1941 Southeastern Conference football season
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| 1941 Southeastern Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Football |
| Duration | September 20, 1941 – January 1, 1942 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Champion | Mississippi State |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Mississippi State $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Tennessee | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Alabama | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Georgia | 3 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Ole Miss | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 0 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1941 Southeastern Conference football season was the ninth season of college football played by the member schools of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and was a part of the 1941 college football season. Mississippi State compiled an 8–1–1 overall record, with a conference record of 4–0–1, and was SEC champion. This also marked the first season without Sewanee after they withdrew from the SEC and deemphasized collegiate athletics.[1]
| Conf. rank | Team | Head coach | Overall record | Conf. record | AP final |
PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi State | Allyn McKeen | 8–1–1 (.850) | 4–0–1 (.900) | No. 16 | 19.1 | 5.5 |
| 2 | Tennessee | John Barnhill | 8–2–0 (.800) | 3–1–0 (.750) | No. 19 | 18.2 | 7.3 |
| 3 | Alabama | Frank Thomas | 9–2–0 (.818) | 5–2–0 (.714) | No. 20 | 23.9 | 7.7 |
| 4 | Georgia | Wally Butts | 9–1–1 (.864) | 3–1–1 (.700) | No. 14 | 29.0 | 7.7 |
| 5 | Ole Miss | Harry Mehre | 6–2–1 (.722) | 2–1–1 (.625) | No. 17 | 14.6 | 7.4 |
| 6 | Vanderbilt | Red Sanders | 8–2–0 (.800) | 3–2–0 (.600) | 26.0 | 8.9 | |
| 7 | LSU | Bernie Moore | 4–4–2 (.500) | 2–2–2 (.500) | 11.9 | 9.3 | |
| 8 | Tulane | Red Dawson | 5–4–0 (.556) | 2–3–0 (.400) | 24.4 | 10.6 | |
| 9 | Georgia Tech | William Alexander | 3–6–0 (.333) | 2–4–0 (.333) | 9.1 | 14.4 | |
| 10 | Florida | Tom Lieb | 4–6–0 (.400) | 1–3–0 (.250) | 14.9 | 9.7 | |
| 11 | Auburn | Jack Meagher | 4–5–1 (.450) | 0–4–1 (.100) | 12.3 | 11.5 | |
| 12 | Kentucky | Albert D. Kirwan | 5–4–0 (.556) | 0–4–0 (.000) | 16.8 | 17.1 |
Key
AP final = Rankings from AP sports writers. See 1941 college football rankings
PPG = Average of points scored per game[2]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[2]
Schedule
| Index to colors and formatting |
|---|
| SEC member won |
| SEC member lost |
| SEC member tie |
| SEC teams in bold |
Week Zero
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 20 | Furman | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 32–6 | 12,000 | [3] | ||
| September 20 | Louisiana Tech | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 25–0 | 10,000 | [4] | ||
| September 20 | Randolph–Macon | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | W 26–0 | [5] | |||
Week One
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | Howard (AL) | Auburn | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | W 13–0 | 9,000 | [6] | ||
| September 26 | Ole Miss | Georgetown | Griffith Stadium • Washington, DC | L 6–16 | 6,000 | [7] | ||
| September 27 | Southwestern Louisiana | Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 47–6 | 6,000 | [8] | ||
| September 27 | Georgia | Mercer | Porter Field • Macon, GA | W 81–0 | 12,000 | [9] | ||
| September 27 | Vanderbilt | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | W 3–0 | 17,000 | [10] | ||
| September 27 | Boston College | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 21–7 | 45,000 | [11] | ||
| September 27 | VPI | Kentucky | Manual Stadium • Louisville, KY | W 37–14 | 8,000 | [12] | ||
| September 27 | Holy Cross | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | L 13–19 | 25,000 | [13] | ||
| September 27 | Florida | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | MSS 6–0 | 13,000 | [14] | ||
Week Two
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 4 | South Carolina | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA (rivalry) | W 34–6 | 17,000 | [15] | ||
| October 4 | Southwestern (TN) | Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | W 27–0 | 4,500 | [16] | ||
| October 4 | Tennessee Tech | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 42–0 | 8,000 | [17] | ||
| October 4 | Chattanooga | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | W 20–0 | 10,000 | [18] | ||
| October 4 | Tampa | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | W 46–6 | [19] | |||
| October 4 | Kentucky | Washington & Lee | Wilson Field • Lexington, VA | W 7–0 | 3,000 | [20] | ||
| October 4 | Tennessee | Duke | Duke Stadium • Durham, NC | L 0–19 | 45,000 | [21] | ||
| October 4 | LSU | Texas | Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | L 0–34 | 18,000 | [22] | ||
| October 4 | Mississippi State | Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | MSS 14–0 | 20,000 | [23] | ||
| October 4 | Auburn | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (rivalry) | TUL 32–0 | 35,000 | [24] | ||
Week Three
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 10 | Ole Miss | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | T 14–14 | 25,000 | [25] | ||
| October 11 | Dayton | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 26–0 | 30,000 | [26] | ||
| October 11 | Howard (AL) | Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | W 61–0 | 6,000 | [27] | ||
| October 11 | Louisiana Tech | Auburn | Auburn Stadium • Auburn, AL | W 34–0 | 8,500 | [28] | ||
| October 11 | Tulane | Rice | Rice Field • Houston, TX | L 9–10 | 25,000 | [29] | ||
| October 11 | Notre Dame | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | L 0–20 | 31,000 | [30] | ||
| October 11 | Villanova | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | L 0–6 | > 20,000 | [31] | ||
| October 11 | Mississippi State | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | T 0–0 | 30,000 | [32] | ||
| October 11 | Vanderbilt | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY (rivalry) | VAN 39–15 | 11,000 | [33] | ||
Week Four
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 18 | Georgia | No. 20 Columbia | Baker Field • New York, NY | W 7–3 | 27,000 | [34] | ||
| October 18 | Ole Miss | Holy Cross | Fitton Field • Worcester, MA | W 21–0 | 22,000 | [35] | ||
| October 18 | Rice | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 27–0 | 25,000 | [36] | ||
| October 18 | North Carolina | No. 17 Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 52–6 | 33,000 | [37] | ||
| October 18 | Kentucky | Xavier | Xavier Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | W 21–6 | 11,000 | [38] | ||
| October 18 | Florida | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | L 12–13 | 7,500 | [39] | ||
| October 18 | SMU | Auburn | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | L 7–20 | 12,000 | [40] | ||
| October 18 | No. 4 Alabama | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN (rivalry) | ALA 9–2 | 37,000 | [41] | ||
| October 18 | Georgia Tech | No. 18 Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (rivalry) | VAN 14–7 | 15,000 | [42] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
Week Five
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 25 | Union (TN) | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 56–7 | 14,000 | [43] | ||
| October 25 | Cincinnati | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 21–6 | 7,000 | [44] | ||
| October 25 | Princeton | No. 15 Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 46–7 | 14,000 | [45] | ||
| October 25 | West Virginia | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | W 18–6 | 7,000 | [46] | ||
| October 25 | Georgia | Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (rivalry) | ALA 27–14 | 23,000 | [47] | ||
| October 25 | Ole Miss | No. 10 Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (rivalry) | OM 20–13 | 45,000 | [48] | ||
| October 25 | Florida | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | LSU 10–7 | 20,000 | [49] | ||
| October 25 | Auburn | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | GT 28–14 | 20,000 | [50] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
Week Six
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1 | No. 17 Mississippi State | Southwestern (TN) | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 20–6 | [51] | |||
| November 1 | No. 17 Ole Miss | Marquette | Marquette Stadium • Milwaukee, WI | W 12–6 | 7,500 | [52] | ||
| November 1 | No. 4 Duke | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | L 0–14 | 28,000 | [53] | ||
| November 1 | Tennessee | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | TEN 13–6 | 30,000 | [54] | ||
| November 1 | Kentucky | No. 15 Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | ALA 30–0 | 11,000 | [55] | ||
| November 1 | Auburn | Georgia | Memorial Stadium • Columbus, GA (rivalry) | UGA 7–0 | 17,000 | [56] | ||
| November 1 | Tulane | No. 10 Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | TUL 34–14 | 22,000 | [57] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
Week Seven
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 8 | Howard (AL) | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 28–6 | 4,000 | [58] | ||
| November 8 | Sewanee | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (rivalry) | W 20–0 | 5,000 | [59] | ||
| November 8 | No. 15 Mississippi State | Auburn | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | MSS 14–7 | 11,000 | [60] | ||
| November 8 | No. 13 Alabama | No. 14 Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ALA 19–14 | 50,000 | [61] | ||
| November 8 | Florida | Georgia | Municipal Stadium • Jacksonville, FL (rivalry) | UGA 19–3 | 21,000 | [62] | ||
| November 8 | No. 16 Ole Miss | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | OM 13–12 | 28,000 | [63] | ||
| November 8 | Kentucky | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | GT 20–13 | 15,000 | [64] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
Week Eight
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 15 | Tennessee | No. 18 Boston College | Alumni Field • Chestnut Hill, MA | W 14–7 | 32,000 | [65] | ||
| November 15 | Centre | Georgia | Ponce de Leon Park • Atlanta, GA | W 47–6 | 5,000 | [66] | ||
| November 15 | Tulane | NYU | Yankee Stadium • Bronx, NY | W 45–0 | 10,000 | [67] | ||
| November 15 | Florida | Miami (FL) | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL (rivalry) | W 14–0 | 31,731 | [68] | ||
| November 15 | Southwestern (TN) | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | W 33–19 | 8,000 | [69] | ||
| November 15 | No. 13 Mississippi State | No. 10 Duquesne | Forbes Field • Pittsburgh, PA | L 0–16 | 31,483 | [70] | ||
| November 15 | Georgia Tech | No. 9 Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (rivalry) | ALA 20–0 | 25,000 | [71] | ||
| November 15 | Auburn | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | T 7–7 | [72] | |||
| November 16 | Vanderbilt | Louisville | duPont Manual Stadium • Louisville, KY | W 68–0 | 4,000 | [73] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
Week Nine
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 22 | Millsaps | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 49–6 | [74] | |||
| November 22 | Dartmouth | No. 20 Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | W 35–0 | > 18,000 | [75] | ||
| November 22 | Arkansas | No. 15 Ole Miss | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN (rivalry) | W 18–0 | 10,000 | [76] | ||
| November 22 | Auburn | Villanova | Shibe Park • Philadelphia, PA | W 13–0 | 12,000 | [77] | ||
| November 22 | Tennessee | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY (rivalry) | TEN 20–7 | 14,000 | [78] | ||
| November 22 | No. 7 Alabama | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | VAN 7–0 | 12,000 | [79] | ||
| November 22 | Georgia Tech | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | FLA 14–7 | 15,000 | [80] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
Week Ten
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 28 | No. 18 Alabama | Miami (FL) | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL | W 21–7 | 26,000 | [81] | ||
| November 28 | No. 16 Clemson | Auburn | Auburn Stadium • Auburn, AL (rivalry) | W 28–7 | 12,000 | [82] | ||
| November 29 | No. 14 Mississippi State | Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS (rivalry) | MSS 6–0 | 28,000 | [83] | ||
| November 29 | No. 12 Vanderbilt | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN (rivalry) | TEN 26–7 | 30,000 | [84] | ||
| November 29 | No. 20 Georgia | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | UGA 21–0 | 31,000 | [85] | ||
| November 29 | LSU | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (rivalry) | LSU 19–0 | 50,764 | [86] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
Week Eleven
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 6 | No. 16 Mississippi State | San Francisco | Kezar Stadium • San Francisco, CA | W 26–13 | 25,000 | [87] | ||
| December 20 | UCLA | Florida | Fairfield Stadium • Jacksonville, FL | L 27–30 | 8,000 | [88] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
Postseason
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1942 | No. 20 Alabama | No. 9 Texas A&M | Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | W 29–21 | 38,000 | [89] | ||
| January 1, 1942 | TCU | No. 14 Georgia | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL (Orange Bowl) | W 40–26 | 38,000 | [90] | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. | ||||||||
All-conference players
The following players were recognized as consensus first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) on the 1941 All-SEC football team:
- Holt Rast, End, Alabama (AP-1, UP-1)
- Ernie Blandin, Tackle, Tulane (AP-1, UP-1)
- Homer "Larry" Hazel Jr., Guard, Ole Miss (AP-1, UP-1)
- John Wyhonic, Guard, Alabama (AP-1, UP-1)
- Bob Gude, Center, Vanderbilt (AP-1, UP-1)
- Jimmy Nelson, Halfback, Alabama (AP-1, UP-1)
- Frank Sinkwich, Halfback, Georgia (AP-1, UP-1)
- Jack Jenkins, Fullback, Vanderbilt (AP-1, UP-1)
All-Americans
Three SEC players were consensus first-team picks on the 1941 College Football All-America Team:[91]
- Holt Rast, End, Alebama (AAB, INS, LIB, SN, NW, UP)
- Ernie Blandin, Tackle, Tulane (CO, LIB, NEA, NW, UP)
- Frank Sinkwich, Halfback, Georgia (AAB, AP, LIB, SN, UP)
Other SEC players receiving All-American honors from at least one selector were:
- John Wyhonic, Tackle, Alabama (LIFE-3)
- Bob Gude, Center, Vanderbilt (CP-3)
- Jimmy Nelson, Halfback, Alabama (AP-3; NEA-3; CP-3)
- Jack Jenkins, Halfback, Vanderbilt (AP-3)
- Merle Hapes, Fullback, Ole Miss (NEA-2)