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1948 Purdue Boilermakers football team

1948 Purdue Boilermakers football
ConferenceBig Nine Conference
Record3–6 (2–4 Big Nine)
Head coach
MVPHarry Szulborski
CaptainPhil O'Reilly
Home stadiumRoss–Ade Stadium
Seasons
← 1947
1949 →
1948 Big Nine Conference football standings
Conf Overall
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
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

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

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 25at Notre Dame*
L 27–2859,343
October 2at Northwestern
L 0–2137,000
October 9No. 7 MichigandaggerNo. 15
L 0–4047,152
October 16at Iowa
W 20–1347,000
October 23at Illinois
L 6–1056,451
October 30Marquette*
  • Ross–Ade Stadium
  • West Lafayette, IN
W 14–932,000
November 6at No. 19 Minnesota
L 7–3466,953
November 13Pittsburgh*
  • Ross–Ade Stadium
  • West Lafayette, IN
L 13–2030,000–35,000[4]
November 20Indiana
W 39–047,000
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[5]

Rankings

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See also: 1948 NCAA football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP15————————

Roster

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[6]

Game summaries

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Marquette

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Minnesota

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Indiana

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References

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  1. ^ "Purdue Yearly Results (1945–1949)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  2. ^ "1948 Purdue Boilermakers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  3. ^ "Michigan, Irish Finish 1-2 in Litkenhous Ratings". Wilmington Morning News. December 15, 1948. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "2022 Purdue Football Record Book" (PDF). Purdue University Athletics. p. 85. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  6. ^ "All-Time Letterwinners". Purdue University Athletics. Retrieved January 21, 2025.