1939 San Jose State Spartans football team explained

Year:1939
Team:San Jose State Spartans
Sport:football
Conference:California Collegiate Athletic Association
Short Conf:CCAA
Record:13–0
Conf Record:3–0
Head Coach:Dudley DeGroot
Hc Year:8th
Stadium:Spartan Stadium
Champion:CCAA champion

The 1939 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State College[1] during the 1939 college football season.

San Jose State competed in the inaugural year of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was classified as an independent for the previous four seasons (1935-1938). The Spartans were led by head coach Dudley DeGroot, in his eighth year, and played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California.

The Spartans finished the season as undefeated CCAA champions with a final record of thirteen wins and no losses (13-0, 3-0 CCAA). The Spartans dominated their opponents, scoring 324 points for the season while giving up only 29, for an average score of 24–2. Only four opposing teams scored against the Spartans, never more than seven points, and eight teams were shut out.

The Spartans spent two weeks in the Associated Press poll in 1939. They were ranked No. 19 in week 7 and No. 18 in week 8. It was not ranked in the final AP poll, but it was ranked at No. 43 in the 1939 Williamson System ratings.[2] and at No. 37 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.[3]

Famed football coach Pop Warner was an advisory coach for the Spartans in 1939 and 1940, helping the team to a 24–1 record over the two seasons. The October 20th game vs. College of the Pacific marked the first time Warner had coached against Amos Alonzo Stagg since the two coaches had met in 1907, when Warner was coaching Carlisle and defeated Stagg's University of Chicago.

Schedule

[4]

Team players in the NFL

The following San Jose State players were selected in the 1940 NFL draft.[5] [6]

Player Position Round Overall NFL team
Quarterback – Wing Back – Kicker 7 58 Washington Redskins
The following player ended his San Jose State career in 1939, was not drafted, but played in the NFL.
Player Position NFL team
Bob Titchenal[7] End – Center – Linebacker – Defensive end 1940 Washington Redskins

Notes and References

  1. [San Jose State University]
  2. News: Texas Aggies Ranked Nation's Top. The Atlanta Constitution. Paul Williamson. December 8, 1941. 26. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Vols Second In Final Litkenhous Grid Rankings; Southern California Tenth. E. E. Litkenhous. Johnson City Sunday Press. December 31, 1939. 11. Newspapers.com.
  4. Web site: San Jose State 2016 Football Media Guide. December 16, 2016.
  5. Web site: 1940 NFL Draft. December 7, 2016. October 19, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101019085237/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1940.htm. dead.
  6. Web site: San Jose St. Players/Alumni. December 16, 2016.
  7. Bob Titchenal would later become head coach of the San Jose State Spartans football team, coaching from 1957 to 1964