The 1954 Luther Norse football team was an American football team that represented Luther College as a member of the Iowa Conference during the 1954 college football season. In their third year under head coach Edsel Schweizer, the Norse compiled a perfect 9–0 record (6–0 in conference games), won the conference championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 312 to 78.[1]
| 1954 Luther Norse football | |
|---|---|
Iowa Conference champion | |
| Conference | Iowa Conference |
| Record | 9–0 (6–0 Iowa) |
| Head coach |
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Luther $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wartburg | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dubuque | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa Wesleyan | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buena Vista | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parsons | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central (IA) | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simpson | 0 | – | 4 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Upper Iowa | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Luther ranked fifth in the NAIA with an average of 395.5 yards of total offense (350 rushing, 45 passing) per game. On defense, Luther ranked third in the NAIA, limited opponents to an average of 66 rushing yards and 79 passing yards per game.[2]
Six Luther players were selected as first-team players on the 1954 All-Iowa Conference football team: quarterback Dick Rundle; fullback Jack Schultz; halfback Don Nesheim; guards Bob Lee and Bob Pederson; tackle and Charles Engen. Two others received second-tea honors: center Bill Losen and end Ken Vinge. Tackle Gene Ersland received honorable mention.[3] Rundle and Schultz were selected as team captains for 1955.[4] Nesheim led the team with 808 rushing yards and an average of 8.8 yards per carry. Schultz led the team in scoring with 72 points on 12 touchdowns. Rundle led in passing, completing 16 of 40 passes for 268 yards, three interceptions, and three touchdowns.[2]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17 | at Simpson | Indianola, IA | W 26–0 | [5][6] | |||
| September 25 | Northland* | Decorah, IA | W 40–18 | [7] | |||
| October 2 | at Buena Vista | Storm Lake, IA | W 19–0 | [8] | |||
| October 9 | at Upper Iowa | Fayette, IA | W 32–13 | [9] | |||
| October 16 | Wartburg | Decorah, IA | W 28–7 | [10] | |||
| October 23 | Iowa Wesleyan | Decorah, IA | W 42–14 | 4,000 | [11][12] | ||
| October 30 | at Augustana (IL)* |
| W 48–13 | [13] | |||
| November 6 | Central (IA) | Decorah, IA | W 32–7 | [14] | |||
| November 13 | Loras* | Decorah, IA | W 45–6 | [15] | |||
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