Gorgal, QB
- Bob Grant, T
- Clyde Grimenstein, E
- Thomas Hard, G
- Bob Hartman, QB
- Bob Heck, E
- Bill Horvath, G-E
- Harley Jeffery, E
- Mike Kalapos, T
- Lou Karras, T
- John Kerestes, FB
- Steve Manich, HB
- Kenneth McCaffry, E
- Jack Milito, FB
- Bill Murray, G
- Phil O'Reilly, T
- George Punzelt, QB
- Elmer Scallish, G
- Stu Scheer, E
- Neil Schmidt, HB
- Rex Sebastian, E
- Kenneth Smith, G
- Bill Sprang, C
- Harry Szulborski, HB
- Jim Tate, T
- Rudy Trbovich, T
- Jim Weizer, G
- Bob Whitmer, E
Game summaries
[edit]Marquette
[edit]- Harry Szulborski 29 rushes, 171 yards
Minnesota
[edit]- Harry Szulborski 15 rushes, 160 yards
Indiana
[edit]- Harry Szulborski 34 rushes, 197 yards
- Norbert Adams 24 rushes, 148 yards
References
[edit]- ^ "Purdue Yearly Results (1945–1949)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ^ "1948 Purdue Boilermakers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ "Michigan, Irish Finish 1-2 in Litkenhous Ratings". Wilmington Morning News. December 15, 1948. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gordon Graham (November 15, 1948). "Kickoff Return Of 100 Yards Top Feature In Weird Football Clash". Lafayette Journal and Courier. Lafayette, IN. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "2022 Purdue Football Record Book" (PDF). Purdue University Athletics. p. 85. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "All-Time Letterwinners". Purdue University Athletics. Retrieved January 21, 2025.