The 1940 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association 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 six member schools of the
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) as part of the
1940 college football season
The 1940 college football season was the 72nd season of college football, intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the 1940 Big Ten Conference football season, Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conferen ...
.
The
Albion Britons
Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014.
They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Interco ...
, led by head coach
Dale R. Sprankle and halfback Morris Trimble, won the MIAA championship with a 7–1 record (5–0 against conference opponents).
Albion also won the 1939 MIAA championship, and the 1940 team returned a veteran team except for the center position.
The
Alma Scots, led by head coach
Gordon MacDonald, finished in second place with a 5–2 record (4–1 against MIAA opponents), losing to Albion on November 9 for its only conference defeat.
Conference overview
Teams
Albion
The 1940 Albion Britons football team represented
Albion College of
Albion, Michigan. In their 18th year under head coach
Dale R. Sprankle, the Britons compiled a 7–1 record (5–0 against MIAA opponents) and won the MIAA championship. Albion won 14 consecutive games during the 1939 and 1940 season, finally losing to Lake Forest in the final game of the 1940 season.
[
Three Albion players received first-team honors on the 1940 All-M.I.A.A. football team: halfback Maurice Trimble; end Charles VanderLinde; and guard Walter Ptak.][
Albion was ranked at No. 356 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.]
Alma
The 1940 Alma Scots football team represented Alma College of Alma, Michigan. In their fifth year under head coach Gordon MacDonald, the Scots compiled a 5–2 record (4–1 against MIAA opponents) and finished in second place in the MIAA.
Four Alma players were named to the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football team: quarterback J. Tait; end Keith Carey; tackle E. Ziem; and guard G. Barnett.[
Alma was ranked at No. 336 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.][
]
Hope
The 1940 Hope Flying Dutchmen football team represented Hope College of Hope, Michigan
Hope Township is a civil township of Midland County, Michigan, Midland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,286 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census.
Communities
* Hope is an unincorporated community and post offi ...
. In their 10th year under head coach Bud Hinga
In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spe ...
, the Dutchmen compiled a 3–3–1 record (2–2–1 against MIAA opponents) and finished in third place in the MIAA.
Hope was ranked at No. 443 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[
]
Hillsdale
The 1940 Hillsdale Dales football team was an American football team that represented Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College is a Private university, private Conservatism in the United States, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by Abolitionism, abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists.
Its missio ...
in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) during the 1941 college football season
The 1941 college football regular season was the 73rd season of college football, intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the 1941 Big Ten Conference football season, Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast ...
. In their 14th year under head coach Dwight Harwood
Dwight Brigham Harwood (April 29, 1892 – August 8, 1965) was an American football and basketball coach. He was the head football coach at Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College is a Private university, private Conservatism in the United States ...
, the Dales compiled a 3–4–1 record (1–3–1 against MIAA opponents) and finished in fourth place out of six teams in the MIAA.
Center Robert Manby was selected as a first-team player on the 1940 All-MIAA football team.[ Senior fullback Bert Eklund was selected as the team's most valuable player.][
]
Adrian
The 1940 Adrian Bulldogs football team represented Adrian College of Adrian, Michigan
Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 7th congressional district.
History
Adrian was founded on June 18, 1826 by Addison Co ...
. In their third year under head coach Harve A. Oliphant
Harvey Andrew "Harve" Oliphant Jr. (July 7, 1912 – February 20, 1998) was an American football coach. Oliphant was the head football coach at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan for four seasons, from 1938 to 1941, compiling a record of 5–26â ...
, the Bulldogs compiled a 1–7 record (1–4 against MIAA opponents) and finished in fifth place out of six teams in the MIAA.
Adrian was ranked at No. 611 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[
]
Kalamazoo
The 1940 Kalamazoo Hornets football team represented Kalamazoo College of Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
. In their 16th year under head coach Chester S. Barnard
Chester Smith Barnard (October 25, 1894 – October 16, 1952) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at the University of Mississippi in 1924 and at Kalamazoo College from ...
, the Hornets compiled a 1–6–1 record (0–5 against MIAA opponents) and finished in last place in the MIAA.
Kalamazoo was ranked at No. 468 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[
]
All-conference team
The following players were selected as first-team players on the All-MIAA football team:
* Quarterback - J. Tait, Alma
Alma or ALMA may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film
* ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922
* ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017
* ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...
* Fullback - Robert Montgomery
* Halfbacks - Morris Trimble, Albion
Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...
; Steve Dalla, Kalamazoo
* Ends - Keith Carey, Alma; Charles Vanderlinde, Albion
* Tackles - Dick Thompson, Adrian; Paul Van Kueren, Kalamazoo; E. Ziem, Alma
* Guards - Walter Ptak, Albion; G. Barnett, Alma
* Center - Robert Manby, Hillsdale
References
{{Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football navbox