1941 Duke Blue Devils football team

The 1941 Duke Blue Devils football team was an American football team that represented Duke University as a member of the Southern Conference during the 1941 college football season. In their 11th season under head coach Wallace Wade, the Blue Devils compiled a 9–0 record during the regular season, won the Southern Conference championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 311 to 41. Ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll, the Blue Devils were invited to play in the 1942 Rose Bowl (played at Duke Stadium), losing to Oregon State by a 20–16 score.[1]

1941 Duke Blue Devils football
SoCon champion
Rose Bowl, L 16–20 vs. Oregon State
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 2
1941 record9–1 (5–0 SoCon)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSingle-wing
Home stadiumDuke Stadium
1941 Southern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 Duke $ 5 –0 –0  9 –1 –0
South Carolina 4 –0 –1  4 –4 –1
Clemson 5 –1 –0  7 –2 –0
William & Mary 4 –1 –0  8 –2 –0
VMI 4 –2 –0  4 –6 –0
VPI 4 –2 –0  6 –4 –0
Wake Forest 4 –2 –1  5 –5 –1
NC State 3 –4 –2  4 –5 –2
Furman 2 –3 –2  3 –4 –2
Washington and Lee 1 –2 –2  1 –6 –2
North Carolina 2 –4 –0  3 –7 –0
Maryland 1 –2 –0  3 –5 –1
Davidson 1 –5 –2  1 –6 –3
The Citadel 0 –2 –1  4 –3 –1
George Washington 0 –4 –1  1 –7 –1
Richmond 0 –6 –0  2 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Four Duke players were selected as first-team players on the 1941 All-Southern Conference football team: halfback Steve Lach, left tackle Mike Karmazin, right end Bob Gantt, and center Bob Barnett. Lach was also selected by the International News Service, Liberty magazine, and the Newspaper Enterprise Association as a first-team player on the 1941 All-America team. Lach was also later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

One minor selector, Ray Bryne, selected Duke as national champion.[2]

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27Wake Forest
W 43–1413,500[3]
October 4Tennessee*
  • Duke Stadium
  • Durham, NC
W 19–045,000[4]
October 11at Maryland*
W 50–012,000[5]
October 18Colgate*No. 3
  • Duke Stadium
  • Durham, NC
W 27–1425,000[6]
October 25at Pittsburgh*No. 4
W 27–728,000[7]
November 1at Georgia Tech*No. 4
W 14–028,000[8]
November 8at DavidsonNo. 4Davidson, NCW 56–010,000[9]
November 15North CarolinaNo. 3
W 20–045,000[10]
November 22at NC StateNo. 3
W 55–615,000[11]
January 1, 1942vs. No. 12 Oregon State*No. 2
L 16–2056,000[12][13][14]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References
  1. "1941 Duke Blue Devils Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  2. "1941 National Championships". College Football Data Warehouse.
  3. "Wake Forest Swamped By Blue Devils, 43-14". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 28, 1941. pp. D1, D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Frank B. Gilbreth (October 5, 1941). "Duke Smashes Tennessee, 19 To 0". Asheville Citizen-Times. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Craig E. Taylor (October 12, 1941). "Duke Gridders Crush Terps In 50-O Clash". The Baltimore Sun. pp. Sports 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Duke Wins: Blue Devils Lick Colgate By 27 to 14". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 19, 1941. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Chester L. Smith (October 26, 1941). "Duke Beats Pitt, 27-7: Ross Tallies First Score For Panthers". The Pittsburgh Press. pp. III-11, III-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Jack Troy (November 2, 1941). "Duke 14, Tech 0: Outplayed Duke Scores Twice On Long Aerials". The Atlanta Constitution. pp. 1D, 3D – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Robert Cranford (November 9, 1941). "Duke Crushes Davidson's Wildcats, 56 To 0". The High Point Enterprise. p. 10A – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Bill Boni (November 16, 1941). "Duke Runs Over Tar Heels, 20 To 0". Asheville Citizen-Times. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Blue Devils Wallop State, 55 To 6". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 23, 1941. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Feder, Sid (January 2, 1942). "Oregon State, Fordham win bowl tilts". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. 12.
  13. Guenther, Jack (January 2, 1942). "56,000 fans stunned as OSC whips Duke Devils in Rose Bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. p. 10.
  14. Soc Chakales (January 2, 1942). "Duke Upset By Beavers, 20 To 16". The High Point Enterprise. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
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