1942 college football season

American college football season May 2023 1942 LA Coliseum scoreboard 1942.jpg 250 Rose Bowl scoreboard, preseason game of OSC (Army) v Duke All-Stars Ohio State Ohio State (AP)Georgia (various) 5 Frank Sinkwich (halfback, Georgia) The 1942 college football season was the 74th season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Six Conference, the Southern Conference, the Southwestern Conference, and numerous smaller conferences and independent programs. The season was the first after the entry of the United States into World War II. The teams ranked highest in the final AP poll in December 1942 were: The Ohio State Buckeyes won the Big Ten championship and compiled an overall record of 9–1 record with the team's one loss coming against No. 3 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes ranked second nationally in scoring offense (33.7 points per game) and fourth in total offense (397.5 yards per game). They were ranked No. 1 in the final AP Poll but did not appear in a bowl game. Gene Fekete led the Big Ten with 910 rushing yards. Ohio State was selected as the national champion by the Associated Press (AP). The Georgia Bulldogs won the SEC championship and had an overall record of 11–1, including a victory over UCLA in the 1943 Rose Bowl. The Bulldogs ranked first nationally with 429.5 yards of total offense per game and were voted second in the final AP Poll in December 1942, prior to the Rose Bowl.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records The National Collegiate Athletic Association July 2020 Indianapolis January 12, 2021 November 1, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201101032438/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf live The Wisconsin Badgers finished second in the Big Ten with an overall record of 8–1–1 record, including a 17–7 victory over eventual AP national champion Ohio State. They were ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. The Helms Athletic Foundation selected Wisconsin as 1942 national champions following the bowl games.January 11, 1943 Badgers Rated Nation's No. 1 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113302523/badgers-rated-nations-no-1-1942-helms/ Wisconsin State Journal Madison, Wisconsin November 18, 2022 The Tulsa Golden Hurricane won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship with a 10–1 record and was ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll. They ranked first nationally in scoring offense (39.5 points per game) and passing offense (233.9 yards per game). Glenn Dobbs ranked fourth nationally with 1,427 yards of total offense. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets finished second in the SEC and compiled a 9–2 record, including a loss to Texas in the 1943 Cotton Bowl Classic. They were ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll. Frank Sinkwich of Georgia won the Heisman Trophy and led the nation with 2,187 yards of total offense (including 1,392 passing yards), making him the first major-college player to tally more than 2,000 yards in a season. Paul Governali of Columbia won the Maxwell Award. The year's other statistical leaders included Rudy Mobley of Hardin-Simmons with 1,281 rushing yards, Ray Evans of Kansas with 1,117 passing yards, Harding Miller of SMU with 531 receiving yards, and Bob Steuber of Missouri with 121 points scored. With large numbers of college and professional football players serving in the armed forces, "service teams" competed against the college teams. In a separate AP Service poll, the final top teams were Great Lakes Navy (No. 1), Iowa Pre-Flight (No. 2), and Georgia Pre-Flight (No. 3). Conference and program changes Conference changes The Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which had been active since 1928, played its final season in 1942. The Northern Teachers Athletic Conference, an active NCAA Division II conference now known as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, changed its name to the State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota. Membership changes School 1941 Conference 1942 Conference American Eagles Mason-Dixon Dropped Program Centenary Gentlemen SIAA Dropped program Gonzaga (WA) Bulldogs Independent Dropped Program Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels IndependentDropped program Providence Friars IndependentDropped programTransylvania Pioneers SIAADropped program September On September 19, in Louisville, Georgia defeated Kentucky, 7–6. The following Friday, Georgia defeated the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, 14–0, in Macon. The soldiers at the Flight School at the University of Iowa, organized as the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks, overwhelmed Kansas, 61–0. Most schools got their seasons underway on September 26. Defending champion Minnesota beat Pittsburgh, 50–7. Duke beat Davidson 21–0. Notre Dame and Wisconsin played to a 7–7 tie in Madison. Illinois beat South Dakota 46–0. In Montgomery, Alabama beat South Louisiana Institute (later University of Louisiana at Lafayette), 54–0. Texas beat the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, 18–7. Michigan beat the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, 9–0. Before its smallest crowd since 1933 (22,555) Ohio State defeated a service team, the Fort Knox Armoraiders, 59–0."Ohio State Triumphs Over Fort Knox Soldiers," The Sunday Times-Signal (Zanesville, O.), Sep. 27, 1942, pII-6 Iowa Pre-Flight won again, at Northwestern, 20–12. October October 3 Minnesota's winning streak ended when the defending national champs lost their first game in almost four years, to the Seahawks of Iowa Pre-Flight (who just happened to be coached that season by "former" Minnesota head coach Bernie Bierman who had taken leave from Minnesota to serve as an officer in the military during World War II), 7–6. Ohio State beat Indiana 32–21. Michigan beat Michigan State 20–0. Illinois defeated Butler 67–0. Texas beat LSU 27–14. Notre Dame lost to Georgia Tech 13–6. Georgia defeated Furman 40–7. Alabama beat Mississippi State 21–6. Duke lost at Wake Forest, 20–7. October 10 Minnesota lost at Illinois, 20–13. Ohio State beat visiting USC, 28–12. Michigan lost to Iowa Pre-Flight, 26–14. Georgia beat Ole Miss, 48–13, at Memphis. In Mobile, Alabama defeated the Pensacola NAS, 27–0. Texas lost at Tulane, 18–7. In the poll that followed, the Top Five consisted of three teams from the Big Nine (No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan, and No. 5 Illinois) and two from the SEC (No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama). October 17 No. 1 Ohio State beat Purdue 26–0. No. 2 Georgia beat Tulane 40–0. No. 3 Michigan defeated Northwestern 34–16. In Birmingham, No. 4 Alabama beat No. 15 Tennessee, 8–0. No. 5 Illinois won at No. 19 Iowa, 12–7. Losing also that day was Iowa Pre-Flight, which sustained its first loss at Notre Dame, 28–0. In the next poll, the Top Five shuffled slightly, with Alabama and Michigan trading places: Ohio State (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), Michigan (No. 4), Illinois (No. 5). October 24 No. 1 Ohio State won at Northwestern 20–6. No. 2 Georgia won at Cincinnati 35–13. No. 3 Alabama won at Kentucky, 14–0. No. 4 Michigan lost at No. 13 Minnesota, 16–14. No. 5 Illinois lost to No. 8 Notre Dame, 21–14. No. 6 Georgia Tech won at Navy, 21–0. In the poll that followed, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech replaced Michigan and Illinois: Ohio State (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 4), Georgia Tech (No. 5). October 31 No. 1 Ohio State lost at No. 6 Wisconsin, 17–7. In Atlanta, No. 2 Georgia beat No. 3 Alabama, 21–10. No. 4 Notre Dame beat Navy in Cleveland, 9–0. No. 5 Georgia Tech won at Duke, 26–7. No. 7 Boston College beat Georgetown, 47–0. The Georgia Bulldogs took over first place in the poll that followed, and Wisconsin and Boston College moved in while Ohio State and Alabama fell out: 1. Georgia 2. Wisconsin 3. Georgia Tech 4. Notre Dame 5. Boston College. November November 7 In Jacksonville, No. 1 Georgia beat Florida, 75–0. No. 2 Wisconsin lost at unranked Iowa, 6–0. No. 3 Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 47–7. No. 4 Notre Dame beat Army 13–0 at Yankee Stadium. No. 5 Boston College beat Temple, 28–0. No. 8 Alabama beat South Carolina 29–0 and moved into the Top Five as Wisconsin dropped out. The nation's top two teams were Georgia and Georgia Tech: Georgia (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Boston College (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 4), Alabama (No. 5). November 14 No. 1 Georgia won at Chattanooga, 40–0. In Atlanta, No. 2 Georgia Tech beat No. 5 Alabama 7–0. No. 3 Boston College beat Fordham at home, 56–6. No. 4 Notre Dame lost to No. 6 Michigan, 32–20, while in Cleveland, No. 10 Ohio State beat No. 13 Illinois 44–20. The poll: Georgia (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Boston College (No. 3), Michigan (No. 4), Ohio State (No. 5). November 21 In Columbus, Georgia, No. 1 Georgia lost to unranked Auburn, 27–13. No. 2 Georgia Tech beat Florida 20–7. No. 3 Boston College defeated Boston University, 37–0. No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Ohio State met in Columbus, with OSU winning 21–7, capturing the Big Nine championship. No. 7 Wisconsin beat No. 10 Minnesota 21–6 to finish its season at 8–1–1. In the next poll, the Boston College Eagles were No. 1: Boston College (No. 1), Georgia Tech (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 4), Georgia (No. 5). November 28 No. 1 Boston College lost to unranked Holy Cross, 55–12. No. 2 Georgia Tech visited No. 5 Georgia, and lost 34–0. No. 3 Ohio State defeated the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks, 41–12, finishing 9–1–0 and capturing the No. 1 ranking in the final AP poll, ahead of No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Tulsa, and No. 5 Georgia Tech. Conference standings Major conference standings Independents Minor conferences ConferenceChampion(s)Record Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Morgan State College 5–1–1 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pittsburg State 5–0 Far Western Conference Pacific (CA) 2–0 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference Ball State Teachers College 5–0 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Dubuque 8–0 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Baker 6–0 Lone Star Conference East Texas State Teachers 2–0–1 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Alma 4–0 Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference Lawrence 5–0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Saint Thomas (MN) 5–0 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Northwest Missouri State TeachersSoutheast Missouri State Teachers 3–1 Nebraska College Athletic Conference Doane 4–0 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association Nebraska State Teachers (UN–Kearney) 2–1 New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference New Mexico State Teachers 1–0 North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Augustana (SD)Iowa State Teachers (Northern Iowa) 4–05–0 North Dakota College Athletic Conference North Dakota Science 5–0 Ohio Athletic Conference Ohio Northern 5–0–1 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Central State College (OK) 2–0 Pacific Northwest Conference Willamette 4–0 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Stroudsburg State Teachers 4–0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Colorado Mines 2–0 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Augustana (SD) 2–0 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference OccidentalPomona-PitzerWhittier 2–1 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Florida A&M College 7–0 Southwestern Athletic Conference Texas College 4–0 State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota Mankato State TeachersSt. Cloud State Teachers 4–0 Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference Howard Payne 4–0 Washington Intercollegiate Conference Central Washington College 4–1–1 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference North: La Crosse TeachersSouth: Platteville State Teachers 4–03–0–1 Minor conference standings Rankings 1942 college football rankings Top 10 in final AP poll 1. Ohio State (9–1) 2. Georgia (10–1) 3. Wisconsin (8–1–1) 4. Tulsa (10–0) 5. Georgia Tech (9–1) 6. Notre Dame (7–2–1) 7. Tennessee (8–1–1) 8. Boston College (8–1) 9. Michigan (7–3) 10. Alabama (7–3) Heisman Trophy voting The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player Player School Position Total Frank Sinkwich Georgia HB 1,059 Paul Governali Columbia QB 218 Clint Castleberry Georgia Tech HB 99 Mike Holovak Boston College FB 90 Billy Hillenbrand Indiana HB 86 Angelo Bertelli Notre Dame QB 75 Dick Wildung Minnesota OT 71 Gene Fekete Ohio State FB 65 Glenn Dobbs Tulsa HB 63 Dave Schreiner Wisconsin E 60 Bowl games Bowl game Winning team Losing team Rose Bowl No. 2 Georgia 9 No. 13 UCLA 0Sugar Bowl No. 7 Tennessee 14 No. 4 Tulsa 7 Orange Bowl No. 10 Alabama 37 No. 8 Boston College 21 Cotton Bowl Classic No. 11 Texas 14 No. 5 Georgia Tech 7 Sun Bowl Second Air Force 13 Hardin–Simmons 7 Statistical leaders Team leaders Total offense Rank Team Games played Yards gained Yards per game First downs 1 Georgia 11 4725 429.5 186 2 Tulsa 10 4261 426.1 165 3 Boston College 9 3697 410.8 137 4 Ohio State 10 3975 397.5 152 5 Missouri 12 4272 356.0 169 6 Hardin-Simmons 9 3130 347.8 124 6 Iowa Pre-Flight 10 3356 335.6 133 7 Georgia Tech 10 3304 330.4 136 9 Indiana 10 3301 330.1 154 10 Texas 10 3205 320.5 148 The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1943 A.S. Barnes and Company Walter R. Okeson 1943 51 Total defense Rank Team Games played Yards gained Yards per game 1st downs 1 Texas 10 1173 117.3 63 2 Miami 9 1154 128.2 66 3 Boston College 9 1186 131.8 72 4 William & Mary 11 1516 137.8 77 5 North Carolina Pre-Flight 10 1428 142.8 87 6 Tennessee 10 1435 143.5 75 7 Minnesota 9 1314 146.0 67 8 Tulsa 10 1487 148.7 70 9 Holy Cross 10 1494 149.4 61 10 Great Lakes Navy 12 1917 159.8 91 Rushing offense Rank Team Games Rushes Yards gained Yards per game 1 Hardin-Simmons 9 508 2767 307.4 2 Boston College 9 538 2635 292.8 3 Ohio State 10 571 2833 283.3 4 Missouri 12 597 3230 269.2 5 Texas 10 532 2496 249.6 6 Iowa Pre-Flight 10 515 2493 249.3 7 Auburn 9 500 2223 247.0 8 Great Lakes Navy 12 619 2906 242.2 9 Penn 9 518 2162 240.2 10 Georgia 11 491 2624 238.5 The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1943 A.S. Barnes and Company Walter R. Okeson 1943 52 Rushing defense Rank Team Games Rushes Yards gained Yards per game 1 Boston College 9 294 440 48.9 2 Texas 10 306 575 57.5 3 William & Mary 11 329 734 66.7 4 Alabama 10 329 743 74.3 5 Tennessee 10 347 760 76.0 Passing offense Rank Team Games Att. Compl. Int. Pct.Compl. Yards Yds/Game Yds/Attempt 1 Tulsa 10 245 138 9 .563 2339 233.9 9.55 2 Georgia 11 245 122 18 .498 2101 191.0 8.58 3 Columbia 9 199 96 21 .482 1661 184.6 8.35 4 Creighton 9 157 78 13 .497 1393 154.8 8.87 5 Maryland 9 170 90 15 .529 1364 151.6 8.02 Passing defense Rank Team Games Att. Compl. Pct.Compl. Yards Yds/Game 1 Harvard 9 81 29 .358 409 45.4 1 Texas Mines 8 105 40 .381 363 45.4 3 Miami 9 115 46 .400 437 48.6 3 Penn State 8 93 32 .344 389 48.6 5 South Carolina 9 99 32 .323 453 50.3 Scoring Rank Team Games Points Pts/Game1 Tulsa 11 434 39.5 2 Ohio State 10 337 33.7 3 Georgia 12 376 31.3 4 Boston College 10 282 28.2 5 Colorado 9 251 27.9 6 Indiana 10 256 25.6 7 Missouri 12 288 24.0 8 Tennessee 11 259 23.5 9 Oklahoma A&M 10 235 23.5 10 Vanderbilt 10 232 23.2 Individual leaders Total offense Rank Player Team Games Plays Rush yds Pass yds Total Yds Avg gainper play 1 Frank Sinkwich Georgia 11 341 795 1392 2187 6.41 2 Paul Governali Columbia 9 268 168 1442 1610 6.01 3 Bob Steuber Missouri 12 199 1098 356 1454 7.31 4 Glenn Dobbs Tulsa 10 179 361 1066 1427 7.97 5 Ray Evans Kansas 10 311 293 1117 1410 4.53 6 Billy Hillenbrand Indiana 10 239 480 877 1357 5.68 7 Bruce Smith Great Lakes Navy 12 245 849 486 1335 5.45 8 Otto Graham Northwestern 10 318 235 1092 1327 4.17 9 Dutton Pittsburgh 9 303 675 610 1285 4.24 10 Rudy Mobley Hardin-Simmons 9 187 1281 0 1281 6.85 Rushing Rank Player Team Games Rushes Net Yds Avg Gainper Play 1 Rudy Mobley Hardin-Simmons 9 187 1281 6.85 2 Bob Steuber Missouri 12 149 1098 7.37 3 Camp Wilson Hardin-Simmons 9 196 981 5.01 4 Mike Holowak Boston College 9 174 965 5.55 5 Gene Fekete Ohio State 10 185 910 4.92 6 Bruce Smith Great Lakes Navy 12 144 849 5.90 7 Bob Kennedy Washington State 10 226 813 3.60 8 Frank Sinkwich Georgia 11 175 795 4.54 9 Elroy Hirsch Wisconsin 10 141 767 5.44 10 Roy McKay Texas 10 132 701 5.31 Passing Rank Player Team Games Att. Compl. Int. Pct. Compl. Yds. 1 Ray Evans Kansas 10 200 101 9 .505 1117 2 Otto Graham Northwestern 10 182 89 18 .489 1092 3 Paul Governali Columbia 9 165 87 18 .527 1442 4 Frank Sinkwich Georgia 11 166 84 7 .506 1392 5 Turnbull Gillette Virginia 9 144 82 14 .569 920 6 Angelo Bertelli Notre Dame 11 162 72 16 .444 1039 7 Clark Texas Mines 9 136 71 12 .522 846 8 Glenn Dobbs Tulsa 10 107 67 4 .626 1066 9 Tommy Mont Maryland 9 127 66 12 .520 1076 10 Emery Nix± TCU 10 154 66 9 .429 672 See also 1942 College Football All-America Team List of World War II military service football teams References