1940 Utah Redskins football team

The 1940 Utah Redskins football team, also commonly known as the Utah Utes, was an American football team that represented the University of Utah as a member of the Mountain States Conference (MSC) during the 1940 college football season. In their 16th season under head coach Ike Armstrong, the Redskins compiled an overall record of 7–2 record with mark of 5–1 in conference play, won the MSC title, and outscored all opponents by a total of 169 to 87.[1][2]

1940 Utah Redskins football
MSC champion
ConferenceMountain States Conference
Record7–2 (5–1 MSC)
Head coach
Home stadiumUte Stadium
Seasons
← 1939
1941 →
1940 Mountain States Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Utah $ 5 1 0 7 2 0
Denver 4 1 1 6 2 1
Colorado 4 1 1 5 3 1
BYU 2 3 1 2 4 2
Colorado A&M 1 3 2 3 4 2
Utah State 2 4 0 2 5 1
Wyoming 0 5 1 1 7 1
  • $ – Conference champion

Rex Geary was the team captain.[3] Four Utah players received recognition on the 1940 All-Mountain States football team: end Carlos Soffe; tackle Floyd Spendlove; guard Rex Geary; and halfback Izzy Spector.[4]

Utah's season opener against Santa Clara was part of the first-ever major college football doubleheader. The event at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco also featured the future Rose Bowl champions, the Stanford "Wow Boys", defeating San Francisco, 27—0.[5]

Utah was ranked at No. 66 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[6]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 28at Santa Clara*L 13–3440,000[7]
October 5BYUW 12–6
October 12Arizona*
  • Ute Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT
W 24–0
October 19at Utah StateL 0–76,000[8]
October 26Denver 
  • Ute Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT
W 25–14[9]
November 2at ColoradoW 21–13
November 9at WyomingW 34–7
November 16Colorado A&M
  • Ute Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT
W 27–0[10]
November 21Idaho*
  • Ute Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT
W 13–64,113[11]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming

References

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  1. ^ "1940 Utah Utes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "2019 Utah Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Utah. 2019. p. 182.
  3. ^ 2019 Utah Football Media Guide, p. 119.
  4. ^ 2019 Utah Football Media Guide, p. 162.
  5. ^ Ron Fimrite, A Melding Of Men All Suited To A T; Clark Shaughnessy was a dour theoretician, Frankie Albert an unrestrained quarterback and Stanford a team of losers, but combined they forever changed the game of football, Sports Illustrated, September 5, 1977.
  6. ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 19, 1940). "Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Santa Clara Wallops Utes, 34-13". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. September 29, 1940. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Durrell Nielsen (October 20, 1940). "Utah Aggies Triumph Over Utes, 7 to 0: 'A' Stops Vaunted Redskin Power". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Orval Hopkins (October 27, 1940). "Utes Trounce D.U.: Injuns Rout Foes, 25-14". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. 1C, 3C – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Utah Wallops Colorado Farmers, 27 to 0: Utes Sure To Share Honors in Big Seven". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. November 17, 1940. p. 7A – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Marlowe Branagan (November 22, 1940). "Utes Win, Cop Title: Injuns Cop 13-6 Duel With Idaho". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.