Factoid 37 - College Football from 1930 to 1939

Four schools would add Division One college football to their sports programs in the 1930s; this was the smallest number of schools added for a decade ever, but was the start of a trend in which very few schools would join NCAA Division 1 in the following decades. Essentially, only a small number of colleges could afford to start these types of programs, which most of the big schools had already launched.

Thirteen different schools would claim a National Championship over the decade: Princeton; Michigan; Minnesota; Pitt; Notre Dame; Texas A&M; California; Alabama; USC; Purdue; SMY; TCU; and the Tennessee Volunteers. Minnesota, Pitt, and USC would each win three National Championships in this decade.

1935 saw the creation of the Associated Press Writer’s Poll to determine the National Championship, which for many would be the official championship, but not for all, as the Big Ten Conference would not allow its schools to participate in Bowl Games. This hurt them in the national polls, as many polls started to consider bowl games legitimate championship games.

By the end of the decade there were already five bowl games being played; Rose Bowl; Cotton Bowl; Sugar Bowl; Orange Bowl; and the Sun Bowl. Probably very few people at the time could imagine this would evolve into a 35 bowl system. 1935 was also the first year the Heisman Trophy was awarded.