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; in two of those seasons he named an All-American.
Widseth, who had grown up on a dairy farm in Crookston in northwest Minnesota, was captain and MVP of the 1936 Gophers. The teams on which he played went 24-1 during his Minnesota career. He also won two baseball letters as a Gopher first baseman and pitcher.
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.