Pre-season During the
1938 season, Michigan compiled a 6–1–1 (3–1–1 Big Ten) record and a No. 16 ranking in its first season under head coach
Fritz Crisler. Three players from the 1938 team,
Ralph Heikkinen,
Jack Brennan and Norm Purucker, were on rosters of
National Football League teams when the 1939 season began, though Purucker was released before appearing in any regular season games. The 1939 team returned the core of its 1938 backfield, including quarterback
Forest Evashevski and halfbacks
Tom Harmon and
Paul Kromer, who had become known in 1938 as the "Touchdown Twins". On the line, the Wolverines returned their starting center
Archie Kodros, who had been selected as the 1939 team captain at the close of the 1938 season. However, the Wolverines lost all four of their starting tackles and guards, including All-American guard
Ralph Heikkinen. Before the season began, the
Associated Press opined that Michigan, "apparently with plenty of backfield speed and power, will be hard to stop if Coach Fritz Crisler can mold a good line." One week before the season started,
Irving Kane Pond, the man who in
1879 scored the first touchdown in Michigan football history and later became a renowned architect, died in
Washington, D.C. Week 1: Michigan State On October 7, 1939, Michigan opened its season with a 26 to 13 victory over
Charlie Bachman's
Michigan State team. The game, the 34th played between the two programs, was played at
Michigan Stadium before 68,618 spectators that
The New York Times called "a howling throng." Michigan's starting lineup against Michigan State was
Ed Frutig (left end), Roland Savilla (left tackle),
Ralph Fritz (left guard), Kodros (center),
Milo Sukup (right guard), William Smith (right tackle), John Nicholson (right end), Evashevski (quarterback), Kromer (left halfback), Harmon (right halfback), and
Bob Westfall (fullback). The game was played before a crowd of 27,512.
Week 3: at Chicago On October 21, 1939, Michigan defeated
Chicago by an 85 to 0 score. The game was the 26th and final match in the
Chicago–Michigan football rivalry. What had once become a fierce rivalry had become a one-sided affair after the departure of Chicago coach
Amos Alonzo Stagg.
Tom Harmon scored two touchdowns on runs of 57 and 41 yards, threw two touchdown passes (to
Forest Evashevski and
Bob Westfall), and kicked three PATs and one field goal. Westfall and
Dave Strong each scored two touchdowns, and the remaining touchdowns were scored by Bob Zimmerman,
Hercules Renda, Ed Czak,
Fred Trosko, and
David M. Nelson (on a 55-yard punt return). In addition to Harmon's three PATs, additional PATs were kicked by William Melzow (4), James Grissen, Evashevski and Trosko.
Week 4: Yale On October 28, 1939, Michigan defeated
Yale by a 27 to 7 score in the fourth and final played game, dating back to 1881, between the two programs. Michigan had compiled a 1-2 record in the prior three games.
Tom Harmon scored three touchdowns and kicked three PATs for Michigan.
Paul Kromer scored Michigan's other touchdown. Michigan had 353 rushing yards to 35 for Yale. Michigan's starting lineup against Yale was
Ed Frutig (left end), Roland Savilla (left tackle),
Ralph Fritz (left guard), Kodros (center),
Milo Sukup (right guard), William Smith (right tackle), John Nicholson (right end), Forest Evashevski (quarterback), Kromer (left halfback), Harmon (right halfback), and
Bob Westfall (fullback).
Week 5: at Illinois On November 4, 1939, Michigan played
Illinois at
Memorial Stadium in
Champaign, Illinois. The game was the 25th meeting between the two programs with Michigan having won in 1937 and 1938. Michigan came into the game ranked #2 in the
AP Poll, but lost to Illinois, which was 0-4 to that point in the season, by a 16 to 7 score. The
Chicago Tribune wrote of Illinois that "a football season that began dismally reached a hysterical climax."
Week 6: Minnesota On November 11, 1939, Michigan lost its second consecutive game, falling by a 20 to 7 score to a
Minnesota squad that came into the game with three losses and no victories against a Big Ten opponent. The game was the 30th between the programs, with Minnesota having won the previous five games under head coach
Bernie Bierman. T Minnesota jumped to a 20 to 0 lead with touchdowns in the first, third and fourth quarters. Minnesota's touchdown in the third quarter came on a 59-yard run by halfback
George Franck. In the fourth quarter, Michigan finally scored on touchdown pass from
Tom Harmon to
Paul Kromer. Harmon kicked for the PAT. Michigan's starting lineup against Minnesota was Joe Rogers (left end), Roland Savilla (left tackle),
Ralph Fritz (left guard),
Archie Kodros (center),
Milo Sukup (right guard), William Smith (right tackle), John Nicholson (right end), Ingalls (quarterback),
Paul Kromer (left halfback), Harmon (right halfback), and
Bob Westfall (fullback).
Week 7: at Penn On November 18, 1939, Michigan defeated
Penn by a 19 to 17 score at
Franklin Field in
Philadelphia. The game was the 16th meeting between the two programs.
Tom Harmon scored two of Michigan's touchdowns, including a 63-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, returned a punt for 40 yards, threw a 30-yard pass to Ed Czak for Michigan's third touchdown, and was successful on one of three kicks for PAT. Harmon gained 202 yards from scrimmage and an overall total of 294 yards, including passes and punt and kickoff returns.
Frank Reagan of Penn totaled 356 yards, including 188 yards passing. Michigan center
Archie Kodros played all 60 minutes for Michigan.
Week 8: Ohio State On November 25, 1939, Michigan defeated
Francis Schmidt's
Ohio State Buckeyes by a 21 to 14 score. The game was the 36th meeting in the
Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry. After Schmidt's teams had won four straight games from 1934 to 1937, the Wolverines had defeated the Buckeyes in 1938 in Michigan's first year under
Fritz Crisler. Despite the loss, Ohio State won its first Big Ten championship since 1920.
Post-season In the post-season rankings by Frank Dickinson, the University of Illinois professor who developed the
Dickinson System for determining college football's national championship,
USC ranked first with 25.73 points, and Michigan ranked seventh with 22.5 points. In the final
AP Poll,
Texas A&M was ranked No. 1, and the Wolverines were ranked No. 20. With respect to individual honors, halfback
Tom Harmon was Michigan's most decorated player in 1939. Harmon was selected as Michigan's Most Valuable Player, and a first-team halfback on the
All-Big Ten Conference team. He placed second behind
Iowa's
Nile Kinnick in the voting for the
Heisman Trophy, with Kinnick receiving 651 points to 405 for Harmon. Harmon also placed second behind Kinnick in the voting for the
Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the
Big Ten Conference. Quarterback
Forest Evashevski was also honored as a first-team All-Big Ten player. Known as one of the country's best blocking backs, Evashevski was voted by his teammates at the end of the season to serve as captain of the
1940 Michigan team. In December 1939, Michigan's longtime rival, the
University of Chicago, announced that it was dropping its football program. Chicago's decision opened the way for a new university to join the
Big Ten Conference, with the leading candidates being Pitt, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Nebraska. In the end, the conference did not immediately add another university to replace Chicago. It was not until 1953 that the conference added Michigan State as its tenth team. ==Players==