1944 Second Air Force Superbombers football team

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1944 Second Air Force Superbombers football
Treasury Bond Bowl, L 6–13 vs. Randolph Field
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 20
Record10–4–1
Head coach
Home stadiumPenrose Stadium
Seasons
← 1942
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

The 1944 Second Air Force Superbombers football team represented the Second Air Force during the 1944 college football season. The team, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, compiled a 10–4–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 513 to 76, and was ranked No. 20 in the final AP Poll.[1]

The team played many of the other leading service teams, losing to Randolph Field (No. 3 in the final AP Poll), Iowa Pre-Flight (No. 6), and Norman NAS (No. 14), and a Third Air Force team led by Charley Trippi. The Superbombers also played to a tie against March Field (No. 10).

Major William B. "Red" Reese, who coached football and basketball at Eastern Washington College before the war, was the team's head coach. Notable players on the 1944 Second Air Force squad included Glenn Dobbs, Bill Sewell, Don Fambrough, Nick Susoeff, Ray Evans, John Harrington, Johnny Strzykalski, and Visco Grgich.[2]

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, Second Air Force ranked sixth among the nation's college and service teams and second out of 63 United States Army teams with a rating of 117.9.[3][4]

Schedule[edit]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 2vs. Peru Teachers Navy V-12
W 38–010,000[5]
September 8Colorado CollegeW 24–010,000[2]
September 17at Idaho Southern BranchW 45–0[6]
September 231:30 p.m.vs. WhitmanW 78–07,000[7][8][9]
September 30at ColoradoW 33–6[10]
October 7vs. Iowa Pre-FlightL 6–1229,500[11]
October 14vs. New MexicoNo. 15W 89–610,000[12]
October 21vs. North Texas AgriculturalNo. 19
W 68–08,000[13]
October 291:30 p.m.at Norman NASNo. 15L 6–13[14][15][16]
November 5Amarillo AAF
  • Penrose Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
W 46–66,000[17]
November 12vs. Fort WarrenDenver, COW 20–0[18]
November 18vs. WashingtonW 47–66,592[19]
November 26 No. 9 March FieldNo. 19Denver, COT 0–012,000[20]
December 10vs. Third Air ForceNo. 20L 7–148,000[21]
December 16vs. No. 3 Randolph FieldNo. 20
L 6–138,356[22]

Rankings[edit]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP15т19 (0.25)15192020

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1944 Second Air Force Superbombers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Second Grid Victory In Bombers' Bag: Dobbs Dazzles In Servicemen's Triumph". The Lincoln Star. September 9, 1944. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ 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 Open access icon.
  4. ^ 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 Open access icon.
  5. ^ "Superbombers Trounce Peru". The Sunday Argus-Leader. September 3, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Superbombers Score 45-0 Win Over Idaho". Eugene Register-Guard. September 18, 1944. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Service Teams Clash in Boise Today". The Idaho Daily Statesman. Boise, Idaho. September 23, 1944. p. 7. Retrieved April 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ "Second Air Force Superbombers Romp Over Whitman's Missionaries". The Idaho Sunday Statesman. Boise, Idaho. September 24, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved April 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  9. ^ "2nd AAF Swamps Whitman, 78-0". The Honolulu Advertiser. September 24, 1944. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Dobbs passed 2nd air force to 33-6 win". Sunday Journal and Star (NE). October 1, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ George Mills (October 8, 1944). "Pre-Flights Stop Dobbs, Win, 12 to 6". The Des Moines Register. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Superbombers Roll up 89-6 Win Over Lobos". Clovis News-Journal. October 15, 1944. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "2nd Air Force Coasts, 68 to 0". The Des Moines Register. October 22, 1944. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Zoomers and Army Superbombers Meet This Afternoon". The Norman Transcript. Norman, Oklahoma. October 29, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved April 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  15. ^ "Norman Naval Zoomers Defeat Superbombers by 13-6 Count". Salt Lake Telegram. October 30, 1944. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Norman Navy Spills Dobbs' Mates, 13 to 6". The Des Moines Register. October 30, 1946. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Superbombers Smother Sky Giants, 46-6". Amarillo Daily News. November 6, 1944. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Superbomber 20, Fort Warren 0". The Greeley Daily Tribune. November 13, 1933. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Airforce Gridders Rout Huskies". Montana Standard. November 19, 1944. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "March Field, Second Air Force Fight to Bruising 0-0 Deadlock". The San Bernardino County Sun. November 27, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Gremlins Bump Superbombers to Tune of 14-7". Los Angeles Times. December 11, 1944. p. II-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Ramblers Nip Bombers, 13-6". Los Angeles Times. December 17, 1944. p. II-5, II-6 – via Newspapers.com.