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
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 6
1944 record	10–1
Head coach	Jack Meagher (1st season)
Home stadium	Iowa Stadium

1944 military service football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Randolph Field			–					12	–	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
Bunker Hill NAS			–					6	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Great Lakes Navy			–					9	–	2	–	1
No. 10 March Field			–					7	–	2	–	2
North Carolina Pre-Flight			–					6	–	2	–	1
No. 20 Second Air Force			–					10	–	4	–	1
Camp Peary			–					5	–	2	–	0
Third Air Force			–					7	–	3	–	1
Alameda Coast Guard			–					4	–	2	–	2
No. 19 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight			–					4	–	4	–	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]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	at Michigan		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	L 7–12	20,243
September 23	at Minnesota		Memorial Stadium Minneapolis	W 19–13	31,600	[6]
September 30	Olathe Navy		Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	W 45–12	5,000	[7]
October 7	vs. Second Air Force		Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	W 12–6	29,500	[8]
October 14	at No. 7 Purdue	No. 11	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, Indiana	W 13–6	18,000	[9]
October 22	Fort Warren	No. 5	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	W 30–0	8,000	[10]
October 29	at Marquette	No. 6	Marquette Stadium Milwaukee	W 26–0	8,000	[11]
November 4	at Tulsa	No. 7	Skelly Field Tulsa, Oklahoma	W 47–27	18,000	[12]
November 11	Bunker Hill NAS	No. 7	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	W 33–7	4,000	[13]
November 18	at Missouri	No. 7	Columbia, MO	W 51–7		[14]
November 25	vs. Iowa	No. 7	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	W 30–6	2,500	[15]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
AP	Not released	11	5	6	7	7	7	7	6	6

Roster

Player	Position
Arthur Guepe	Back
John Herriman	End
Lou King	Back
Bus Mertes	Back
Randle Rushing	Back
Don Samuels	Back
Vic Schleich	Tackle
Bob Smith	Back
Jimmy Smith	Back
Warren Smith	Tackle
George Strohmeyer	Center
Dick Sullivan	Back
Dell Taylor	Back
Don Waldron	Back
Charles Woodward	Back

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. Sec Taylor (September 24, 1944). "Seahawks' Rallies Tip Gophers, 19-13". The Des Moines Register. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
7. George Mills (October 1, 1944). "Iowa Seahawks Shellac Olathe Flyers 45-12". The Des Moines Sunday Register. p. 4S – via Newspapers.com.
8. George Mills (October 8, 1944). "Pre-Flights Stop Dobbs, Win, 12 to 6". The Des Moines Register. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Sec Taylor (October 15, 1944). "Seahawks Surprise Purdue, 13-6". The Des Moines Sunday Register. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Bert McGrane (October 23, 1944). "Seahawks Tame Broncos, 30-0". The Des Moines Register. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Cadets Slap Marquette, 26-0". The Des Moines Register. October 30, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Sec Taylor (November 5, 1944). "Cadets Romp, 47-27". The Des Moines Register. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Seahawks Swoop, 33 to 7". The Des Moines Sunday Register. November 12, 1944. p. 2S – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Seahawks Grind Missouri, 51-7". The Des Moines Sunday Register. November 19, 1944. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Iowa Wilts in 4th, Bows, 30-6". The Des Moines Sunday Register. November 26, 1944. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.