1943 Purdue Boilermakers football team

The 1943 Purdue Boilermaker football team represented Purdue University in the 1943 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second year under head coach Elmer Burnham, the Boilermakers compiled an undefeated 9–0 record (6–0 Big Ten), outscored their opponents by a combined total of 214 to 55, and finished the season ranked #5 in the final AP Poll.[1]

1943 Purdue Boilermakers football
Big Ten co-champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
APNo. 5
1943 record9–0 (6–0 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPDick Barwegen
Home stadiumRoss–Ade Stadium
1943 Big Ten football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 5 Purdue + 6 –0 –0  9 –0 –0
No. 3 Michigan + 6 –0 –0  8 –1 –0
No. 9 Northwestern 5 –1 –0  6 –2 –0
Indiana 2 –3 –1  4 –4 –2
Minnesota 2 –3 –0  5 –4 –0
Illinois 2 –4 –0  3 –7 –0
Ohio State 1 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Wisconsin 1 –6 –0  1 –9 –0
Iowa 0 –4 –1  1 –6 –1
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1943 squad was the only undefeated team playing a full schedule in major college football, but finished third in the country per the AP Poll. This would seemingly be sufficient grounds for Purdue to claim a 1943 National Championship as the NCAA itself did not recognize champions in the era. However, Purdue has never pursued this claim.

The 1942 Purdue team had won only one game, but the 1943 team was bolstered with several new players who had been transferred to Purdue as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program.[2]

Purdue guard Alex Agase was selected as a consensus first-team player on the 1943 All-America Team,[3] and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Fullback Tony Butkovich was also selected as a first-team All-American by The Sporting News, the United Press, the Central Press, and Stars and Stripes newspaper. Butkovich led the Big Ten in scoring with 14 touchdowns despite missing the last two games after being called to active duty by the Marines; he was killed in action at the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945.

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendance
September 18at Great Lakes Navy*
W 23–1322,000
September 25at Marquette*
W 21–0
October 2Illinois
W 40–21
October 9Camp Grant*No. 7
  • Ross–Ade Stadium
  • West Lafayette, IN
W 19–0
October 16vs. Ohio StateNo. 5
W 30–740,000
October 23IowaNo. 4
  • Ross–Ade Stadium
  • West Lafayette, IN
W 28–7
October 30at WisconsinNo. 4
W 32–0
November 6at MinnesotaNo. 2
W 14–7
November 20IndianaNo. 3
W 7–0
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Players
  • Alex Agase, guard #95
  • Dick Barwegen, guard #21
  • Frank Bauman, end #74
  • Joe Buscemi #50
  • Dick Bushnell #29
  • Jack Butt #40
  • Tony Butkovich, #25, fullback
  • Jim Darr #70
  • Boris Dimancheff #87
  • Stan Dubicki, #22
  • Bump Elliott#18
  • John Genis, tackle #69
  • Herbert Hoffman, end #99
  • Tom Hughes #44
  • Mike Kasap, tackle #64
  • Bill Newell #96
  • Bill O'Keefe #34
  • Keith Parker #88
  • Bill Stuart #89
  • Sam Vacanti #33
  • John Staak, tackle #32
  • Lewis Rose, Halfback #36

Coaches and administrators

Season summary

Illinois
  • Tony Butkovich 12 rushes, 207 yards [5]

Ohio State
  • Tony Butkovich 36 rushes, 123 yards [6]
  • Babe Dimancheff 16 rushes, 122 yards [7]

Iowa
  • Tony Butkovich 19 rushes, 149 yards[8]

Wisconsin
  • Tony Butkovich 28 rushes, 147 yards [9]
  • Babe Dimancheff 15 rushes, 111 yards [10]

References
  1. "Purdue Yearly Results (1940-1944)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  2. "1943 Purdue Marines" (PDF). College Football Historical Society Newsletter.
  3. "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 6. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  4. 1944 Purdue yearbook, p. 217.
  5. 2020 Purdue Record Book. Retrieved 2020-Dec-20.
  6. 2020 Purdue Record Book. Retrieved 2021-Jan-01.
  7. 2020 Purdue Record Book. Retrieved 2021-Jan-01.
  8. 2020 Purdue Record Book. Retrieved 2020-Dec-27.
  9. 2020 Purdue Record Book. Retrieved 2020-Dec-27.
  10. 2020 Purdue Record Book. Retrieved 2021-Jan-02.
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