1944 March Field Flyers football team

The 1944 March Field Flyers football team represented the United States Army Air Forces' Fourth Air Force stationed at March Field during the 1944 college football season. The base was located in Riverside, California. The team compiled a 7–2–2 record, outscored all opponents by a total of 222 to 81, and was ranked No. 10 in the final AP Poll.[1]

1944 March Field Flyers football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 10
1944 record	7–2–2
Head coach	Paul J. Schissler (3rd season)
Home stadium	Wheelock Field

1944 military service football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Randolph Field			–					12	–	0	–	0
No. 5 Bainbridge			–					10	–	0	–	0
No. 18 Fort Pierce			–					9	–	0	–	0
No. 13 Norman NAS			–					6	–	0	–	0
No. 6 Iowa Pre-Flight			–					10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 El Toro Marines			–					8	–	1	–	0
Bunker Hill NAS			–					6	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Great Lakes Navy			–					9	–	2	–	1
No. 10 March Field			–					7	–	2	–	2
North Carolina Pre-Flight			–					6	–	2	–	1
No. 20 Second Air Force			–					10	–	4	–	1
Camp Peary			–					5	–	2	–	0
Third Air Force			–					7	–	3	–	1
Alameda Coast Guard			–					4	–	2	–	2
No. 19 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight			–					4	–	4	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

In individual games of note, the Flyers defeated UCLA, Washington, and the San Diego Bombers, champions of Pacific Coast Professional Football League. Their losses were to the Washington Redskins of the NFL and the Randolph Field team that was ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll.[1]

The team was coached by Major Paul J. Schissler, a former NFL coach.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 25	Washington Redskins		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles (NFL)	L 3–7	55,000	[2]
September 24	at San Diego Bombers		San Diego (PCFL)	W 56–7		[3]
October 7	Fleet City		Wheelock Field Riverside, CA	W 39–0		[4]
October 15	at Alameda Coast Guard		Kezar Stadium San Francisco	T 20–20	22,000	[5]
October 22	El Toro Marines	No. 14	Wheelock Field Riverside, CA	W 20–14	16,000	[6]
October 29	at Saint Mary's Pre-Flight	No. 11	Kezar Stadium San Francisco	W 7–0		[7]
November 4	UCLA	No. 11	Wheelock Field Riverside, CA	W 35–13	12,000	[8]
November 11	at Washington	No. 9	Husky Stadium Seattle	W 28–0	21,000	[9]
November 19	at San Diego NTS	No. 8	San Diego	W 7–0	5,500	[10]
November 26	at Second Air Force	No. 9	Denver	T 0–0	12,000	[11]
December 10	No. 3 Randolph Field	No. 14	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles	L 7–20	50,000	[12]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1943 March Field Flyers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
2. Braven Dyer (August 26, 1944). "Redskins Defeat Flyers, 7-3, Before 55,000 Fans". Los Angeles Times. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Flyers Wallop Bombers, 56-7". Los Angeles Times. September 25, 1944. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Flyers Swamp Bluejackets, 39-0". Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1944. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Russ Newland (October 16, 1944). "Alameda Ties March Field In 20-20 Surprise". Los Angeles Times. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "March Field Whips Marines In Hard Game; 16,000 See Fliers Check El Toro Rally, Win 20-14". The San Bernardino County Sun. October 23, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Nelson-Norberg Pass Wins for March Field". The San Bernardino County Sun. October 30, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "March Field's Belated Rally Whips U.C.L.A." The San Bernardino County Sun. November 5, 1944. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "March Field Crushes Washington, 28 to 0". The San Bernardino County Sun (AP story). November 12, 1944. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "March Field Edges Strong S.D. Navy, 7-0: Cantor Goes Over After 35-Yard Jacobs-Strode Pass". The San Bernardino County Sun. November 20, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "March Field, Second Air Force Fight to Bruising 0-0 Deadlock". The San Bernardino County Sun. November 27, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Ramblers Down Flyers, 20-7, Before 50,000: March Field Eleven Gives Texans Toughest Test of Grid Campaign". Los Angeles Times. December 11, 1944. p. II-8 – via Newspapers.com.