The 1942 St. Thomas Tommies football team was an American football team that represented the University of St. Thomas of Saint Paul, Minnesota, as a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) during the 1942 college football season. In their second year under head coach Willie Walsh, the Tommies compiled a perfect 8–0 record (5–0 against MIAC opponents), won the MIAC championship, and outscored all opponents by a total of 153 to 22. On defense, they shut out four of eight opponents and gave up an average of only 2.75 points per game.[1] St. Thomas had additional perfect seasons in 1910, 1913, 1923, 1944, and 1956.[2]
| 1942 St. Thomas Tommies football | |
|---|---|
MIAC champion | |
| Conference | Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Record | 8–0 (5–0 MIAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | O'Shaughnessy Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Thomas (MN) + | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Concordia (MN) + | 3 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint John's (MN) | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hamline | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gustavus Adolphus | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Macalester | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Olaf | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Mary's (MN) | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Augsburg | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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St. Thomas took six of the eleven first-team spots on the 1942 All-MIAC football teams selected by both the United Press and the conference coaches. First-team honors went to the following St. Thomas players: halfback Gene Neitge (UP-1, Coaches-1), fullback Bob Pates (UP-1, Coaches-1), end Dick Jewett (UP-1, Coaches-1), tackle Frank Wambach (UP-1, Coaches-1), guard John Knox (UP-1, Coaches-1), center Gene O'Brien (UP-1, Coaches-1).[3][4]
The team played its home games at O'Shaugnessy Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | Bemidji State* |
| W 6–0 | [5] | |||
| September 25 | Macalester |
| W 12–0 | [6] | |||
| October 2 | Saint Mary's (MN) |
| W 20–6 | [7] | |||
| October 9 | Gustavus Adolphus |
| W 27–2 | [8][9] | |||
| October 16 | at St. Ambrose* |
| W 35–7 | 5,000 | [10] | ||
| October 23 | at St. Olaf | Northfield, MN | W 28–0 | [11] | |||
| October 30 | Saint John's (MN) |
| W 18–0 | [12] | |||
| November 8 | at Loras* | Dubuque, IA | W 14–7 | [13] | |||
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References
edit- ^ "1942 - Saint Thomas (MN)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ "Saint Thomas (MN) Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ "Johns Place 3 on UP All-State". The St. Cloud Daily Times. November 13, 1942. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "6 Tommies All State". Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal. November 22, 1942. p. Peach 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "St. Thomas Defeats Bemidji Peds, 6 to 0". Minneapolis Morning Tribune. September 19, 1942. p. Peach 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tommies Out-mud Macalester, 12 to 0". Minneapolis Morning Tribune. September 26, 1942. p. Peach 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rolf Felstad (October 3, 1942). "Two Tilts Todaay May Bring Threat to Winning Tommies: Walsh's Gridders Continue Win Streak". Minneapolis Star Journal. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tommies Blast Gusties, 27 to 2: Score Third League Win; Pates, Neitge Shine for Victors". Minneapolis Morning Tribune. October 10, 1942. p. Peach 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "2 Tilts Bar Tom Title". Minneapolis Star Journal. October 10, 1942. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "St. Thomas Hands St. Ambrose Worst Grid Defeat in 12 Years". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. October 17, 1942. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Toms Jolt St. Olaf, 28-0". Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal. October 24, 1942. p. Peach 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Coach Benda Hails Title Tommies: Crack Walsh Team Smacks Johnnies, 18-0". Minneapolis Star Journal. October 31, 1942. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Toms Rip Loras in Finale, 14-7". Minneapolis Morning Tribune. November 9, 1942. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.