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KARE 11's Danny Spewak explores historic Gophers football title in the days before WWII

"From the Gridiron to the Battlefield: Minnesota's March to a College Football Title and Into World War II" will be released in September.

MINNEAPOLIS — KARE 11 reporter Danny Spewak isn't just an award-winning journalist; he's also a published author.

Spewak recently completed work on a book detailing the historic run of the 1941 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, which went undefeated and won a national championship just 15 days before the attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into World War II.

Spewak also has a personal connection to the story: his grandfather played for the Gophers at the time.

"I was inspired to write the book through my grandfather, Jack Spewak, who was a member of the Gophers' freshman football team in 1941," Spewak said. "His varsity teammates were a memorable bunch, including Bruce Smith, the 1941 Heisman Trophy winner who accepted his award two days after Pearl Harbor."

Credit: Star Tribune
Jack Spewak, photographed for the Star Tribune in 1943.

"From the Gridiron to the Battlefield: Minnesota's March to a College Football Title and Into World War II" will be published in June by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.

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