The 1944 Oklahoma A&M Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (later renamed Oklahoma State University–Stillwater) in the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1944 college football season. In their sixth year under head coach Jim Lookabaugh, the Cowboys compiled an 8–1 record (1–0 against conference opponents), won the Missouri Valley championship, defeated TCU in the 1945 Cotton Bowl Classic, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 228 to 103.[1][2] They played their home games at Lewis Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
| 1944 Oklahoma A&M Cowboys football | |
|---|---|
MVC champion Cotton Bowl Classic champion | |
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 34–0 vs. TCU | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Record | 8–1 (1–0 MVC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Lewis Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma A&M $ | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On offense, the 1944 team averaged 25.3 points, 196.9 rushing yards, and 126.3 passing yards per game.[3] On defense, the team allowed an average of 11.4 points, 182.9 rushing yards and 66.0 passing yards per game.[4]
The team's statistical leaders included halfback Bob Fenimore with 897 rushing yards, 861 passing yards, and 53 points scored, and Cecil Hankins with 474 receiving yards.[5] Fenimore was selected by several selectors (Associated Press, Collier's Weekly, Football News, Football Writers Association of America, and Newspaper Enterprise Association) as a first-team halfback on the 1944 College Football All-America Team. He was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23 | West Texas State* | W 41–6 | ||||
| September 29 | vs. Arkansas* | W 19–0 | ||||
| October 7 | at Texas Tech* | W 14–7 | ||||
| October 21 | at Denver* | W 33–21 | [6] | |||
| October 28 | at Tulsa | W 46–40 | 12,063 | |||
| November 4 | Norman NAS* | No. 19 |
| L 0–15 | 7,000 | [7] |
| November 11 | at Texas* | W 13–8 | 13,000 | [8] | ||
| November 25 | vs. Oklahoma* |
| W 28–6 | |||
| January 1, 1945 | vs. TCU* | W 34–0 | 37,500 | |||
| ||||||
Rankings
The AP released their first rankings on October 9. The Cowboys entered the rankings on October 30.
| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | 19т | — | — | — | 15 | — |
After the season
The 1945 NFL Draft was held on April 8, 1945. The following Cowboys were selected.[9]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 195 | Joe Spencer | Tackle | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 19 | 197 | Ed Jeffers | Tackle | Green Bay Packers |
| 20 | 206 | Leo Pratt | Tackle | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 24 | 250 | Blair Brown | Guard | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 28 | 287 | Jim Marsh | Tackle | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 32 | 330 | Billy Joe Aldridge | Back | Green Bay Packers |
References
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