1952 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1952 Big Ten Conference football season was the 57th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1952 college football season.
The 1952 Wisconsin Badgers football team, under head coach Ivy Williamson, compiled a 6–3–1 record, tied for the Big Ten championship, was ranked No. 10 in the final UP poll and No. 11 in the final AP poll, and lost to USC in the 1953 Rose Bowl. Tackle Dave Suminski was the team's only first-team All-American and was selected as the team's most valuable player. Sophomore Alan Ameche was a first-team All-Big Ten player, set a Wisconsin record with 946 rushing yards, and went on to win the 1954 Heisman Trophy.
The 1952 Purdue Boilermakers football team, under head coach Stu Holcomb, was the Big Ten co-champion and ranked No. 12 in the final UP poll and No. 18 in the final AP poll. Purdue end Bernie Flowers was the Big Ten's only consensus first-team All-American in 1952 and was the first Big Ten player selected in the 1953 NFL Draft. Dale Samuels was the first Purdue quarterback to pass for over 1,000 yards in a season.
The conference's statistical leaders included Illinois quarterback Tommy O'Connell with 1,761 passing yards and 1,724 yards of total offense, Alan Ameche with 946 rushing yards, and Indiana's Gene Gedman with 54 points scored.
Season overview
Results and team statistics
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP |
| 1 | Wisconsin | Ivy Williamson | #11 | #1 | 6–3–1 | 4–1–1 | 22.8 | 15.0 | Dave Suminski |
| 1 | Purdue | Stu Holcomb | #18 | #8 | 4–3–2 | 4–1–1 | 20.9 | 16.8 | Earl Heninger |
| 3 | Ohio State | Woody Hayes | #17 | #14 | 6–3 | 5–2 | 21.9 | 13.2 | Fred Bruney |
| 4 | Michigan | Bennie Oosterbaan | NR | #12 | 5–4 | 4–2 | 23.0 | 14.9 | Ted Topor |
| 5 | Minnesota | Wes Fesler | NR | NR | 4–3–2 | 3–1–2 | 14.6 | 19.0 | Paul Giel |
| 6 | Illinois | Ray Eliot | NR | #2 | 4–5 | 2–5 | 21.6 | 19.4 | Al Brosky |
| 7 | Northwestern | Bob Voigts | NR | NR | 2-6-1 | 2-5 | 18.4 | 28.0 | Chuck Hren |
| 7 | Iowa | Forest Evashevski | NR | NR | 2–7 | 2–5 | 13.4 | 24.4 | Bill Fenton |
| 9 | Indiana | Bernie Crimmins | NR | NR | 2–7 | 1–5 | 15.9 | 24.9 | Gene Gedman |
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1952 season
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1952 season
PPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold
PAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold
MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold
Preseason
Regular season
September 27
- Wisconsin 42, Marquette 19.
- Ohio State 33, Indiana 13.
- Purdue 20, Penn State 20.
- Michigan State 27, Michigan 13.
October 4
- Wisconsin 20, Illinois 6.
- Purdue 21, Ohio State 14.
- Stanford 14, Michigan 7.
October 11
- Ohio State 23, Wisconsin 14.
- Purdue 41, Iowa 14.
- Michigan 28, Indiana 13.
October 18
- Wisconsin 42, Iowa 13.
- Ohio State 35, Washington State 7.
- Notre Dame 26, Purdue 14.
- Michigan 48, Northwestern 14.
October 25
- UCLA 20, Wisconsin 7.
- Iowa 8, Ohio State 0.
- Purdue 40, Illinois 12.
- Michigan 21, Minnesota 0.
November 1
- Wisconsin 21, Rice 7.
- Ohio State 24, Northwestern 21.
- Michigan State 14, Purdue 7.
- Illinois 22, Michigan 13.
November 8
- Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 20.
- Pittsburgh 21, Ohio State 14.
- Minnesota 14, Purdue 14.
- Michigan 49, Cornell 7.
November 15
- Wisconsin 37, Indiana 14.
- Ohio State 27, Illinois 7.
- Michigan 21, Purdue 10.
November 22
- Minnesota 21, Wisconsin 21.
- Ohio State 27, Michigan 7.
- Purdue 21, Indiana 16.
Bowl games
Post-season developments
Awards and honors
All-Big Ten honors
The following players were picked by the Associated Press as first-team players on the 1952 All-Big Ten Conference football team. The AP picked separate offensive and defensive units, whereas the UP selected a single, eleven man unit.AP offense and UP overall selections
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
| Back | Alan Ameche | Wisconsin | AP, UP |
| Back | Paul Giel | Minnesota | AP, UP |
| Back | Tommy O'Connell | Illinois | AP, UP |
| Back | George Gedman | Indiana | AP |
| Back | Ted Kress | Michigan | UP |
| End | Joe Collier | Northwestern | AP, UP |
| End | Bernard Flowers | Purdue | AP, UP |
| Tackle | Roger Zatkoff | Michigan | AP , UP |
| Tackle | George Jacoby | Ohio State | AP |
| Tackle | David Suminski | Wisconsin | AP |
| Tackle | Ray Huizinga | Northwestern | UP |
| Guard | Bob Kennedy | Wisconsin | AP , UP |
| Guard | James Reichenbach | Ohio State | AP |
| Guard | Robert Timm | Michigan | AP |
| Guard | George O'Brien | Wisconsin | UP |
| Center | Walter Cudzik | Purdue | AP |
| Center | Dick O'Shaughnessy | Michigan | UP |
AP defensive unit
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
| Defensive end | Bill Fenton | Iowa | AP |
| Defensive end | Frank Wodziak | Illinois | AP |
| Defensive tackle | Fred Preziosio | Purdue | AP |
| Defensive tackle | Art Walker | Michigan | AP |
| Defensive guard | Bob Kennedy | Wisconsin | AP , UP |
| Defensive guard | Percy Zachary | Minnesota | AP |
| Linebacker | Roger Zatkoff | Michigan | AP , UP |
| Linebacker | Tony Curcillo | Ohio State | AP |
| Defensive back | Fred Bruney | Ohio State | AP |
| Defensive back | Robert McNamara | Minnesota | AP |
| Safety | Al Brosky | Illinois | AP |
All-American honors
At the end of the 1952 season, only one Big Ten player secured a consensus first-team pick on the 1952 College Football All-America Team. The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
| End | Bernie Flowers | Purdue | AAB, FWAA, NEA, TSN, UP, WCFF |
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
| End | Joe Collier | Northwestern | INS |
| Tackle | Dave Suminski | Wisconsin | AP |
| Guard | Mike Takacs | Ohio State | INS |
| Back | Paul Giel | Minnesota | AP, FWAA |
| Back | Lowell Perry | Michigan | NEA |
Other awards
Minnesota running back Paul Giel finished third in the voting for the 1952 Heisman Trophy.1953 NFL Draft
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1953 NFL Draft:| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
| Bernie Flowers | End | Purdue | 2 | 14 |
| Gene Gedman | Back | Indiana | 2 | 25 |
| Dale Samuels | Quarterback | Purdue | 3 | 28 |
| Fred Bruney | Back | Ohio State | 3 | 35 |
| Roger Zatkoff | Tackle | Michigan | 5 | 55 |
| Rex Smith | End | Illinois | 5 | 61 |
| Tony Curcillo | Back | Ohio State | 6 | 63 |
| Bob Kennedy | Guard | Wisconsin | 6 | 67 |
| Lowell Perry | End | Michigan | 8 | 90 |