The 1948 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

 in the 1948 college football season

1948 college football season

The 1948 college football season finished with several unbeaten teams. The Michigan Wolverines and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame were both unbeaten and untied, as were the California Golden Bears and the Clemson Tigers...

. The Wildcats won their first Rose Bowl

Rose Bowl Game

The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...

 in school history.

Season

Northwestern finished the season with an 8-2 record, losing only to perennial powerhouses Michigan

1948 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan during the 1948 college football season. The team's head coach was Bennie Oosterbaan. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.-Schedule:...

, 28-0, and Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...

, 17-12. Northwestern blanked UCLA

UCLA Bruins Football

The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...

, 19–0, Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers football

The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...

, 21–0, and Syracuse

Syracuse Orange football

The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...

, 48–0. NU rallied from three turnovers and a 16 point deficit to defeat Minnesota

Minnesota Golden Gophers football

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...

, 19–16, and beat Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes football

The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...

, 21–7, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers football

The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...

, 16–7, and Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini football

The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...

, 20–7. Big Nine Conference

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 rules prevented conference champion Michigan from making a successive trip to face the Rose Bowl, so second-place Northwestern won the bid instead.

Schedule

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Wildcats points	Opponents	Record
1	Sept. 25	@ UCLA	Win	19	0	1-0
2	Oct. 2	Purdue	Win	21	0	2-0
3	Oct. 9	Minnesota	Win	19	16	3-0
4	Oct. 16	@ Michigan	Loss	0	28	3-1
5	Oct. 23	Syracuse	Win	48	0	4-1
6	Oct. 30	Ohio State	Win	21	7	5-1
7	Nov. 6	Wisconsin	Win	16	7	6-1
8	Nov. 13	@ Notre Dame	Loss	7	12	6-2
9	Nov. 20	Illinois	Win	20	7	7-2
10	Jan. 1	vs. California	Win	20	14	8-2

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
George Sundheim	Back	12	115	New York Giants