Dunkel System

{{Short description|American college football rating system}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Dunkel System

| abbreviation = DuS

| logo = File:Dick Dunkel's College Football Power Index ad.png

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| formation = 1929

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| purpose = college football ratings, national championship selections

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| homepage = https://www.dunkelindex.com/

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The Dunkel System, also known as the Dunkel College Football Index,{{cite news|title=Simple, says Dunkel|newspaper=Tucson Daily Citizen|date=November 11, 1976|page=43|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4081691/simple_says_dunkel/}}{{cite news|title=Dunkel rates Huskers fourth|newspaper=Columbus Telegram|date=November 27, 1974|page=50|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4081718/dunkel_rates_huskers_4th/}} is a college football rating system developed in 1929 by Richard C. "Dick" Dunkel, Sr. (1906–1975), to determine a national champion.{{cite web|title=About Us|publisher=Dunkel Index|accessdate=January 19, 2016|url=http://www.dunkelindex.com/the-index/}} Dunkel rated college football teams from 1929 until his death in 1975. His ratings are recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in its Football Bowl Subdivision record book.{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2015/FBS.pdf |title=National Poll Rankings |author=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |year=2015|work=NCAA Division I Football Records |publisher=NCAA |pages=105–106 |accessdate=January 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709225355/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2015/FBS.pdf |archive-date=July 9, 2016 |url-status=dead}} The NCAA describes Dunkel's methodology as a "power index system." Dunkel described his system an index and claimed that "his difference by scores is scientifically produced."{{cite news|title=Dick Dunkel|newspaper=The Daily Standard (MO)|date=September 9, 1966|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4081661/dick_dunkel/}} It was cited as the first college football ratings system.{{Citation| last =| first =| year =1978| title =Dunekl: Oldest Index in US| publisher=The Sacramento Bee| publication-place = web | page=| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/620943655/?terms=Michael%20Droese%20sprinter| access-date = 13 March 2023}}

From the late 1930s through the early 1960s, Dunkel also hosted a weekly radio program called "Dick Dunkel Football Forecasts".{{cite news|title=Football Forecast on KRNR Program|newspaper=The News-Review|date=October 20, 1938|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/93627937/?terms=dunkel%2Bfootball%2Bforecasts}}{{cite news|title=Spotlight Features|newspaper=The Lincoln Star|date=October 17, 1939|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4081507/spotlight_features/}}{{cite news|title=Tonight|newspaper=The Ogden Standard-Examiner|date=November 24, 1939|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4081528/tonight/}} He also issued college basketball forecasts and rankings in conjunction with Converse, starting in the 1940s.{{cite news|title=I May Be Wrong|author=Walt Dobbins|newspaper=The Nebraska State Journal|date=January 5, 1944|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4081606/i_may_be_wrong/}}{{cite news|title=Four New Teams Rated in Top Ten|newspaper=Delaware County Daily Times|date=January 23, 1947|page=31|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4081626/four_new_teams_rated_in_top_ten/}}

Dunkel died at age 69 in December 1975 at Daytona Beach, Florida.{{cite news|title=Dick Dunkel Dies|newspaper=Cumberland Evening Times|date=December 5, 1975|page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4081755/dick-dunkel-dies/}} From 1975 to 2002, Dunkel's son, Dick Dunkel, Jr., continued to issue ratings, but the popularity of the syndicated service declined. Starting in 2002, the rankings were prepared jointly by Dick Dunkel, Jr., Bob Dunkel, and John Duck, executive producer of the Daytona Beach News Journal.