1944 Third Air Force Gremlins football team

The 1944 Third Air Force Gremlins football team represented the Third Air Force during the 1944 college football season. The team compiled a 7–3 record. The Third Air Force was part of the United States Army Air Forces and was based in 1944 at Morris Field in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1944 Third Air Force Gremlins football
ConferenceIndependent
1944 record7–3
Head coach
1944 military service football records
Conf  Overall
TeamW 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

The team played a 10-game schedule against other military service teams and defeated the Second Air Force team that was ranked No. 20 in the final 1944 AP Poll. Its three losses were against teams ranked in the top 20 in the final poll: Randolph Field (No. 3); Great Lakes (No. 17); and Fort Pierce (No. 18).

J. Quinn Decker, who coached at Centre College before the war, was the team's head coach.[1] The team's key players included backs Charley Trippi (left halfback), Ernie Bonelli (right halfback), Bob Kennedy (fullback), and Frank Gnup (quarterback), and linemen Art Brandau (center), Walt Barnes, and Jack Karwales.[2] Trippi was named as a first-team player on the Associated Press' 1944 Service All-America team.[3]

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23Charleston Coast GuardCharlotte, NCW 31–012,000[4]
October 7vs. Third Infantry School, Fort BenningColumbia, SCW 22–012,000[5]
October 15at Georgia Pre-FlightAthens, GAW 19–7[6]
October 22Cherry Point MarinesCharlotte, NCW 29–7[7]
October 28at No. 3 Randolph Field
L 0–1922,000[8]
November 5Georgia Pre-FlightCharlotte, NCW 34–12[9]
November 11at No. 14 Great Lakes Navy
  • Ross Field
  • Great Lakes, IL
L 10–1225,000[10]
November 19vs. Maxwell Field
W 41–712,000[11]
December 3vs. Fort Pierce
  • Phillips Field
  • Tampa, FL
L 6–711,000[12]
December 10vs. No. 20 Second Air Force
W 14–78,000[13]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References
  1. "Quinn Decker Building Grid Titan". The Nashville Tennessean. July 20, 1944. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Here Are Two Powerful Grid Arrays Which Meet Here Sunday Afternoon". The Tampa Daily Times. November 18, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Navy Places Four on AP Service All-America; Trippi in Backfield". The St. Petersburgh Times. December 12, 1944. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Trippi Leads 3rd Air Force To 31-0 Win". September 24, 1944. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Gremlins Trample Benning Powerhouse Eleven By 22-0". Tampa Sunday Tribune. October 8, 1944. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "3rd Air Force Gridders Top Georgia Navy". The Troy Record. October 16, 1944. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Gremlins Trample On Cherry Point". The Ashville Citizen. October 23, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Randolph Field Turns Back Gremlins, 19-0". Los Angeles Times. October 29, 1944. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Gremlins Trounce Georgia Pre-Flight". The Tampa Tribune. November 6, 1944. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Sailors Tally Twice in 4th, Win, 12-10". The Des Moines Register. November 12, 1944. p. S3 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Gremlins Crush Marauders Gridders by 41-7 Score". Tampa Morning Tribune. November 20, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Daley Races 61 as Amphibs Win". The Des Moines Register. December 4, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Gremlins Bump Superbombers to Tune of 14-7". Los Angeles Times. December 11, 1944. p. II-8 – via Newspapers.com.
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