1941 Detroit Titans football team

The 1941 Detroit Titans football team represented the University of Detroit in the 1941 college football season. Detroit outscored its opponents by a combined total of 195 to 43, and finished with a 7–2 record in its 17th year under head coach and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Gus Dorais. Significant games included victories over Indiana (14–7) and Oklahoma A&M (20–14) and a close loss to Arkansas (6–9).[1]

1941 Detroit Titans football
Conference	Independent
1941 record	7–2
Head coach	Gus Dorais (17th season)
Home stadium	University of Detroit Stadium

1941 Midwestern college football independents records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Western Michigan			–					8	–	0	–	0
No. 3 Notre Dame			–					8	–	0	–	1
Youngstown			–					7	–	0	–	1
Xavier			–					9	–	1	–	0
Detroit			–					7	–	2	–	0
Ohio			–					5	–	2	–	1
Dayton			–					7	–	3	–	0
Cincinnati			–					6	–	3	–	0
Akron			–					5	–	3	–	1
Michigan State			–					5	–	3	–	1
Central Michigan			–					4	–	3	–	0
Ohio Wesleyan			–					5	–	4	–	0
Marquette			–					4	–	5	–	0
Wayne			–					2	–	6	–	0
Miami (OH)			–					2	–	7	–	0
Wichita			–					1	–	6	–	1
Michigan State Normal			–					0	–	5	–	2
Detroit Tech			–					0	–	6	–	1

In addition to head coach Gus Dorais, the team's coaching staff included Lloyd Brazil (backfield coach, 11th year), Bud Boeringer (line coach, 15th year), and Michael H. "Dad" Butler (trainer, 15th year).[2] During a ceremony at halftime on November 8, Butler, at age 71, was honored for his many years of service as the school's trainer and track and boxing coach; he was presented with $600 in cash, a radio, a "D" blanket, a trophy, a plaque, and scrolls.[3]

Center Vince Banonis, who was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, was the team captain.[4] At the end of the 1941 season, Banonis was chosen as a first-round All-American by Collier's Weekly (selected by Grantland Rice),[5] International News Service,[6] and Paramount News.[7] He was also chosen as a second-team All-American by the Newspaper Enterprise Association.[8]

Louis Harrington picked three Titans as first-team players on his All-Michigan football team for 1941: Vince Banonis, halfback Elmer L. "Tippy" Madarik, and guard Thomas McLoughlin.[9]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 27	at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	W 14–7	10,000	[10]
October 3	Wayne	University of Detroit Stadium Detroit	W 54–0	17,659	[11]
October 10	Central Michigan	University of Detroit Stadium Detroit	W 45–0		[12]
October 18	at Oklahoma A&M	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	W 20–14	6,000	[13]
October 24	Arkansas	University of Detroit Stadium Detroit	L 6–9	21,202	[14]
November 1	Manhattan	University of Detroit Stadium Detroit	W 15–0	10,131	[15][16]
November 8	Marquette	University of Detroit Stadium Detroit	W 7–6	16,541	[17]
November 16	at Villanova	Shibe Park Philadelphia	L 6–7	23,480	[18]
November 23	at Creighton	Creighton Stadium Omaha, NE	W 28–0		[19]

References

1. "1941 Detroit Mercy Titans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
2. "University of Detroit vs. Wayne University game program". University of Detroit. October 3, 1941. p. 3. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
3. "Dad's Day Becomes One for Butler to Remember". Detroit Free Press. November 9, 1941. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Detroit vs. Wayne program, p. 7.
5. "Rokisky on Collier's Team". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 5, 1941.
6. Lawton Carver (December 1, 1941). "Albert Tops INS All-America Grid Selections". Reading Eagle.
7. "Al DeMao, Rokisky on All-America Teams". The Pittsburgh Press. 1941-11-29.
8. Harry Grayson (November 21, 1941). "Duke's Lach Makes NEA All-America Team". The Rock Hill Herald.
9. John N. Sabo (December 7, 1941). "Attorney Harrington Picks His Own All-State Collegiate Football Team". Detroit Free Press. pp. 2–6 – via Newspapers.com.
10. W.W. Edgar (September 28, 1941). "Long Pass in Final Period Gives Titans Victory, 14 to 7". Detroit Free Press. pp. Sports 1, 3 – via Newspapers.com.
11. W.W. Edgar (October 4, 1941). "Madarik Stars as Titans Romp to 54-0 Triumph Over Wayne". Detroit Free Press. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
12. W.W. Edgar (October 11, 1941). "Piper Suffers Broken Collarbone as Titans Beat Bearcats, 45-0". Detroit Free Press. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "U-D Comes from Behind to Beat Oklahoma Aggies, 20-14". Detroit Free Press. October 19, 1941. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
14. W.W. Edgar (October 25, 1941). "U-D Beaten in last 7 Seconds by Arkansas Field Goal, 9-6". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1, 12 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Detroit Tops Jaspers, 15-0; Madarik Stars". New York Daily News. November 2, 1941. p. 89 – via Newspapers.com.
16. W.W. Edgar (November 2, 1941). "Titans Show Land Power to Stop Jaspers, 15 to 0". Detroit Free Press. pp. Sports 1, 7.
17. W.W. Edgar (November 9, 1941). "U-D Trips Marquette: Link's Kick Gives Titans 7-6 Victory". Detroit Free Press. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
18. John N. Sabo (November 17, 1941). "Titans' Air Attack Bottled and Villanova Wins, 7 to 6". Detroit Free Press. pp. 14, 16 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Titans Roll to Easy Victory over Creighton, 28-0". Detroit Free Press. November 24, 1941. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• 1941 University of Detroit football programs