The 1939 Southern California Conference football season was the season of

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

played by the five member schools of the

Southern California Conference The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) is a college athletic conference that operates in the NCAA's Division III. The conference was founded in 1915 and it consists of twelve small private schools that are located in ...

(SCC) as part of the

1939 college football season The 1939 college football season concluded with the Aggies of The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (Texas A&M) being named as the national champions by the voters in the Associated Press writers' poll. Led by consensus All-American ...

. The

Whittier Poets Whittier College (Whittier Academy (1887–1901)) is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of fall 2022, had approximately 1,300 (undergraduate and graduate) students. It was ...

, led by head coach

Wallace Newman Wallace Joe "Chief" Newman (c. 1901 – November 6, 1985) was an American football and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Whittier College in Whittier, California from 1929 to 1950, compiling a record of 102–66– ...

, won the SCC championship with an 8–2–1 record (3–0–1 against SCC opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 214 to 97. Halfback Gene Wineinger and tackle Myron Claxton were unanimous picks as first-team players on the 1939 SCC all-star team. The 1939 Occidental–Whittier football rivalry game gave birth to Myron Claxton's Shoes, a traveling trophy that has been awarded to the winner of the game since 1945. The Pomona Sagehens, led by head coach Earl J. Merritt, finished in second place with a 4–3–1 record. Tackle Stan Jolivette and halfback Normal Nagel were first-team picks on the SCC all-star team.

Conference overview

Teams

Whittier

The 1939 Whittier Poets football team represented Whittier College of Whittier, California. In their 11th season under head coach

, the team compiled an 8–2–1 record (3–0–1 against SCC opponents) and won the SCC championship. Whittier players received six of eleven first-team spots on the 1939 SCC all-star team selected by the conference coaches. Whittier players receiving first-team honors were: halfback Gene Wineinger; ends Leroy Hughes and Don Craggs; tackle Myron Claxton; guard Bert Nichols; and center Alex Mecikoff. Prior to the Occidental–Whittier football rivalry game on November 11, 1939, Occidental stole Myron Claxton's Shoes in an attempt to hinder his performance. Claxton reportedly played in work boots, leading Whittier to a 36–0 victory. Following the game, Claxton reclaimed his shoes from the Occidental sideline. Claxton's shoes were later bronzed and became a traveling trophy held each year by the winner of the rivalry game. The shoes were featured on a 2013 episode of ESPN's College Gameday.

Pomona

The 1939 Pomona Sagehens football team represented Pomona College of Pomona, California. In their fifth season under head coach Earl J. Merritt, the Sagehens compiled a 4–3–1 record (2–1–1 against SCC opponents) and finished in second place in the SCC. Two Pomona players received first-team honors on the 1939 SCC all-star team: halfback Norman Nagel and tackle Stan Jolivette. Pomona was ranked at No. 247 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.

Occidental

The 1939 Occidental Tigers football team represented

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...

of Los Angeles, California. In their eighth and final year under head coach Bill Anderson, the Tigers compiled a 3–5 record (2–2 against SCC opponents) and finished in third place in the SCC. Two Occidental players received first-team honors on the 1939 SCC all-star team: fullback James Moradian and guard Jack Thatcher. Occidental was ranked at No. 309 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.

Redlands

The 1939 Redlands Bulldogs football team represented the

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Califo ...

Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 census. The city is located approximately west of Palm Springs and east of Lo ...

. In their 10th season under head coach Cecil A. Cushman, the Bulldogs compiled a 3–7 record (2–2 against SCC opponents) and finished in fourth place in the SCC. Redlands was ranked at No. 324 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.

Caltech

The 1939 Caltech Engineers football team represented the California Institute of Technology of

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. In their 19th year under head coach

Fox Stanton William Layton "Fox" Stanton (May 20, 1874 – November 28, 1946) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Pomona College from 1908 to 1915, at Occidental College in 1916 and again from 1918 to 1920, and ...

, the Engineers compiled a 2–6 record (0–4 against SCC opponents) and finished in last place in the SCC. Caltech's star center Paul H. Becker Jr. died from injuries sustained in a November 22 game against La Verne. He was 19 years old, attended Caltech on a mathematics scholarship, and died at Huntington Memorial Hospital having never regained consciousness. Caltech quarterback Stanley Sohler received first-team honors on the 1939 SCC all-star team. End Donald Walter was named to the second team.

All-conference team

At the end of the season, the SCC coaches selected the following players as first-team players on the 1939 all-conference team: * Quarterback: Stanley Sohler, Caltech * Halfbacks: Norman Nagel, Pomona; Gene Wineinger, Whittier * Fullback: James Moradian, Occidental * Ends: Leroy Hughes, Whittier; Don Craggs, Whittier * Tackles: Myron Claxton, Whittier; Stan Jolivette, Pomona * Guards: Bert Nichols, Whittier; Jack Thatcher, Occidental * Center: Alex Mechikoff, Whittier Claxton and Wineinger were the only two unanimous choices.

References

{{Reflist