1941 Stanford Indians football team

The 1941 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University during the 1941 college football season. Second-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy led the team to a 6–3 record. Before the season, Stanford, which the year prior had finished 10–0, was considered a favorite for the national championship, but three conference losses put it out of contention for a return to the Rose Bowl. After the season, Shaughnessy left Stanford to take over as head coach at the University of Maryland.

1941 Stanford Indians football
Conference	Pacific Coast Conference
1941 record	6–3 (4–3 PCC)
Head coach	Clark Shaughnessy (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	T formation
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium

1941 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 12 Oregon State $	7	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Washington	5	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
No. 19 Washington State	5	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Stanford	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Oregon	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
UCLA	3	–	4	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
California	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
USC	2	–	4	–	1			2	–	6	–	1
Montana	1	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Idaho	0	–	4	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Before the season

The Indians lost two stars from the previous season, right halfback Hugh Gallarneau and fullback Norm Standlee, to graduation, but returned quarterback Frankie Albert. Shaughnessy made the "pessimistic" projection that the team would drop at least two games.[1] Before and early in the season, expectations were high for Stanford, and alongside Minnesota, the Indians were considered among the frontrunners for the national championship.[2] Throughout the course of the season, however, injuries hindered the team.[3]

Season

Neither Stanford nor Minnesota were considered overly impressive in narrow victories in their season openers. The Indians edged Oregon, 19–15. The International News Service reported that Stanford "was not the polished, meticulous outfit it was when it trimmed Nebraska" in the previous season's Rose Bowl.[4] Stanford then routed UCLA, 33–0.[5] The following week, Oregon State snapped Stanford's 13-game winning streak. The Associated Press credited Beavers center Quentin Greenough with leading Oregon State's defensive effort, which blanked Stanford's potent T-formation, 10–0. Greenough was injured in the fourth quarter and had to be carried out by stretcher.[6]

Against Washington, Stanford scored two second-quarter touchdowns and turned back multiple Huskies' drives. The Indians had two additional touchdowns negated by penalties, but won, 13–7.[7] On a mud-logged field, Stanford back Pete Kmetovic scored five minutes into the game against Santa Clara. Later in the first quarter, Buck Fawcett broke free for an 84-yard touchdown run, and before halftime, Kmetovic returned an interception 40 yards to put the Indians back in position for a third score. Stanford's defense held Santa Clara at bay for the remainder of the game, and turned back two Bronco drives on the four-yard line for a final result of 27–7.[8]

After defeating USC, 13–0, the Indians fell in their penultimate game against Washington State. The result tied Stanford, Washington, and Oregon State for first-place in the Pacific Coast Conference with two losses each, and all still vying for a berth in the Rose Bowl.[9] Stanford's loss to underdogs California, 16–0, in the finale put them out of contention for the postseason game invitation.[10] The Indians finished with a 6–3 record.[11]

After the season

In March 1942, Shaughnessy turned down a head coaching offer from Yale University, but said he was considering the same job at another Eastern school with little football tradition.[3] A short time later, he resigned to accept the job at Maryland.[12] According to Sports Illustrated in 1977, Shaughnessy's decision was based on his belief that Stanford would discontinue its football program during World War II.[13]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 27	Oregon		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 19–15	35,000	[14]
October 4	UCLA		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 33–0	40,000	[15][16]
October 11	at Oregon State		Bell Field Corvallis, OR	L 0–10		[17]
October 18	San Francisco*		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 42–26	7,000	[18]
October 25	at Washington	No. 19	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	W 13–7	43,000	[19]
November 1	Santa Clara*	No. 12	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 27–7	65,000	[20]
November 8	at USC	No. 9	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	W 13–0	87,000	[21]
November 15	Washington State	No. 6	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 13–14	45,000	[22]
November 29	California		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	L 0–16	70,000	[23]
*Non-conference game Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

Players drafted by the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Pete Kmetovic	Halfback	1	3	Philadelphia Eagles
Frankie Albert	Quarterback	1	10	Chicago Bears
Vic Lindskog	Center	2	13	Philadelphia Eagles
Fred Meyer	End	12	103	Philadelphia Eagles
Arnie Meiners	End	17	153	Philadelphia Eagles

[24]

References

1. Pessimistic Clark Shaughnessy Sees Team Losing Two Games, Eugene Register-Guard, September 14, 1941.
2. Minnesota and Stanford Loom Again as Champions, The Milwaukee Journal, September 29, 1941.
3. Clark Shaughnessy Not Interested In Yale, But May Move East, Eugene Register-Guard, March 12, 1942.
4. Teams With Standout Backs Take Over Spotlight, St. Petersburg Times, September 29, 1941.
5. USC, Huskies Are Underdogs, Eugene Register-Guard, October 10, 1941.
6. Clark Shaughnessy Says Best Team Won, Eugene Register-Guard, October 12, 1941.
7. Stanford Clips Huskies, The Pittsburgh Press, October 26, 1941.
8. Stanford's T-Formation Rolls In Mud And Santa Clara Loses, The Miami News, November 2, 1941.
9. Stanford, Texas Fall in Hectic Week-end, St. Petersburg Times, November 17, 1941.
10. Oregon State In Rose Bowl, The Pittsburgh Press, November 30, 1941.
11. Coaching Records Game by Game: 1941, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved August 15, 2010.
12. Clark Shaughnessy Moves To New Maryland University Job, Eugene Register-Guard, April 6, 1942.
13. 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.
14. Harry Borba (September 28, 1941). "Cards Triumph: Indians Fumble and Bog Down But Win 11th Straight, 19-15". The San Francisco Examiner. p. S2 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Al Wolf (October 5, 1941). "Indians Toy With U.C.L.A." Los Angeles Times. p. II-9 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Bill Tobitt (October 5, 1941). "Stanford 33, Bruins 0". Oakland Tribune. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Oregon State Beavers Shatter Another Grid Dynasty". The Register-Guard. October 12, 1941. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
18. Harry Borba (October 19, 1941). "Cardinals Use Only Power Plays to Trim Striving Dons, 42-26". The San Francisco Examiner. p. Sports 2 – via Newspapers.com.
19. Harry Borba (October 26, 1941). "Cards Roll Toward Rose Bowl, 13-7". San Francisco Examiner. p. Sports 3 – via Newspapers.com.
20. Bill Tobitt (November 2, 1941). "Tribe Has Reached Peak -- Shaughnessy". Oakland Tribune. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
21. Paul Zimmerman (November 9, 1941). "First Period Tells Tale: Throng of 87,000 Sees Indians Clinch Victory Early in Game". Los Angeles Times. p. I-27 – via Newspapers.com.
22. Prescott Sullivan (November 16, 1941). "Cougars Crush Indians' Bowl Hopes". The San Francisco Examiner. p. Sports 2 – via Newspapers.com.
23. Prescott Sullivan (November 30, 1941). "Cal, 3-1/2-1 Underdog, Whips Cards, 16-0". The San Francisco Examiner. p. Sports 2 – via Newspapers.com.
24. "1942 NFL Draft". Retrieved September 16, 2014.