In their second year under head coach Elmer Burnham, the Boilermakers compiled an undefeated 9–0 record (6–0 Big Ten), outscored their opponents by a total of 214 to 55, and finished the season ranked No.
[1] The 1943 squad was the only undefeated team playing a full schedule in major college football, but finished fifth in the country per the AP Poll.
This would seemingly be sufficient grounds for Purdue to claim a 1943 National Championship as the NCAA itself did not recognize champions in the era.
[2] Purdue guard Alex Agase was selected as a consensus first-team player on the 1943 All-America Team,[3] and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Butkovich led the Big Ten in scoring with 14 touchdowns despite missing the last two games after being called to active duty by the Marines; he was killed in action at the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945.