1942 Michigan State Spartans football team
1942 Michigan State Spartans football team
The Spartans represented Michigan State College as an independent during the 1942 college football season. Led by head coach Charlie Bachman in his 10th year, they finished with a 4–3–2 record. The team used the Notre Dame Box offense. Captains were Richard Mangrum and Walter L. Pawlowski, and the most valuable player was Richard Kieppe. Home games were played at Macklin Field.
In non-conference play, Michigan State tied Temple and Oregon State 7–7, beat West Virginia 7–0, and lost to Washington State 25–13. The Spartans were ranked No. 49 in the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1942.
The season included the annual rivalry game against Michigan, which the Wolverines won 20–0 at Ann Arbor on October 3, 1942, in front of 39,163 fans—the smallest crowd for the series since 1935. Don Kuzma was injured, and Don Robinson started at left halfback, scoring Michigan’s first touchdown in the third quarter. Michigan also scored on touchdowns by Frank Wardley and Warren Yaap, with Jim Briske adding two extra points.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:03 (CET).