Factoid 232 - The 1951 College Football season.

In 1951 there were 116 teams playing in Division 1. Five teams would lay claim to the national championship: Georgia Tech; Illinois; Maryland; Michigan State; and Tennessee.

Tennessee started the season as the #1 team and finished #1; they were also the consensus national champion. They were coached by Robert Neyland and
went 10 -1, losing to Maryland in the Sugar Bowl. Various polls finished their rankings before the Bowl Games, hence the reason Tennessee could lose its last game and still finish number one.

National Champions

• Georgia Tech 11–0–1 Bobby Dodd (B(QPRS), BS) *
• Illinois 9–0–1 Ray Eliot (BS) *
• Maryland 10–0 Jim Tatum (CFRA, DeS, DuS, NCF, SR) *
• Michigan State 9–0 Biggie Munn (BR, HAF, PS) *
• Tennessee 10–1 Robert Neyland (AP, L, UPI, WS) */**

• "Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page appeared as the No. 1 single on Billboard and Cashbox charts.
• The first NBA All-Star game was played in the Boston Garden.
• The Catcher in the Rye was first published by J. D. Salinger.