University of Minnesota Athletics
Ed Widseth - M Club Hall of Fame
Ed Widseth
Football, 1934-36
Baseball, 1934-36
HOF Class of 1991
Despite having very little prep football experience, when Ed Widseth came to the University of Minnesota he quickly became a star tackle, the anchor of a defensive line that led the Gophers to three national championships from 1934 through 1936.
A two-time All-American, Widseth served as captain and was team MVP during his final season. The teams on which he played went 23-1 during his Minnesota career. He also won two baseball letters as a Gopher first baseman and pitcher.
Widseth grew up in Gonvick in Clearwater County in northwest Minnesota and attended McIntosh High School. He studied agriculture and played football at the Northwest School of Agriculture in Crookston before moving on to the University of Minnesota after graduating in 1932.
After playing in the 1937 College All-Star game, Widseth played five seasons with the NFL's New York Giants, winning All-Pro honors three of those years.
After his gridiron career ended in 1941, Widseth was a recreational specialist in the military. Returning home, he became head football coach at St. Thomas University and coached the Tommies to a pair of MIAC titles.
The only Minnesota player named to the National Football Foundation's All-America squad from 1924 through 1948, Widseth was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1953.