College Football's Dynasties
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- Coach Bernie Bierman
- RB Bruce Smith
- More Gophers
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Why it started? If the AP poll had launched a few years earlier, Bierman's Minnesota teams would have sat atop it. The Gophers went 8-0 in both 1934 and 1935, and claimed a NCAA-record third consecutive national title in 1936. Although Minnesota's title streak ended the following year, it continued to dominate the Big Ten with consecutive championships in 1937 and 1938.
Why it ended? The incredible stretch included two more national titles (1940, 1941) before Bierman enlisted in the Marines in January 1942 to serve during World War II. He returned to coach Minnesota in 1945 but never reclaimed the same dominance at the school.
Did you know? Bud Wilkinson, who would go on to coach his own dynasty at Oklahoma, quarterbacked the Gophers from 1934 to 1936. --Adam Rittenberg
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