The 1941 Stanford Indians football team represented

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

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 ...

. Second-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy led the team to a 6–3 record. Before the season, Stanford, which the year prior had finished 10–0, was considered a favorite for the national championship, but three conference losses put it out of contention for a return to the Rose Bowl. After the season, Shaughnessy left Stanford to take over as head coach at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

Before the season

The Indians lost two stars from the previous season, right halfback

Hugh Gallarneau Hugh Harold "Duke" Gallarneau (April 2, 1917 – July 14, 1999) was an NFL halfback from 1941 to 1942 and 1945 to 1947 for the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Stanford, where he was an All-American. College career Gallarneau at ...

and fullback

Norm Standlee Norman S. Standlee (July 19, 1919 – January 5, 1981) was an American football fullback and, later in his career, linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted out of Stanford University by the Chicago Bears in 1941. He pa ...

, to graduation, but returned quarterback

Frankie Albert Frank Cullen Albert (January 27, 1920 – September 4, 2002) was an American gridiron football player and coach. He played as a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). Albert attended Stanford University, ...

. Shaughnessy made the "pessimistic" projection that the team would drop at least two games. Before and early in the season, expectations were high for Stanford, and alongside

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, the Indians were considered among the frontrunners for the national championship. Throughout the course of the season, however, injuries hindered the team.

Season

Neither Stanford nor Minnesota were considered overly impressive in narrow victories in their season openers. The Indians edged

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, 19–15. The

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

reported that Stanford "was not the polished, meticulous outfit it was when it trimmed

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

" in the previous season's Rose Bowl. Stanford then routed

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, 33–0. The following week,

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

snapped Stanford's 13-game winning streak. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

credited Beavers center Quentin Greenough with leading Oregon State's defensive effort, which blanked Stanford's potent

T-formation In American football, a T formation (frequently called the full house formation in modern usage, sometimes the Robust T) is a formation used by the offensive team in which three running backs line up in a row about five yards behind the quarterba ...

, 10–0. Greenough was injured in the fourth quarter and had to be carried out by stretcher. Against

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Stanford scored two second-quarter touchdowns and turned back multiple Huskies' drives. The Indians had two additional touchdowns negated by penalties, but won, 13–7. On a mud-logged field, Stanford back

Pete Kmetovic Peter George Kmetovic (December 27, 1919 – February 8, 1990) was an American football player. A halfback, Kmetovic played college football for Stanford University, helping the team reach the 1941 Rose Bowl. In the game, Kmetovic rushed for 141 ...

scored five minutes into the game against Santa Clara. Later in the first quarter,

Buck Fawcett Buck may refer to: Common meanings * A colloquialism for a dollar or similar currency * An adult male in some animal species - see List of animal names * Derby shoes, nicknamed "bucks" for the common use of buckskin in their making People *Buck ...

broke free for an 84-yard touchdown

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

, and before halftime, Kmetovic returned an

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

40 yards to put the Indians back in position for a third score. Stanford's defense held Santa Clara at bay for the remainder of the game, and turned back two Bronco drives on the four-yard line for a final result of 27–7. After defeating

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, 13–0, the Indians fell in their penultimate game against

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

. The result tied Stanford,

, and Oregon State for first-place in the

Pacific Coast Conference The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pac-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, with eight of the ten PCC members (including a ...

with two losses each, and all still vying for a berth in the Rose Bowl. Stanford's loss to underdogs California, 16–0, in the finale put them out of contention for the postseason game invitation. The Indians finished with a 6–3 record.

After the season

In March 1942, Shaughnessy turned down a head coaching offer from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, but said he was considering the same job at another

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

school with little football tradition.Clark Shaughnessy Not Interested In Yale, But May Move East
''Eugene Register-Guard'', March 12, 1942. A short time later, he resigned to accept the job at

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

.Clark Shaughnessy Moves To New Maryland University Job
''Eugene Register-Guard'', April 6, 1942. According to ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' in 1977, Shaughnessy's decision was based on his belief that Stanford would discontinue its football program during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.Ron Fimrite
A Melding Of Men All Suited To A T; Clark Shaughnessy was a dour theoretician, Frankie Albert an unrestrained quarterback and Stanford a team of losers, but combined they forever changed the game of football
''Sports Illustrated'', September 5, 1977.

Schedule

After the season

The 1942 NFL Draft was held on December 10, 1941. The following Indians were selected.

References

{{Stanford Cardinal football navbox

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

Stanford Cardinal football seasons

Stanford Indians football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. The team is known as the Cardinal, adopted prior to the 1982 seas ...