1940 Eastern Kentucky Maroons football team

The 1940 Eastern Kentucky Maroons football team was an American football team that represented Eastern Kentucky State College (now known as Eastern Kentucky University) as a member of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) during the 1940 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Rome Rankin, the Maroons compiled a perfect 8–0 record (2–0 against KIAC opponents), won the KIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 273 to 30.^[1][2] It was the first undefeated season in Eastern Kentucky football history.^[3]

1940 Eastern Kentucky Maroons football
KIAC champion
Conference	Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	8–0 (2–0 KIAC)
Head coach	Rome Rankin (6th season)
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	at Illinois State Normal*	McCormick Field Normal, IL	W 20–0		[4][5]
September 28	Arkansas A&M*	Richmond, KY	W 39–0
October 5	Northern Illinois*	Richmond, KY	W 35–0
October 19	at King College*	Bristol, TN	W 31–7		[6]
October 26	Morehead State	Richmond, KY	W 27–13
November 2	at Cumberland		W 48–7
November 9	at Central Michigan*	Alumni Field Mount Pleasant, MI	W 25–0		[7]
November 16	Bowling Green*	Richmond, KY	W 48-0		[8]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

References

1. "Meet The Champs; Eastern Ends Season Unbeaten And Untied". The Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. November 16, 1940. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "2021 Eastern Kentucky University Football Record Book" (PDF). Richmond, Kentucky: Eastern Kentucky University Athletics. 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
3. Eastern Kentucky Record Book, pp. 58, 84.
4. "East Kentucky Beats Illinois Normal 20 to 0". Chicago Tribune. September 22, 1940. p. II-6 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Fred Young (September 22, 1940). "Eastern Kentucky Bowls Over Red Birds in Opener, 20-0: Maroons Prove Too Advanced For Normal Team". The Pantagraph. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "King College Loses 31 to 7: Eastern Kentucky Scores in Every Quarter To Win". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 20, 1940. p. B8 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Eastern Is Kentucky's Only Unbeaten Team After Tigers Trounce Union: Wildcats Make Great Comeback; Maroons Capture Seventh In Row". The Lexington Herald. November 11, 1940. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Falcons Battered Down 48-0 In Kentucky". The Daily Sentinel-Tribune. November 18, 1940. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.