1939 Cotton Bowl Classic

December 2025 August 2023 1939 Cotton Bowl Classic Cotton Bowl Classic 1939.png 3rd Cotton Bowl Classic 1938 3rd Cotton Bowl Classic Saint Mary's Gaels Saint Mary's Texas Tech Red Raiders Texas Tech 5–2 Independent 10–0 Border Slip Madigan Pete Cawthon 11 7 7 6 0 0 0 0 13 January 2 Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas   C Jerry Dowd (St. Mary’s)HB Elmer Tarbox (Texas Tech) Texas Tech Harry Viner 40,000 thumb|The Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, hosted the Cotton Bowl Classic. The 1939 Cotton Bowl Classic was the third edition of the postseason college football bowl game, between the St. Mary's Gaels and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e00bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KkwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1844%2C539533 Pittsburgh Press Huckabay Hugh Gaels stagger through as Red Raiders threaten January 3, 1939 23 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nLhRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a2kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4829%2C2295861 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette United Press Gaels flatten Texas Tech by 20-to-13 score January 3, 1939 13https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bntIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OA4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5347%2C728526 Milwaukee Sentinel Associated Press McKnight Felix R. Gaels defeat Texas Tech by 20-13 score January 3, 1939 12 Background Texas Tech was undefeated and ranked 11th in the final AP poll (released in early December). Sportswriters had tagged the California-based Gaels as a "Cinderella" team, due to their tawdry 5–2 record, though the two blemishes were by narrow margins to ranked teams on the road. It was the first bowl game for unranked St. Mary's and the second for Texas Tech, which played in the previous season's Sun Bowl. Game summary Texas Tech committed eight turnovers in the game; five interceptions and three fumbles. Entering the fourth quarter, the Gaels led 20–0 with a touchdown scored in each quarter; runs by Ed Heffernan and Michael Klotovich in the first half and Whitey Smith's interception return in the third quarter. Texas Tech scored twice in the fourth quarter on touchdown catches by Elmer Tarbox and E.J. McKnight from Gene Barnett. The extra point on the second score was blocked and the score was 20–13. Tech nearly tied the game when George Webb caught a pass from Barnett, heading for daylight until Lou Rimassa stopped him in St. Mary's territory. But Tech could only advance to St. Mary's 15-yard line and they failed to score; St. Mary's held on to win in one of the biggest upsets in college football history.14-25.pmd (PDF) https://www.cottonbowl.com/documents/2019/10/14//1939_Classic_Recap.pdf?id=27 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic 30 July 2023 en Statistics Attendance was recorded as 40,000.3rd Classic, 1939 - 2023-24 - Cotton Bowl Classics History https://www.cottonbowl.com/sports/classics/roster/3rd-classic-1939/188 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic 30 July 2023 en 60% Statistics Saint Mary's Texas TechFirst downs 11 7Rushing yards 180 73Passing yards 22 210Interceptions 2 5Total yards 202 283Fumbles lost 1 3Penalties–yards 8–655–30Punts–average 11–47.5 11–34.3 thumb|center|upright=1.2|Action between St. Mary's and Texas Tech Aftermath St. Mary's played in two more bowl games, in the mid-1940s, and lost both. The program was dropped in 1951 and later returned joined Division II, and moved up to Division I-AA in the 1990s; the football program was discontinued prior to the 2004 season. Texas Tech did not reach a Cotton Bowl again until 1995; the Red Raiders have yet to win in four appearances. References Cotton Bowl Classic Category:Cotton Bowl Classic Category:Saint Mary's Gaels football bowl games Category:Texas Tech Red Raiders football bowl games Cotton Bowl Category:January 1939 sports events in the United States