Ossie Solem, 1937-1945
Head Coach
All-Time Record at SU: 30-27-6 (.476)
Oscar "Ossie" Solem was hired before the start of the 1937 football season to succeed Hall of Fame coach Vic Hanson. A well-traveled coach, Solem had stints with the Luther College Norse, Drake Bulldogs and Iowa Hawkeyes before coming to Syracuse.
Solem would not disappoint in the early going, guiding SU to consecutive winning seasons in 1937 and 1938. The hard work of the team and its coaching staff resulted in the Orange's first top ten ranking in program history. Solem's squad clocked in at #10 in the fourth week of the season after outscoring its first three opponents, 99-17.
Solem's defenses were his calling card, as his teams held their opponents to under 100 points in four different seasons. After a two-year abseence from the rankings, the 1941 team recorded three more shutouts to register at #18. Over the team's first five games of the season, it outscored its foes 125-13. SU's defense would evolve into an exceptional mark of consistency, winning its first five the following season by a combined score of 127-13.
While at SU, Solem preached words of wisdom to a little-known assistant named Bud Wilkinson. Wilkinson would go on to have one of the most successful head coaching careers in college football history for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Just as SU was gathering steam, America's involvement in World War II forced the Orange to suspend football for the 1943 season. Like many football coaches in that era, Solem had a tough time picking up the pieces following the war. After the 1945 season, he left SU to take the head coaching position at Springfield College in Massachusetts.
Year
Won
Lost
Tied
Notes
1937
5
2
1
1938
5
3
0
First top ten ranking in program history (#10 after the third week)
1939
3
3
2
1940
3
4
1
Beat N.Y.U, 47-13, at Yankee Stadium
1941
5
2
1
Ranked #18 after 27-20 win at Wisconsin
1942
6
3
0
1943
N/A
N/A
N/A
PLAY SUSPENDED DUE TO WORLD WAR II
1944
2
4
1
1945
1
6
0
Career
30
27
6
