1940 Southern California Conference football season

The 1940 Southern California Conference football season was the season of college football played by the five member schools of the Southern California Conference (SCC) as part of the 1940 college football season.

1940 Southern California Conference football season
Sport	Football
Number of teams	5
Champion	Redlands

1940 Southern California Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Redlands $	3	–	0	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
Pomona	3	–	1	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Occidental	2	–	2	–	0			3	–	4	–	1
Whittier	1	–	2	–	1			2	–	6	–	1
Caltech	0	–	4	–	0			2	–	5	–	1
$ – Conference champion

The Redlands Bulldogs, led by head coach Cecil A. Cushman, won the SCC championship with a 4–4–1 record (3–0–1 against SCC opponents).

The Pomona Sagehens, led by head coach Earl J. Merritt, finished in second place with a 4–4 record (3–1 against SCC opponents).

Conference overview

Conf. rank	Team	Head coach	Conf. record	Overall record	Points scored	Points against
1	Redlands	Cecil A. Cushman	3–0–1	4–4–1
2	Pomona	Earl J. Merritt	3–1	4–4
3	Occidental	Gus Henderson	2–2	3–4–1
4	Whittier	Wallace Newman	1–2–1	2–6–1
5	Caltech	Fox Stanton	0–4	2–5–1

^[1]

Teams

Redlands

1940 Redlands Bulldogs football
SCC champion
Conference	Southern California Conference
Record	4–4–1 (3–0–1 SCC)
Head coach	Cecil A. Cushman (10th season)
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

The 1940 Redlands Bulldogs football team that represented the University of Redlands of Redlands, California. In their 11th season under head coach Cecil A. Cushman, the team compiled a 4–4–1 record (3–0–1 against SCC opponents), won the SCC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 115 to 83.^[2]

Three Redlands players were selected by Ray Canton for first-team, all-conference honors: halfback Alvin Chang; guard Herb Morelli; and center John Hoffman.

Redlands was ranked at No. 257 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.^[3]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20	at Loyola (CA)	Gilmore Stadium Los Angeles, CA	L 0–13	12,000	[4]
October 5	at San Diego Marines	San Diego, CA	L 0–13		[5]
October 12	La Verne	Redlands, CA	W 7–0		[6]
October 19	at San Diego State	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	L 14–20	6,000	[7]
October 26	at Pomona	Alumni Field Pomona, CA	W 27–6		[8]
November 2	Occidental	Redlands, CA	W 13–6		[9]
November 9	at Whittier	Whittier, CA	T 0–0	6,000	[10]
November 15	Caltech	Redlands, CA	W 40–0		[11]
November 23	at New Mexico A&M	Quesenberry Field Las Cruces, NM	L 14–25		[12]

Pomona

1940 Pomona Sagehens football
Conference	Southern California Conference
Record	4–4 (3–1 SCC)
Head coach	Earl J. Merritt (6th season)
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

The 1940 Pomona Sagehens football team that represented Pomona College of Pomona, California. In their sixth season under head coach Earl J. Merritt, the Sagehens compiled a 4–4 record (3–1 against SCC opponents), finished in second place in the SCC, and were outscored by a total of 139 to 83.^[2]

Two Pomona players received first-team honors on the all-conference team: halfback Fred Stuedler and end Dick Strehle.

Pomona was ranked at No. 406 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.^[3]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20	at Santa Barbara*	La Playa Stadium Santa Barbara, CA	L 0–19		[13]
September 27	at San Diego State*	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	L 3–33	6,000	[7][14]
October 5	La Verne*	Alumni Field Claremont, CA	W 33–0		[15]
October 12	at San Diego Marines*	San Diego, CA	L 0–47	6,000	[16]
October 19	Caltech	Alumni Field Claremont, CA	W 23–6		[17]
October 26	Redlands	Alumni Field Pomona, CA	L 6–27		[8]
November 2	at Whittier	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	W 12–7		[18]
November 16	Occidental	Patterson Field Los Angeles, CA	W 6–0		[19][20]
*Non-conference game

Occidental

1940 Occidental Tigers football
Conference	Southern California Conference
Record	3–4–1 (2–2 SCC)
Head coach	Gus Henderson (1st season)
Home stadium	Patterson Field
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

The 1940 Occidental Tigers football team that represented Occidental College of Los Angeles, California. In their first season under head coach Gus Henderson, the Tigers compiled a 3–4–1 record (2–2 against SCC opponents), finished in third place in the SCC, and were outscored by a total of 91 to 58.^[2]

Three Occidental players received first-team honors on the all-conference team: back Keith Beebe; end Morgan Odell; and tackle Burt Jones.

Occidental was ranked at No. 342 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.^[3]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	at Santa Barbara	La Playa Field Santa Barbara, CA	L 13–27		[21]
October 4	at San Diego State	Aztec Bowl San Diego, CA	L 0–20	6,000	[7]
October 12	Cal Aggies	D.W. Patterson Field Los Angeles, CA	T 6–6
October 26	Whittier	Patterson Field Los Angeles, CA	W 7–6		[22]
November 2	at Redlands	Redlands, CA	L 6–13		[9]
November 8	at Caltech	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	W 26–13	2,500	[23]
November 16	Pomona	Patterson Field Los Angeles, CA	L 0–6		[19]
November 30	at Colorado College	Washburn Field Colorado Springs, CO	W 25–6		[24]

Whittier

1940 Whittier Poets football
Conference	Southern California Conference
Record	2–6–1 (1–2–1 SCC)
Head coach	Wallace Newman (12th season)
Home stadium	Hadley Field
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

The 1940 Whittier Poets football team that represented Whittier College of Whittier, California. In their 12th season under head coach Wallace Newman, the team compiled a 2–6–1 record (1–2–1 against SCC opponents), finished in fourth place in the SCC, and were outscored by a total of 110 to 39.^[2]

Two Whittier players received first-team honors on the all-conference team: tackle Ralph Garman and guard Fred Shaheen.

Whittier was ranked at No. 344 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.^[3]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	at Fresno State	Fresno State College Stadium Fresno, CA	L 7–13	7,946	[25]
October 4	at Caltech	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	W 19–0	1,500	[26][27]
October 11	at Loyola	Gilmore Stadium Los Angeles, CA	L 0–18	10,000	[28]
October 26	at Occidental	Patterson Field Los Angeles, CA	L 6–7		[22]
November 2	Pomona	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	L 7–12		[18]
November 9	Redlands	Whittier, CA	T 0–0	6,000	[10]
November 16	San Diego State	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	L 0–33		[29]
November 22	at San Diego Marines	San Diego, CA	L 0–33		[30]
November 30	Willamette	Hadley Field Whittier, CA	W 14–7	3,000	[31]

Caltech

1940 Caltech Beavers football
Conference	Southern California Conference
Record	2–5–1 (0–4 SCC)
Head coach	Fox Stanton (20th season)
Home stadium	Rose Bowl
Seasons ← 1939 1941 →

The 1946 Caltech Beavers football team that represented the California Institute of Technology of Pasadena, California. In their 20th year under head coach Fox Stanton, the Beavers compiled a 2–5–1 record (0–4 against SCC opponents), finished in last place in the SCC, and were outscored by a total of 154 to 48.^[2]

Caltech fullback Stan Sohler received first-team honors on the all-conference team.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20	at Cal Poly*	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 12–7
September 28	Glendale JC*	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	T 7–7	1,500	[32]
October 4	Whittier	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	L 0–19	1,500	[26]
October 12	at Arizona State–Flagstaff*	Flagstaff, AZ	L 14–33
October 19	at Pomona	Alunni Field Claremont, CA	L 6–23		[17]
October 26	at La Verne*	La Verne, CA	W 7–0
November 8	Occidental	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	L 13–26	2,500	[23]
November 15	at Redlands	Redlands, CA	L 0–40		[11]
*Non-conference game

All-conference selections

Ray Canton in The Whittier News selected the following first-team players to the All-Southern California Conference football team:

• Back - Keith Beebe, Occidental
• Halfbacks - Alvin Chang, Redlands; Fred Stuedler, Pomona
• Fullback - Stan Sohler, Caltech
• Ends - Dick Strehle, Pomona; Morgan Odell, Occidental
• Tackles - Burt Jones, Occidental; Ralph Garman, Whittier
• Guards - Herb Morelli, Redlands; Fred Shaheen, Whittier
• Center - John Hoffman, Redlands

^[33]

References

1. "Oxy, Pomona mix Saturday". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 11, 1940. p. 23. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
2. "Keeping Log on the Nation's Leading Grid Teams for 1940 Season". Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1940. p. II-14 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 19, 1940). "Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Paul Zimmerman (September 21, 1940). "Gene Grady Sparks Loyola to 13-0 Win Over Redlands". Los Angeles Times. pp. I-11, I-12 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Redlands Bows To Marines in 13-0 Contest". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. October 6, 1940. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bulldogs Bareley Beat LaVerne In 7-0 Game: Freakish Side of Grid Tilt Catches Eyes of Fans". The San Bernardino County Sun. October 13, 1940. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Charles Byrne (September 28, 1940). "Aztecs Surprise, Turn In 33 to 3 Win Over Pomona". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. 3-B.
8. Bob Moore (October 28, 1940). "Redlands Bulldogs Crush Pomona Sagehens, 27-6; Al Chang Passing Hero". The Progress-Bulletin. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Bob Smyser (November 3, 1940). "Redlands' Quick Aerial Thrusts in Third Period Beat Occidental by 13-6: Bengals Lose Early Lead". Los Angeles Times. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Ray Canton (November 11, 1940). "Whittier and Redlands Battle To 0-0 Tie: 6,000 See Scoreless Deadlock". The Whittier News. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Bulldogs Pass Way to Southern California Circuit Crown: Tech Ruined by Redlands, 40-0". Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1940. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Bulldogs Bow to New Mexico". Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1940. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Bob Moore (September 21, 1940). "Sagehens Lose to Gauchos: Lucky Blues Lack Reserves; Santa Barbara is Classy in 19 to 0 Conquest Over Merritt's Eleven". The Progress-Bulletin. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Bob Moore (September 28, 1940). "Aztecs Thump Hens, 33 to 3". The Progress-Bulletin. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Paul Moore (October 7, 1940). "Sagehens Rout La Verne College, 33-0: Leopards Play Raggedly in First Contest; Hanawalt Defensive Ace of Game". The Progress-Bulletin. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Bob Moore (October 14, 1940). "Marines Trounce Pomona College By 47-0 Score". The Progress-Bulletin. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Bob Moore (October 21, 1940). "Pomona Sagehens Humble Tech, 23 to 6". The Progress-Bulletin. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
18. Bob Moore (November 4, 1940). "Pomona College Sagehens Upset Whittier Poets, 12-7". The Progress-Bulletin. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
19. Bill Burns (November 17, 1940). "Pomona Eleven Humbles Occidental, 6-0". Los Angeles Times. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Sagehens Defeat Occidental College by 6 to 0 Score: Hen Iron Men Game Heroes". The Progress-Bulletin. November 18, 1940. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Santa Barbara Beats Oxy, 27-13". The San Bernardino Sun. September 29, 1940. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
22. Bob Smyser (October 27, 1940). "Occidental Nips Whittier, 7-6, for First Win Over Quaker Grids Since 1932: Podley Makes Big Conversion". Los Angeles Times. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
23. Mannie Pineda (November 9, 1940). "Occidental Trounces Caltech, 26-13: Engineers Beaten in Bowl Tilt". The Pasadena Post. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
24. "Colorado College Scores Victory Over Baker, 16-0". The Daily Sentinel. September 28, 1940. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
25. "Fresno Victor Over Whittier". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. September 29, 1940. p. 19. Retrieved February 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
26. Ray Canton (October 5, 1940). "Poets Beat Tech 19-0: Hendrick Scores". The Whittier News. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
27. "Whittier Trims Caltech In Rose Bowl Game, 19-0". The Pasadena Post. October 5, 1940. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
28. Charles Curtis (October 12, 1940). "Gene Grady Scores Two Touchdowns as Lions Rout Poets, 18-0". Los Angeles Times. pp. I-11, I-12 – via Newspapers.com.
29. "San Diego Aztecs Trounce Whittier Gridmen, 33 to 0". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. November 17, 1940. p. 1-E.
30. "San Diego Marines Smother Whittier". The Fresno Bee. November 22, 1940 – via Newspapers.com.
31. "Poets Upset Willamette, 14 to 7". The Pasadena Post. December 1, 1940. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
32. "Elliott Saves Caltech In Tie With Glendale". The Pasadena Post. September 29, 1940. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
33. "Canton Puts Garman and Shaheen on All-Conference Team". The Whittier News. November 25, 1940. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.