The 1945 Saint Mary's Gaels football team was an American football team that represented Saint Mary's College of California during the 1945 college football season. In their fourth season under head coach and College Football Hall of Fame inductee James Phelan, the Gaels compiled a 7–2 record, outscored their opponents by a combined total of 282 to 65, and were ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll. The Gaels' victories included a 20–13 besting of California and a 26–0 victory over USC. Their only loss during the regular season was to UCLA by a 13–7 score. The Gaels were invited to play in the 1946 Sugar Bowl where they lost to an undefeated No. 5-ranked Oklahoma A&M by a 33–13 score.[1][2]
| 1945 Saint Mary's Gaels football | |
|---|---|
Sugar Bowl, L 13–33 vs. Oklahoma A&M | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 7 |
| Record | 7–2 |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Kezar Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Saint Mary's | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nevada | – | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly | – | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific (CA) | – | 0 | – | 10 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Francisco State | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The team led the nation in passing offense with an average of 161.3 passing yards per game.[3] College Football Hall of Fame inductee Herman Wedemeyer ranked second nationally with 1,040 passing yards.[4]
Three Gaels received honors on the 1945 All-Pacific Coast football team: Wedemeyer at halfback (AP-1, UP-1); Charles Albert (Spike) Cordeiro, Jr. at halfback (UP-1); and Ed Ryan at end (AP-1, UP-1).[5][6]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | at California | W 20–13 | 75,000 | [7] | ||||
| September 30 | vs. Stockton AAF | W 26–0 | 30,000 | [8] | ||||
| October 7 | vs. Nevada |
| W 39–0 | 60,000 | [9] | |||
| October 13 | vs. Pacific (CA) | No. 19 |
| W 61–0 | 15,000 | [10] | ||
| October 21 | at McClellan Field | No. 11 | W 58–0 | [11] | ||||
| November 3 | at USC | No. 8 | W 26–0 | 80,000 | [12] | |||
| November 12 | at Fresno State | No. 5 | W 32–6 | 15,000 | [13] | |||
| November 17 | at UCLA | No. 5 | L 7–13 | 87,000 | [14] | |||
| January 1 | vs. No. 5 Oklahoma A&M | No. 7 | L 13–33 | 75,000 | [15] | |||
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Rankings
edit| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | 19 | 11 | 10 (1) | 8 (2) | 5 (2) | 5 (4) | 9 | 9 | 7 |
References
edit- ^ "Saint Mary's Yearly Results (1945–1949)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ^ "1945 Saint Mary's (CA) Gaels Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ^ W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 31.
- ^ W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 35.
- ^ "Wedemeyer Paces All-Coast Eleven". The Oregon Statesman. December 6, 1945. p. 8.
- ^ "United Press 1945 All-Pacific Coast Team". Nevada State Journal. November 30, 1945. p. 10.
- ^ "Gaels Beat Cal By 20-13 Score! Wedemeyer's Passes, Runs Game Feature". Oakland Tribune. September 23, 1945. pp. A19–A20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gaels Easily Score Second Victory, 26-0". Oakland Tribune. October 1, 1945. pp. 12–13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "St. Mary's Roll Over Nevada, 39-0: 'All American' Wedemeyer Sparks Stunning Triumph". Oakland Tribune. October 8, 1945. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Galloping Gaels In 61-0 Win Over COP". The Honolulu Advertiser. October 14, 1945. pp. 20, 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gaels Lose Tackle In 58-0 Victory: Adair Badly Twists Knee In Triumph". Oakland Tribune. October 22, 1945. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gaels Crush Trojans, 26-0". The Press-Democrat. November 4, 1945. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gael Offensive Is Too Much; Down Bulldogs, 32 to 6". The Fresno Bee. November 13, 1945. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "U.C.L.A. Upsets St. Mary's In Final Minute: 87,000 Fans See Bruins Win, 13 to 7". Los Angeles Times. November 18, 1945. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gaels Lose, 33-13: Phelan Clan Makes Hit In Defeat". Oakland Tribune. January 2, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.