1953 Michigan State Spartans football team

1953 Michigan State Spartans football
Rose Bowl, W 28–20 vs. UCLA
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 3
1953 record	9–1 (5–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Clarence Munn
Seasons

1953 Big Ten football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#3/3 Michigan State §	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
#7/7 Illinois §	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	1
#15/14 Wisconsin	4	–	1	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
#NR/20 Ohio State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Minnesota	3	–	3	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
#20/19 Michigan	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
#9/10 Iowa	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	3	–	1
Purdue	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Indiana	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
§ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll

The 1953 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1953 college football season. This was the Spartans' inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference and had them winning the league along with Illinois with a 5–1 record. They represented the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl, defeating UCLA 28–20 and finished ranked 3rd in both the AP and Coaches' polls.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 26, 1953		at Iowa		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA		W 21–7	?
October 3, 1953		at Minnesota		Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN		W 21–0	?
October 10, 1953*		[[{{{school}}}|TCU]]		Macklin Stadium • East Lansing, MI		W 26–19	?
October 17, 1953		Indiana		Macklin Stadium • East Lansing, MI		W 47–18	?
October 24, 1953		at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN		L 0–6	?
October 31, 1953*		at Oregon State		Macklin Stadium • East Lansing, MI		W 34–6	?
November 7, 1953		Ohio State		Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH		W 28–13	?
November 14, 1953		Michigan		Macklin Stadium • East Lansing, MI		W 14–6	51,421
November 21, 1953*		Marquette		Macklin Stadium • East Lansing, MI		W 21–15	?
January 1, 1954*		vs. UCLA		Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	NBC	W 28–20	100,500
*Non-Conference Game.

Rivalries

• In the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy, the Spartans defeated Michigan.