1939: Football

Football continued to hold its place in 1939 as one of the most popular of American sports. Both the college and professional games drew larger crowds than in 1938, with the professionals making the larger gain. The biggest crowd to see a professional football contest since 1925 watched the New York Giants defeat the Washington Redskins in New York for the Eastern championship before going to Milwaukee to lose the national title to the Green Bay Packers, Western champions.

But the largest professional crowd was only half the size of the record turnouts for intercollegiate football. Southern California and the University of California at Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.) played to 103,000, and Army and Navy drew 102,000 in Philadelphia. The gain in attendance at collegiate football was slight for the country as a whole; but Notre Dame attracted half a million spectators to its nine games, and there was a big rise in the South.

It was in the South that most of the strongest teams of the season were developed, though the East and the Pacific Coasts presented two of the highest ranked elevens. Top-ranking teams at the end of the regular season were Texas A. and M., Tennessee, Southern California, Cornell and Tulane. Texas A. and M., Tennessee and Cornell won all their games; Southern California was tied twice and Tulane once. In their last games on New Year's Day, however, Tennessee and Tulane lost, breaking their perfect records.

Tennessee achieved during the season a remarkable record. It shut out the opposition in the first 10 of its games and ran up its winning streak to 23 games, in the last 15 of which it yielded not a point. Cornell went through its first all-victorious season since 1923 and boosted the prestige of Eastern and particularly 'Ivy League' football by defeating Ohio State for one of the red-letter victories of the year. The champion team of the Big Ten was Ohio State. The other sectional champions were: Southern California (Pacific Coast), Missouri (Big Six), Texas A. and M. (Southwest), Tennessee, Tulane and Georgia Tech (triple tie for the Southeastern), and Duke and Clemson (tie for the Southern). Cornell was ranked unofficial champion of the East and of the 'Ivy League,' and Princeton the champion of the Big Three.

On New Year's Day Southern California and Tennessee played in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena; Texas A. and M. and Tulane in the Sugar Bowl at New Orleans; Georgia Tech and Missouri in the Orange Bowl at Miami; Clemson and Boston College in the Cotton Bowl at Dallas; and Arizona State of Tempe and Catholic University of Wash. in the Sun Bowl at El Paso. The winning teams were: Southern California, Texas A. and M., Clemson, and Georgia Tech. Arizona State and Catholic U. tied with no score.

After the five top-ranking teams mentioned, the elevens standing highest in a national poll were Missouri, U.C.L.A. (unbeaten but tied four times), Duke, Iowa, and Duquesne (unbeaten but tied once). Next came Boston College, Clemson, Notre Dame, Santa Clara, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Fordham, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Michigan.

Iowa was the surprise team of the season. For years a doormat in the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes had a remarkable rise under their new coach, Dr. Edward Anderson, who came from Holy Cross. They lost only one game, came within a point of tying Ohio State for the Big Ten crown and beat Notre Dame and Minnesota. Dr. Anderson was chosen as the coach who had done the best job of the year, with Carl Snavely of Cornell as his closest rival. Nile Kinnick, who played in six games without relief and repeatedly saved the day for the Hawkeyes with his passes, was awarded the Heisman Trophy for the 'player of the year.' Tom Harmon of Michigan, George Cafego of Tennessee and Paul Christman, Missouri's great passer, were other outstanding players.

The chief surprise of the season was the victory of Illinois over Michigan. Michigan was favored to win the Big Ten title and was expected to run over Illinois, but the Illinoisans stopped the great Harmon and won a victory that was judged the biggest upset in all 1930 sport. Cornell's triumph over Ohio State, after trailing by 14-0, was another of the major reversals.

It was a bad year for teams that habitually have stood among leaders. Texas Christian, ranked first or second in 1938, and Rice were both in the doldrums in the Southwest. California and Stanford met defeat repeatedly on the Pacific Coast, and Pittsburgh and Carnegie, which was the 1938 leader of the East, had bad years. Pittsburgh played for the first season in many years without Dr. Jock Sutherland as its head coach.

No one team stood out above all others in 1939, though Tennessee at one stage of the season was regarded as the greatest college team in many years, if not of all time. The blocking and tackling of the Volunteers were nothing less than devastating, with the great pair of guards Molinski and Suffridge leading the way; and in George Cafego, Major Robert Neyland probably had potentially the best running back of the year in the South with the possible exception of Banks McFadden of Clemson. Injuries hit Tennessee after it had trampled Alabama and Louisiana State; and Cafego was able to play only two minutes in the last three games, while Suffridge was below par with a damaged knee.

Texas A. and M. began to grow in favor, once misfortune struck the Volunteers, and it stayed at the top. Cornell and Southern California won more and more votes in the weekly rating polls, and Tulane came on despite a tie with North Carolina, one of the strong teams of the South.

Indicative of the conservative trend of the year, these top-ranking elevens were largely power teams with the exception of Cornell, which had one of the season's most brilliant forward-passing attacks, as well as one of the strongest defenses against the pass, and faultless generalship and blocking that compared with Tennessee's. The 1939 season saw little use of the lateral pass; and while there was no curtailment in the use of the forward pass, it did not play as large a role in the attacks of the leaders as it had done in previous years.

Tulane was loath to throw the ball, preferring to run and exploit its grinding power. Tennessee did not go into the air often, while Southern California's offense was well-balanced between passing and running. Texas A. and M., representative of the section that has given more emphasis to the pass than any other, was more of a running than a passing team, with the powerful Kimbrough as its spearhead. Ohio State depended largely upon its power plays, though it had a brilliant passer and struck through the air to defeat Minnesota.

The conservative trend is a healthy sign. It does not mean that the pass is on the wane — far from it. The pass is one of football's most attractive features; and the coaches, the players and the public are all for it. But there was a danger that the pass might be emphasized so much that other features of the game would be sacrificed until football lost its basic character. This was particularly true when the lateral was getting so much play and publicity. The lateral trend has fallen off definitely and the virtues of running, blocking and power ahead of the ball have been reestablished and vindicated by the results of the past season. Stabilized as it is today, with its blending of power, finesse, speed and deception, football is the perfect game; and the reluctance with which the lawmakers make even the slightest change in the code is a happy augury for its future. Not the least encouraging aspect of 1939 was the fact that the number of serious injuries dropped appreciably, and a definite trend set in towards correcting the abuses connected with the payment of players. The self-respecting colleges, which permit a player to receive help only so long as he works to earn it and remains a student in good standing are banding together more and more for their own protection. The time will come when the others will have to keep step or find themselves out in the cold.

FOOTBALL SCORES

Listed below are the scores of all games played by the five top-ranking teams: and, following them, the scores of major games participated in by other leading teams. In each case the score given first belongs to that team in italics.

Texas A. and M.: Okla. A. and M., 32-0; Centenary, 14-0; Santa Clara, 7-3; Villanova, 33-7; T.C.U., 20-6; Arkansas, 27-0; Baylor, 20-0; So. Methodist, 6-2; Rice, 19-0; Texas, 20-0; Tulane, 14-13. (Games played — 11, games won — 11. Score for — 212, against — 31.)

Tennessee: N.C. State, 13-0; Sewanee, 40-0; Chattanooga 28-0; Alabama, 21-0; Mercer, 17-0; La. State, 20-0; The Citadel, 34-0; Vanderbilt, 13-0; Kentucky, 19-0; Auburn, 7-0; So. Calif., 0-14. (Games played — 11, games won — 10, games lost — 1. Score for — 212, against — 14.)

Southern California: Oregon, 7-7; Wash. State, 27-0; Illinois, 26-0; Calif., 26-0; Oregon State, 19-7; Stanford, 33-0; Notre Dame, 20-12; Washington, 9-7; U.C.L.A., 0-0; Tenn., 14-0. (Games played — 10, won — 8, tied — 2. Score for — 181, against — 33.)

Cornell: Syracuse, 19-6; Princeton, 20-7; Penn State, 47-0; Ohio State, 23-14; Columbia, 13-7; Colgate, 14-12; Dartmouth, 35-6; Penn, 26-0. (Games played — 8, won — 8, lost — 0. Score for — 197, against — 52.)

Tulane: Clemson, 7-6; Auburn, 12-0; Fordham, 7-0; No. Carolina, 14-14; Mississippi, 18-6; Alabama, 13-0; Columbia, 25-0; Sewanee, 52-0; La. State, 33-20; Texas A. and M., 13-14. (Games played — 10, won — 8, tied — 1, lost — 1. Score for — 194, against — 60.)

Army: Columbia, 6-6; Yale, 15-20; Notre Dame, 0-14; Harvard, 0-15; Penn State, 14-14; Navy, 0-10.

Colgate: Duke, 0-37; St. Lawrence, 31-0; Cornell, 12-14; Syracuse, 0-7; Columbia, 0-0.

Columbia: Yale, 7-10; Army, 6-6; Princeton, 7-14; Cornell, 7-13; Navy, 19-13; Tulane, 0-25; Colgate, 0-0.

Dartmouth: St. Lawrence, 41-9; Navy, 0-0; Harvard, 16-0; Yale, 33-0; Princeton, 7-9; Cornell, 6-35.

Fordham: Alabama, 7-7; Tulane, 0-7; Indiana, 13-0; N.Y.U., 18-7.

Georgia Tech: Notre Dame, 14-17; Auburn, 7-6; Duke, 6-7; Alabama, 6-0.

Harvard: Penn, 7-22; Dartmouth, 0-16; Princeton, 6-9; Army, 15-0; Yale, 7-20.

Michigan: Mich. State, 26-13; Yale, 27-7; Penn, 19-17; Ohio State, 21-14.

Minnesota: Nebraska, 0-6; Purdue, 13-13; Ohio State, 20-23; Northwestern, 7-14; Michigan, 20-7; Iowa, 9-13.

Navy: Dartmouth, 0-0; Notre Dame, 7-14; Clemson, 7-15; Penn, 6-13; Columbia, 13-19; Princeton, 0-28; Army, 10-0.

Northwestern: Ohio State, 0-13; Purdue, 0-3; Notre Dame, 0-7; Iowa, 7-7.

Notre Dame: Purdue, 3-0; Georgia Tech, 17-14; Navy, 14-7; Army, 14-0; Iowa, 6-7; Northwestern, 7-0; So. California, 12-20.

N.Y.U.: Colgate, 7-6; No. Carolina, 7-14; Carnegie Tech, 6-0; Georgia, 14-13; Lafayette, 14-0; Missouri, 7-20; Georgetown, 0-14.

Pennsylvania: Yale, 6-0; Harvard, 22-7; Navy, 13-6; Penn State, 0-10; Michigan, 17-19; Cornell, 0-26.

Penn State: Cornell, 0-47; Syracuse, 6-6; Penn, 10-0; Army, 14-14; Pittsburgh, 10-0.

Pittsburgh: Washington, 27-6; W. Virginia, 20-0; Duke, 14-13; Duquesne, 13-21; Fordham, 13-27; Carnegie Tech, 6-0; Nebraska, 13-14; Penn State, 0-10.

Princeton: Cornell, 7-20; Columbia, 14-7; Harvard, 9-6; Dartmouth, 9-7; Yale, 13-7; Navy, 28-0.

Stanford: Oregon State, 0-12; Oregon, 0-10; U.C.L.A., 14-14; Washington, 5-8; So. Calif., 0-33; Wash. State, 0-7; Calif., 14-32; Dartmouth, 14-13.

Yale: Columbia, 10-7; Penn, 0-6; Army, 20-15; Michigan, 7-27; Dartmouth, 0-33; Brown, 14-14; Princeton, 7-13; Harvard, 20-7.

Soccer Football.

See SOCCER.