| 1939 Texas Tech vs. Centenary "When Punts Rained from the Sky" | |
| Football Season: | 1939 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Texas Tech |
| Visitor Nickname: | Red Raiders |
| Visitor School: | Texas Tech University |
| Home Name Short: | Centenary |
| Home Nickname: | Gentlemen |
| Home School: | Centenary College of Louisiana |
| Visitor Record: | 3–4 |
| Home Record: | 0–8 |
| Visitor Coach: | Pete Cawthon |
| Home Coach: | Curtis Parker[1] |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 0 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Date: | November 11, 1939 |
| Stadium: | Centenary College Stadium |
| City: | Shreveport, Louisiana |
The 1939 Texas Tech vs. Centenary football game was an American college football game played between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Centenary Gentlemen on November 11, 1939, at Centenary College Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. In "one of the weirdest games in NCAA History,"[2] torrential downpour and muddy field conditions prevented either Texas Tech or Centenary from advancing the ball by running or passing. To cope with the conditions, both teams resorted to repetitive and immediate punting. Both teams combined to punt 77 times. With each punt, both teams hoped to recover a fumble at the other end of the field.
6 of 14 fumbles were lost, but none of the turnovers led to a score. 42 punts were returned, 19 went out of bounds, 10 were downed, 1 went into the end zone for a touchback, 4 were blocked, and 1 was fair caught. 67 punts (34 by Texas Tech, 33 by Centenary) occurred on first down, including 22 consecutively in the third and fourth quarters.[3] The game ended in a 0–0 tie with Centenary owning a statistical edge with 31 yards of total offense compared with a one-yard loss for Texas Tech.[4]
The 1939 Texas Tech vs Centenary game is referenced in the 2013 edition of the NCAA Football Records Book 14 times.[3] More NCAA single-game records (13 total) were set in the 1939 Texas Tech vs Centenary game than any other game played in NCAA history. Steve Boda, a former associate director of NCAA statistics, researched the record in 1987. Stunned by the brief wire-service report of the game, he used a play-by-play account to confirm the details.[4] All NCAA records set during the game have remained unbroken. Boda claims three modern football factors guard against a repeat of these records: Better field surfaces, easier to handle footballs, and advanced gloves and footwear.[4]
| Player | Position | Team | NCAA record | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punter | Texas Tech | Most punts, game | 36 (vs Centenary 1939) | |
| Punter | Texas Tech | Most punting yards, game | 1,318 (vs Centenary 1939) | |
| Punt Returner | Texas Tech | Most punt returns, game | 20 (vs Centenary 1939) | |
| Punt Returner | Texas Tech | Most combined punt and kickoff returns, game | 20 (vs Centenary 1939) | |
| NCAA record | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Most punts, both teams | 77 | |
| Most punts, game | Texas Tech - 39 (1st), Centenary - 38 (2nd) | |
| Most punt returns, game | 22 | |
| Most punt returns, both teams | 42 | |
| Fewest Plays | 12 | |
| Fewest Plays Allowed | 12 | |
| Fewest Plays, both Teams | 33 | |
| Fewest yards gained, both Teams | 30 | |
| Fewest rushes, both Teams | 28 | |