Wikipedia

1944 Randolph Field Ramblers football team

The 1944 Randolph Field Ramblers football team was an American football team represented the airmen of the United States Army Air Forces stationed at Randolph Field during the 1944 college football season. Randolph Field was located about 15 miles east-northeast of San Antonio. In their second season under head coach Frank Tritico, the Ramblers compiled a perfect 11–0 record with eight shout victories, outscored opponents by a total of 441 to 19, and were ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll.[1] Football statistician and historian Dr. L. H. Baker selected Randolph Field as national champions for 1944.[2]

1944 Randolph Field Ramblers football
Treasury Bond Bowl, W 13–6 vs. Second Air Force
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 3
Record11–0
Head coach
Home stadiumGrater Field, Alamo Stadium
Seasons
← 1943
1945 →
1944 military service football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Randolph Field   –   11 – 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
Hondo AAF   –   7 – 1 – 0
Bunker Hill NAS   –   6 – 1 – 0
Lincoln AAF   –   6 – 1 – 0
Blackland AAF   –   7 – 1 – 1
Keesler Field   –   8 – 1 – 2
No. 17 Great Lakes Navy   –   9 – 2 – 1
No. 10 March Field   –   7 – 2 – 2
Third Air Force   –   8 – 3 – 0
North Carolina Pre-Flight   –   6 – 2 – 1
Atlantic City NAS   –   5 – 2 – 0
Camp Peary   –   5 – 2 – 0
Tonopah AAF   –   5 – 2 – 0
Daniel Field   –   7 – 3 – 0
No. 20 Second Air Force   –   10 – 4 – 1
San Francisco Coast Guard   –   4 – 2 – 1
Ellington Field   –   6 – 3 – 2
Amarillo AAF   –   5 – 3 – 0
Alameda Coast Guard   –   4 – 2 – 2
Coronado Amphibious   –   2 – 1 – 1
Olathe NAS   –   4 – 2 – 2
Selman Field   –   4 – 2 – 2
Galveston AAF   –   5 – 3 – 2
Fleet City   –   6 – 4 – 1
Jacksonville NAS   –   4 – 3 – 0
San Diego NTS   –   4 – 3 – 1
Camp Beale   –   5 – 4 – 0
Lubbock AAF   –   5 – 4 – 0
Fort Warren   –   5 – 4 – 1
Fort Monroe   –   5 – 5 – 0
Klamath Falls Marines   –   2 – 2 – 1
Maxwell Field   –   5 – 5 – 0
Minter Field   –   3 – 3 – 0
No. 19 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight   –   4 – 4 – 0
Fourth Infantry   –   3 – 4 – 2
Georgia Pre-Flight   –   4 – 5 – 0
Third Infantry   –   4 – 5 – 0
Bergstrom Field   –   3 – 4 – 0
Ottumwa NAS   –   3 – 4 – 0
Camp Lee   –   3 – 5 – 0
Cherry Point Marines   –   3 – 6 – 0
Chatham Field   –   2 – 8 – 1
Sampton NTS   –   2 – 7 – 0
Miami NTC   –   2 – 8 – 0
Bryan AAF   –   1 – 7 – 0
Fairfield-Suisun AAB   –   1 – 7 – 0
Richmond AAB   –   0 – 10 – 1
Camp Ellis   –   0 – 5 – 0
South Plains AAF   –   0 – 8 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

Players (with the positions and prior teams in parentheses) included Glenn Dobbs (back, Tulsa), Bill Dudley (back, Pittsburgh Steelers), Pete Layden (fullback, Texas), F.O. "Dippy" Evans (back, Notre Dame), Bob Cifers (back, Tennessee), Jake Leicht (back, Oregon), Don Looney (end, Pittsburgh Steelers), Jack Russell (end, Baylor), Harold Newman (end, Alabama), Martin Ruby (tackle, Texas A&M), Walt Merrill (tackle, Alabama), Bill Bagwell (guard, Rice), Jack Freeman (guard, Texas), and Ken Holley (center, Holy Cross).[3]

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, Randolph Field ranked second among the nation's college and service teams and first out of 63 United States Army teams with a rating of 124.2.[4][5]

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 30at Rice
W 59–020,000[6][7]
October 7at Texas
W 42–619,000[8]
October 14SMUNo. 4
W 41–018,000[9]
October 22vs. 7th Armored, Camp PolkNo. 3Fort Worth, TXW 67–010,000[10]
October 28Third Air ForceNo. 3
  • Alamo Stadium
  • San Antonio, TX
W 19–022,000[11]
November 4North Texas AgriculturalNo. 4
  • Alamo Stadium
  • San Antonio, TX
W 68–0[12]
November 11Maxwell FieldNo. 4
  • Alamo Stadium
  • San Antonio, TX
W 25–0[13]
November 18Southwestern (TX)No. 2
  • Alamo Stadium
  • San Antonio, TX
W 54–0652[14]
November 26vs. Amarillo AAFNo. 4
W 33–011,000[15]
December 10vs. No. 14 March FieldNo. 3
W 20–750,000[16]
December 16vs. No. 20 Second Air ForceNo. 3
W 13–68,356[17]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

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See also: 1944 NCAA football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP4 (22)3 (21.58)3 (23)4 (18)4 (18)2 (15)4 (11.33)3т (5.33)3 (17)

References

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  1. ^ "1944 Randolph Field Ramblers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  2. ^ Baker, Dr. L. H. (1945). "The Nation's Leading Teams, 1869–1944 | College and Service Teams' 1944 Ratings and Ranks (Compiled by Dr. L. H. Baker)". Football: Facts & Figures. New York: Farrar & Rinehart. pp. 644–645. No. 1 Randolph Field 958, No. 2 Army 951 — The ratings listed here have been computed by a method devised by the author. It consists of a combination of a modification of the Dickinson method plus one used by the author for several years. This combination has proved highly accurate.
  3. ^ "Randolph Field To Shoot All-Star Lineup at Rice". Abilene Reporter-News. September 24, 1944. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Litkenhous, E. E. (December 10, 1944). "Big Ten Circuit Repeats As King of College Leagues". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City Utah. p. 8B. Retrieved April 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  5. ^ Litkenhous, E. E. (December 17, 1944). "Army, Randolph Field One-Two in Final Litkenhouse Ratings". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. 4, section 2. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  6. ^ "Powerful Ramblers Invade Rice Stadium Tonight". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. Associated Press. September 30, 1944. p. 10. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  7. ^ "Randolph Field Smothers Rice Institute 55 to 0". Valley Morning Star. October 1, 1944. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Longhorns Take 42-6 Trouncing From Randolph". Valley Evening Monitor. October 8, 1944. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Ramblers Smother SMU 41-0: Bill Dudley Stars Again For Randolph". Valley Morning Star. October 15, 1944. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Ramblers Kick Polk Team 67-0". The Abilene Reporter-News. October 23, 1944. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Randolph Field Turns Back Gremlins, 19-0". Los Angeles Times. October 29, 1944. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Ramblers Romp Over N. T. Aggies, 68-0". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. November 5, 1944. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Randolph Defeats Maxwell 25 to 0". Valley Evening Monitor. November 12, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Randolph Beats Navy Boys, 54-0". Longview Daily News. November 19, 1944. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Ramblers Rumble Over Sky Giants 33-0: Dudley Leads Fliers To Win". The Amarillo Daily News. November 27, 1944. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "Ramblers Nip Bombers, 13-6". Los Angeles Times. December 17, 1944. p. II-5, II-6 – via Newspapers.com.
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