1934 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The 1934 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, coached by Jock Sutherland, represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1934 college football season. The Panthers finished the regular season with eight wins and a single loss (to Minnesota at home) and were considered the champions of the East.[1] According to a 1967 Sports Illustrated article,[2] Parke H. Davis, whose selections from 1869–1933 are recognized as "major" in the official NCAA football records book,[3] named Pitt as one of that season's national champions, along with Minnesota, six months after his death on June 5, 1934.[4] The article contained a "list of college football's mythical champions as selected by every recognized authority since 1924," which has served as the basis of the university's historical national championship claims, with the legendary Davis having been the only major selector for three of them, including the posthumous 1934 pick.[5]

1934 Pittsburgh Panthers football
National champion Eastern champion
Conference	Independent
1934 record	8–1
Head coach	Jock Sutherland (11th season)
Offensive scheme	Single wing
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium

1934 Eastern college football independents records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Tufts			–					8	–	0	–	0
Trinity (CT)			–					7	–	0	–	0
La Salle			–					7	–	0	–	1
Franklin & Marshall			–					8	–	1	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					8	–	1	–	0
Colgate			–					7	–	1	–	0
Columbia			–					7	–	1	–	0
Princeton			–					7	–	1	–	0
Duquesne			–					8	–	2	–	0
Holy Cross			–					8	–	2	–	0
Temple			–					7	–	1	–	2
Syracuse			–					6	–	2	–	0
Bucknell			–					7	–	2	–	2
Army			–					7	–	3	–	0
Northeastern			–					6	–	1	–	1
Rochester			–					5	–	2	–	0
Dartmouth			–					6	–	3	–	0
Saint Anselm			–					6	–	3	–	0
Amherst			–					5	–	3	–	0
Fordham			–					5	–	3	–	0
Yale			–					5	–	3	–	0
Massachusetts State			–					5	–	3	–	1
CCNY			–					4	–	3	–	0
Providence			–					4	–	3	–	0
Drexel			–					4	–	3	–	1
Boston College			–					5	–	4	–	0
Bates			–					3	–	3	–	1
Middlebury			–					3	–	3	–	1
Penn			–					4	–	4	–	0
Penn State			–					4	–	4	–	0
Williams			–					4	–	4	–	0
Carnegie Tech			–					4	–	5	–	0
Washington & Jefferson			–					4	–	5	–	0
Villanova			–					3	–	4	–	2
NYU			–					3	–	4	–	1
Boston University			–					3	–	4	–	0
Colby			–					3	–	4	–	0
Springfield (MA)			–					2	–	3	–	3
Manhattan			–					3	–	5	–	1
Harvard			–					3	–	5	–	0
Vermont			–					2	–	4	–	2
Wesleyan			–					3	–	5	–	0
Brown			–					3	–	6	–	0
Geneva			–					2	–	5	–	2
Saint Joseph's			–					2	–	5	–	1
Cornell			–					2	–	5	–	0
Lafayette			–					2	–	6	–	0
Norwich			–					2	–	6	–	0
Bowdoin			–					0	–	6	–	1
Lowell Textile			–					0	–	7	–	1

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 29	Washington & Jefferson	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	W 26–6
October 6	at West Virginia	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	W 27–6
October 13	USC	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	W 20–6
October 20	Minnesota	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	L 7–13
October 27	at Westminster (PA)	New Wilmington, PA	W 30–0
November 3	Notre Dame	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	W 19–0
November 10	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	W 25–6
November 17	at Navy	Thompson Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 31–7
November 29	Carnegie Tech	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	W 20–0

[6]

List of national championship selectors

The 1915 team was selected or recognized as national champion by multiple selectors, of which Parke H. Davis' selection is recognized as "major" (i.e. national in scope) by the official NCAA football records book.[3] College Football Data Warehouse also recognized Pitt as 1915's national champion,[7] as did a "list of college football's mythical champions as selected by every recognized authority since 1924," printed in Sports Illustrated in 1967.[2] The article revealed that Parke Davis' selection of Pitt after he was dead was the historical basis of the university's 1934 national championship claim,[5] a selection that is not documented in the official NCAA football records book.[3]

These are the selectors that determined Pitt to be national champion in 1934, according to College Football Data Warehouse:

However, there are 41 selectors who chose Alabama and Minnesota (who defeated Pitt in Pittsburgh) as national champions for 1934,[4] including numerous "major" selectors (i.e., those that were "national in scope").[3]

After the death of Davis in June, 1934, Walter R. Okeson became the editor of the annual Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide, which Davis had previously edited. In the Guide, Davis had compiled a list titled, "Outstanding Nationwide and Sectional Teams," for the seasons from 1869 onward. For several years, Okeson continued to add annual selections to this list, described as "Originally Compiled by the late Parke H. Davis."[8]^:233–35 The 1935 Guide stated, in Okeson's review of the 1934 season, "Minnesota — Undefeated and untied, team was generally conceded to be national leader," and "Pittsburgh — Defeated only by Minnesota, team was generally rated as strongest in East."[8]^:173–74 Okeson listed both schools as "Outstanding Nationwide Teams" for 1934.[8]^:235

All-Americans

• Charles Hartwig, guard, Pitt's team captain. The following season his picture was put on a Wheaties cereal box for being a football hero. He battled back from an injury that caused him to miss his entire sophomore year. A media guide referred to him as a brilliant defensive player and workmanlike on offense. He was a Panther standout in the 1933 Rose Bowl. Played the 1935 East–West Shrine Game.[9]
• George Shotwell, center became an All-American for his offensive line play in 1934. He was highly regarded for his all-around skills. Shotwell was an intelligent football player known as a keen diagnostician of plays. "I have never seen his superior in this respect, and only a coach knows how valuable this quality is," Coach Jock Sutherland said.[9]
• Isadore Weinstock, fullback, a smart and aggressive fullback who became an All-American in 1934. He was known as a crack ball-handler, especially on trick plays such as double passes and fake reverses. Weinstock was a fine blocker and also played defensive back, kicked extra points and handled kickoff duties. After suffering a broken nose he became one of the first players to wear a face mask. He led the Panthers in scoring in 1934 with 63 points. After Pitt he went on to the NFL, where he played three seasons at quarterback for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.[9]

*Bold - Consensus All-American[10]

References

1. University of Pittsburgh 1975 football media guide. University of Pittsburgh. 1975. p. 54. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
2. Jenkins, Dan (September 11, 1967). "This Year The Fight Will Be In The Open". Sports Illustrated. Chicago, IL: Time, Inc. 27 (11): 30–33. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
3. 2012 NCAA Football Records (PDF). The National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2012. pp. 69–73. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
4. "1934 National Championships". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
5. Borghetti, E.J.; Nestor, Mendy; Welsh, Celeste, eds. (2008). 2008 Pitt Football Media Guide (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. p. 156. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
6. "University of Pittsburgh - 1934". College Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
7. "1915 National Championships". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
8. Okeson, Walter R., ed. (1935). Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide 1935. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2013-08-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
10. Consensus All-American designations based on the NCAA guide to football award winners Archived 2009-07-14 at the Wayback Machine