1940 Pacific Lutheran Lutes football team

The 1940 Pacific Lutheran Lutes football team, also known as the Gladiators,^[1][2] was an American football team that represented Pacific Lutheran University as a member of the Washington Intercollegiate Conference (WINCO) during the 1940 college football season. In their eighth season under head coach Cliff Olson, the Lutes compiled an 8–0 record (4–0 in conference games), won the WINCO championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 207 to 53.^[3]

1940 Pacific Lutheran Lutes football
Halfback Marv Tommervik, 1940
WINCO champion
Conference	Washington Intercollegiate Conference
Record	8–0 (4–0 WINCO)
Head coach	Cliff Olson (8th season)
Home stadium	Tacoma Stadium
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

1940 Washington Intercollegiate Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Pacific Lutheran $	4	–	0	–	0			8	–	0	–	0
Eastern Washington	3	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Central Washington	2	–	2	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Western Washington	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Saint Martin's	0	–	4	–	0			1	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The regular season ended on November 16, but the team agreed to a post-season game against a Gonzaga team featuring halfback Tony Canadeo who was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[4] Pacific Lutheran defeated Gonzaga, 16–13, kicking a game-winning field goal in the final 16 seconds of the game.^[5]

The team gained Fame for its "wide open passing game", sometimes referred to as an "air circus" which included both tossing the ball laterally as well as forward.^[6] The key players in the passing game were halfback Marv "Tommygun" Tommervik who completed 75 of 145 passes for 1,292 yards; fullback Marv Harshman who led all players in the far west with 72 points scored; end Earl Platt who tallied 36 pass receptions for 735 yards; and end Sig Sigurdson who later played for the Baltimore Colts.^[6][7]

Pacific Lutheran in 1940 had an enrollment of 454 students.^[7] The team played its home games at Tacoma Stadium in Tacoma, Washington.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 23	Saint Martin's	Tacoma Stadium Tacoma, WA	W 33–0		[8]
September 27	at Pacific (OR)*	Tacoma Stadium Tacoma, WA	W 26–6		[9]
October 5	at Linfield*	McMinnville, OR	W 45–6		[10]
October 19	at Western Washington	Parkland, WA	W 26–7		[11]
November 2	at Eastern Washington	Woodward Field Cheney, WA	W 20–14	3,500	[12]
November 8	at Saint Martin's*	Stevens Field Olympia, WA	W 27–7		[13]
November 16	Central Washington	Tacoma Stadium Tacoma, WA	W 14–0	7,000	[14][15]
November 29	Gonzaga*	Tacoma Stadium Tacoma, WA	W 16–13	12,000–15,000	[16][5][17]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

^[18]

References

1. "A Wildcat to Watch". The Tacomaa Times. November 16, 1940. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Sports log". The Tacoma News-Tribune. November 20, 1940. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
3. James, Dave (November 19, 1940). "Lutherans Happy Over Winko Title". The Tacoma News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. p. 15. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
4. "Gonzaga University and Pacific Lutheran Will Play Post-Season Game at Tacoma: Whole City Sponsors Classic, Says Mayor". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 18, 1940. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Pacific Lutheran Whips Gonzaga With Field Goal in Last 12 Seconds: Aerial Circus Brings Victory". The Spokesman-Review. November 30, 1940. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Dan Walton (November 20, 1940). "Sports log". The Tacoma News-Tribune. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Dillon Graham (December 15, 1940). "PLC High In Grid Column: Lutherans Among 10 Undefeated and Untied Teams in Small College Class". The Tacoma News Tribune and Sunday Ledger. Associated Press. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Lutherans Wallop St. Martin's Eleven". The Tacoma Times. September 24, 1940. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Tosses Three Passes to Defeat Pacific". The Spokesman-Review. September 28, 1940. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Lutheran Air Show Smothers Linfield: Marv Tommervik's Amazing Aim Accounts for Four Touchdowns in 15-6 Rout; Wildcats Score in Last Minute". The Tacoma News-Tribune. October 7, 1940. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "The Rain Came But Pass Crazy Swedes Passed: Pacific Lutheran Looks Like Class Of Winko Football League". The Daily Olympian. October 21, 1940. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Passing Game Defeats Cheney: Pacific Lutheran Drops E.W.C., 20-14, Before Record Crowd". The Spokesman-Review. November 3, 1940. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Expert Ball Handling Enables PLC To Beat St. Martin's, 27-7". The Olympian. November 10, 1940. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Lutheran Team Cinches Crown: Flying Circus Team Stows Intercollegiate Title in Beating Central". The Spokesman-Review. November 17, 1940. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Dan Walton (November 17, 1940). "Lutherans Outscore Central: Gladiators Capture Winko Title With 14-0 Win; to Play Gonzaga Nov. 29". The Tacoma News-Tribune. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Pacific Lutheran Field Goal Downs Gonzaga at Tacoma". Spokane Daiy Chronicle. November 30, 1940. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Gail Fowler (November 30, 1940). "Story Book Kids Stage Big Upset: Pacific Lutherans Defeat Mighty 'Zags'". The Register-Guard. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Pacific Lutheran Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2024.