1944 Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team

The 1944 Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team represented the United States Navy pre-flight school at the University of Iowa as an independent during the 1944 college football season. In its third season, the team compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 313 to 96, and was ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll.[1][2]

1944 Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 6
Record10–1
Head coach
Home stadiumIowa Stadium
1944 military service football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW 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

In June 1944, Jack Meagher—the head football coach at Auburn from 1934 to 1942—was assigned to replace Don Faurot as the pre-fight school's head coach. Faurot had been transferred to Monmouth College in January. Meagher was serving as a lieutenant commander in the Navy and had been assigned previously to the technical training center in Norman, Oklahoma.[3] Meagher's assistant coaches in 1944 included Bud Wilkinson (who later coached at Oklahoma), Steve Sinko, and Chuck Jaskwhich. Harvey Harman was the athletic director.[4][5]

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, Iowa Pre-Flight ranked eighth among the nation's college and service teams and first out of 28 United States Navy teams with a rating of 115.9.[6][7]

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16at Michigan
L 7–1220,243
September 23at Minnesota
W 19–1331,600[8]
September 30Olathe NAS
W 45–125,000[9]
October 7vs. Second Air Force
W 12–629,500[10]
October 14at No. 7 PurdueNo. 11
W 13–618,000[11]
October 22Fort WarrenNo. 5
  • Iowa Stadium
  • Iowa City, IA
W 30–08,000[12]
October 29at MarquetteNo. 6
W 26–08,000[13]
November 4at TulsaNo. 7
W 47–2718,000[14]
November 11Bunker Hill NASNo. 7
  • Iowa Stadium
  • Iowa City, IA
W 33–74,000[15]
November 18at MissouriNo. 7
W 51–7[16]
November 25vs. IowaNo. 7
  • Iowa Stadium
  • Iowa City, IA
W 30–62,500[17]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings
See also: 1944 NCAA football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP1156777766

Roster
PlayerPosition
Arthur GuepeBack
John HerrimanEnd
Lou KingBack
Bus MertesBack
Randle RushingBack
Don SamuelsBack
Vic SchleichTackle
Bob SmithBack
Jimmy SmithBack
Warren SmithTackle
George StrohmeyerCenter
Dick SullivanBack
Dell TaylorBack
Don WaldronBack
Charles WoodwardBack

References
  1. "1944 Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  2. John B. Scott. "1944 Iowa Pre-Flight" (PDF). College Football Historical Society – via LA84 Foundation.
  3. "Meagher to Coach Iowa's Pre-Flight Football Team". Muscatine Journal and NewsTribune. June 16, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Name Aides To Meagher At Iowa Navy". The Des Moines Tribune. July 15, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Seahawks Open Grid Drills". The Des Moines Register. July 18, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Sec Taylor (September 24, 1944). "Seahawks' Rallies Tip Gophers, 19-13". The Des Moines Register. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. George Mills (October 1, 1944). "Iowa Seahawks Shellac Olathe Flyers 45-12". The Des Moines Sunday Register. p. 4S – via Newspapers.com.
  10. George Mills (October 8, 1944). "Pre-Flights Stop Dobbs, Win, 12 to 6". The Des Moines Register. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Sec Taylor (October 15, 1944). "Seahawks Surprise Purdue, 13-6". The Des Moines Sunday Register. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Bert McGrane (October 23, 1944). "Seahawks Tame Broncos, 30-0". The Des Moines Register. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Cadets Slap Marquette, 26-0". The Des Moines Register. October 30, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Sec Taylor (November 5, 1944). "Cadets Romp, 47-27". The Des Moines Register. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Seahawks Swoop, 33 to 7". The Des Moines Sunday Register. November 12, 1944. p. 2S – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Seahawks Grind Missouri, 51-7". The Des Moines Sunday Register. November 19, 1944. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Iowa Wilts in 4th, Bows, 30-6". The Des Moines Sunday Register. November 26, 1944. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
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