1939_USC_Trojans_football_team

1939 USC Trojans football team

1939 USC Trojans football team

American college football season

The 1939 USC Trojans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1939 college football season. In their 15th year under head coach Howard Jones, the Trojans compiled an 8–0–2 record (5–0–2 against PCC opponents), shut out six of ten opponents, won the PCC championship, and outscored all opponents by a total of 181 to 33. They won the PCC championship.[1]

Quick Facts USC Trojans football, National champion (Dickinson System)PCC championRose Bowl champion ...
More information Conf, Overall ...

In the final AP poll released on December 9, 1939, USC was ranked No. 3 with 891 points, 200 points behind No 1 Texas A&M.[2] However, in the Dickinson System rankings released three days later on December 12, USC was ranked No. 1 with a 25.73 point rating, edging out Texas A&M by three tenths of a point.[3] The Trojans were awarded the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy for the national championship as awarded by the Dickinson system.

After the final rankings were released, the Trojans defeated No. 2 Tennessee, 14–0, in the 1940 Rose Bowl. Tennessee had not given up any points prior to the Rose Bowl and had won 23 consecutive games.[4] The AP did not conduct a poll after the bowl games.

USC guard Harry Smith was a consensus first-team pick on the 1939 All-America college football team.[5] Smith was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[6] Quarterback Grenny Lansdell was chosen as a first-team All-American by the Central Press Association and as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.[7][8] Smith, Lansdell, and tackle Phil Gaspar were also selected as first-team players on the 1939 All-Pacific Coast football team.[9][10]

USC recognized the 1939 team as National Champions in 2004 based on their #1 ranking in the contemporary Dickinson System. USC saluted the surviving members of the squad on the field at their October 16 home game versus Arizona State.[11]

Schedule

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1940 NFL draft

The following players were drafted into professional football following the 1939 season.

PlayerPositionRoundPickFranchise
Doyle NaveBack16Detroit Lions
Grenny LansdellEnd110New York Giants
Bill FiskEnd321Detroit Lions
Harry SmithGuard536Detroit Lions
Bobby WinslowEnd756Detroit Lions
Bob HoffmanBack978Washington Redskins
Howard StoeckerTackle1198Washington Redskins
Phil GasparTackle12109Green Bay Packers

[23]

References

  1. [1]
    "1939 USC Trojans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Writers Pick Texas Aggies As No. 1 Football Team". The Bristol News Bulletin. December 12, 1939. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. [3]
    "Pacific Coast Football Best". The Bristol News Bulletin. December 12, 1939. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. [4]
    "U.S.C. wins 14–0 over Tennessee". The Los Angeles Times. January 2, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. [5]
    "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 7. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  6. [6]
    "Harry Smith". National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  7. [7]
    Walter Johns (December 10, 1939). "South Dominates Captains' All-American". Wisconsin State Journal.
  8. [8]
    "The 1939 A.P. All America". San Antonio Express. December 9, 1939.
  9. [9]
    "All-Coast Eleven Rates As 'Dream Team'". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. December 8, 1939. p. 21.
  10. [10]
    James A. Sullivan (December 5, 1939). "1939 United Press All-Pacific Coast Team – Kenny Washington Considered Outstanding Back". United Press – San Francisco. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  11. [11]
    "USC Now Will Recognize Its 1939 Football Team As A National Champion" (Press release). University of Southern California Athletics. July 26, 2004. Archived from the original on March 24, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2022. USC now will recognize its 1939 football team as a national champion, giving the Trojan program 10 national titles in the sport, Trojan athletic director Mike Garrett announced. USC will salute the surviving members of that 1939 squad at its Oct. 16 home game against Arizona State.
  12. [12]
    Paul Zimmerman (October 1, 1939). "Doyle Nave Stars as Trojans Tie Oregon by 7-7 Score: Webfooters in Surprise; Southern California Comes From Behind to Get Even Break". The Los Angeles Times. pp. II-11, II-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. [13]
    Paul Zimmerman (October 8, 1939). "Trojan Machine Rolls to 27-0 Victory Over Cougars: Lansdell Stars in Triumph; Jones Uses Nearly Everybody on Squad as 45,000 Fans Watch". The Los Angeles Times. p. II-9 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. [14]
    Paul Zimmerman (October 15, 1939). "Troy's Thundering Herd Swamps Outclassed Illini, 26 to 0: Nave Opens Scoring Spree". The Los Angeles Times. p. II-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. [15]
    Paul Zimmerman (October 29, 1939). "Trojans Crush Bears, 26-0, to Break Jinx of Cal Bowl". The Los Angeles Times. p. II-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. [16]
    USC Football 2017 Media Guide (PDF). University of Southern California Athletics. p. 70.
  17. [17]
    Paul Zimmerman (November 5, 1939). "Trojans Aerial Attack Bombs Beavers, 19 to 7". The Los Angeles Times. pp. II-13, II-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. [18]
    Paul Zimmerman (November 12, 1939). "Powerful Trojans Smother Stanford Indians by 33-0: Worst Licking in Long Series". The Los Angeles Times. pp. 17, 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. [19]
    Jack Ledden (November 26, 1939). "Trojans Humble Irish, 20-12: 55,000 Thrill To Long Runs in Fast Game". The South Bend Tribune. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. [20]
    Paul Zimmerman (December 3, 1939). "Trojan Pass Conquers Washington in Last Two Minutes, 9-7". The Los Angeles Times. p. II-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. [21]
    Dick Hyland (December 10, 1939). "Trojans and Bruins in 0-0 Tie Before 103,300: Foes Battle to Standstill". The Los Angeles Times. p. II-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. [22]
    Paul Zimmerman (January 2, 1940). "U.S.C. Wins 14–0 Over Tennessee: Mighty Men of Troy Crush Volunteers Before 90,000 Rose Bowl Fans". The Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 13. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. [23]
    "1940 NFL Draft". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
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