1941 Willamette Bearcats football team

On the afternoon of December 6, 1941, in the Shrine Football Classic, Willamette lost to Hawaii at Honolulu Stadium.[15] The game drew a crowd of 25,000 persons, the largest paid attendance in Hawaii history to that point.[16] The attendees included Territorial Governor Joseph Poindexter, Honolulu Mayor Lester Petrie, and Lt. Gen. Walter Short, the U.S. commander responsible for the defense of U.S. military installations in Hawaii;[16] the game was preceded by a "spectacle" of marching bands, including performances by the U.S. Marine band and bands from several Hawaiian high schools and colleges.[17]

Early the following morning, the team gathered for a planned sightseeing tour and picnic. The attack on Pearl Harbor interrupted the picnic plan and began the Pacific War. Willamette was also scheduled to play San Jose State on December 16 in Honolulu, but that game was cancelled.[18] In the wake of the attack, it was unclear if a full-scale invasion had begun. Martial law was declared in Honolulu, and the visiting Willamette football players were assigned to support the emergency. They were given World War I rifles, bayonets and helmets, and served for the next 10 days as guards at the Punahou School which was converted into an ammunition depot.[19][20][21]

The team returned home on the SS President Coolidge, attending to wounded sailors, finally arriving in San Francisco on Christmas Day.[19][22][23]

In 2019, the experiences of the Willamette and San Jose State football teams were documented in the book, "Scrimmage for War: A Story of Pearl Harbor, Football, and World War II".[24]

The conference coaches selected an All-Northwest Conference football team at the end of the 1941 season. Willamette players received 11 of the 13 first-team spots. Willamette's first-team honorees were:

• Marshall Barbour, right end, age 20, 5'11", 190 pounds, Portland, Oregon
• Martin Barstad, left tackle, age 20, 6'1", 203 pounds, Woodburn, Oregon (unanimous pick)
• George Constable, right end, age 20, 6', 200 pounds, Gillespie, Illinois
• Anthony Jo "Tony" Fraiola, left guard, age 23, 5'9", 175 pounds, New Providence, New Jersey (unanimous pick, second consecutive year with all-conference honors)
• Gordon Moore, right guard, age 22, 6'2", 195 pounds, Tigard, Oregon
• Neil Morley, right tackle, age 19, 6'2", 210 pounds, Bingen, Washington
• Teddy Ogdahl, right halfback, age 19, 5'9", 172 pounds, Portland, Oregon (unanimous pick)
• Bill Reder, left end, age 20, 6'2", 190 pounds, Portland, Oregon (unanimous pick)
• Buddy Reynolds, left halfback, age 24, 5'7", 168 pounds, La Grande, Oregon
• Gene Stewart, left halfback, age 23, 5'10", 175 pounds, Ontario, Oregon
• Al Walden, fullback, age 21, 5'7", 175 pounds, San Diego (third consecutive year with all-conference honors)

[5][25]

In addition, two other Willamette players were named to the second team:

• Pat White, center, age 20, 6', 190 pounds, Portland, Oregon
• Chuck Furno, right halfback, age 20, 5'5", 165 pounds, Wisconsin Rapids

[5][25]