1944 March Field Flyers football team

1944 March Field Flyers football
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 10
Record7–2–2
Head coach
Home stadiumWheelock Field
Seasons
← 1943
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 March Field Flyers football team represented the United States Army Air Forces' Fourth Air Force stationed at March Field during the 1944 college football season. The base was located in Riverside, California. The team compiled a 7–2–2 record, outscored all opponents by a total of 222 to 81, and was ranked No. 10 in the final AP Poll.[1]

In individual games of note, the Flyers defeated UCLA, Washington, and the San Diego Bombers, champions of Pacific Coast Professional Football League. Their losses were to the Washington Redskins of the NFL and the Randolph Field team that was ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll.[1]

The team was coached by Major Paul J. Schissler, a former NFL coach.

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, March Field ranked 16th among the nation's college and service teams and third out of 63 United States Army teams with a rating of 104.5.[2][3]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 25vs. Washington Redskins
L 3–755,000[4]
September 24at San Diego BombersSan Diego, CAW 56–7[5]
October 7Fleet City
W 39–0[6]
October 15at Alameda Coast Guard
T 20–2022,000[7]
October 22El Toro MarinesNo. 14
  • Wheelock Field
  • Riverside, CA
W 20–1416,000[8]
October 29at Saint Mary's Pre-FlightNo. 11
  • Kezar Stadium
  • San Francisco, CA
W 7–0[9]
November 4UCLANo. 11
  • Wheelock Field
  • Riverside, CA
W 35–1312,000[10]
November 11at WashingtonNo. 9
W 28–021,000[11]
November 19at San Diego NTSNo. 8San Diego, CAW 7–05,500[12]
November 26at Second Air ForceNo. 9Denver, COT 0–012,000[13]
December 10vs. No. 3 Randolph FieldNo. 14
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
L 7–2050,000[14]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[15]

Rankings

See also: 1944 NCAA football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP—14 (1)1111 (6)9 (3)8 (2)9 (3)1410

References

  1. ^ a b "1943 March Field Flyers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Braven Dyer (August 26, 1944). "Redskins Defeat Flyers, 7-3, Before 55,000 Fans". Los Angeles Times. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Flyers Wallop Bombers, 56-7". Los Angeles Times. September 25, 1944. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Flyers Swamp Bluejackets, 39-0". Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1944. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Russ Newland (October 16, 1944). "Alameda Ties March Field In 20-20 Surprise". Los Angeles Times. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "March Field Whips Marines In Hard Game; 16,000 See Fliers Check El Toro Rally, Win 20-14". The San Bernardino County Sun. October 23, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Nelson-Norberg Pass Wins for March Field". The San Bernardino County Sun. October 30, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "March Field's Belated Rally Whips U.C.L.A." The San Bernardino County Sun. November 5, 1944. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "March Field Crushes Washington, 28 to 0". The San Bernardino County Sun (AP story). November 12, 1944. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "March Field Edges Strong S.D. Navy, 7-0: Cantor Goes Over After 35-Yard Jacobs-Strode Pass". The San Bernardino County Sun. November 20, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "March Field, Second Air Force Fight to Bruising 0-0 Deadlock". The San Bernardino County Sun. November 27, 1944. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Ramblers Down Flyers, 20-7, Before 50,000: March Field Eleven Gives Texans Toughest Test of Grid Campaign". Los Angeles Times. December 11, 1944. p. II-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Daye, John (2014). Encyclopedia of Armed Forces Football. Haworth, New Jersey: St. Johann Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-937943-21-9.