1941 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1941 SMU Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1941 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Matty Bell, the Mustangs compiled a 5–5 record (2–4 against conference opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 169 to 106.^[1]

1941 SMU Mustangs football
Conference	Southwest Conference
Record	5–5 (2–4 SWC)
Head coach	Matty Bell (7th season)
Captain	J. Ted Ramsey, Horace Young
Home stadium	Ownby Stadium
Seasons ← 1940 1942 →

1941 Southwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 9 Texas A&M $	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 4 Texas	4	–	1	–	1			8	–	1	–	1
TCU	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Rice	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
SMU	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Baylor	1	–	4	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Arkansas	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Fullback Preston Johnson was selected by both the Associated Press and the United Press as a first-team player on the 1941 All-Southwest Conference football team.^[2]

SMU was ranked at No. 24 (out of 681 teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1941.^[3]

The team played its home games at Ownby Stadium in the University Park suburb of Dallas.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 27	North Texas State Teachers*		Ownby Stadium University Park, TX (rivalry)	W 54–0	12,000	[4]
October 4	at Fordham*		Polo Grounds New York, NY	L 10–16	28,500	[5]
October 11	vs. Pacific (CA)*		Tyler, TX (Rose Festival game)	W 34–0	12,500	[6]
October 18	at Auburn*		Legion Field Birmingham, AL	W 20–7	12,000	[7]
November 1	No. 1 Texas	No. 20	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 0–34	23,000	[8]
November 8	at No. 5 Texas A&M		Kyle Field College Station, TX	L 10–21	10,000	[9]
November 15	at Arkansas		Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	W 14–7	9,000	[10]
November 22	Baylor		Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	W 14–0	10,000	[11]
November 29	at TCU		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (rivalry)	L 13–15		[12]
December 6	Rice		Ownby Stadium University Park, TX (rivalry)	L 0–6	10,000	[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1941 SMU Mustangs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
2. "All-Southwest Selections". The Paris News. December 10, 1941. p. 4.
3. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 26, 1941). "Gophers Grid Kings Over 6-Year Span: Tennessee 2d, Pitt 3d Over Period Litkenhous Ratins Are Published". The Courier-Journal. p. Sports 4 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Mustangs Display Power, Speed As They Run Over Denton Crew". Sunday American-Statesman. September 28, 1941. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Gene Ward (October 5, 1941). "Rams Nip Mustangs, 16-10, In Last Half-Minute". New York Daily News. p. 88 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Richard West (October 12, 1941). "S.M.U. Wallops College of Pacific". The Shreveport Times. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Zipp Newman (October 19, 1941). "Auburn Falls Before S.M.U., 20 To 7: Tigers Rally But Too Late In Last Half". The Birmingham News. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Weldon Hart (November 2, 1941). "Steers Crush Mustangs To Bury 8-Year Jinx". The Austin American-Statesman. pp. 1, 15, 18 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Ags Show Speed, Passes and Power In 54-0 Victory". Sunday American-Statesman. September 28, 1941. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Ponies Take Porkers In Aerial Thriller, 14 to 7". Sunday American-Statesman. November 16, 1941. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Dave Cheavens (November 23, 1941). "S.M.U. Cops 14-0 Win Over Baylor". Sunday American-Statesman. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "TCU Defeats SMU, Ties for Second Place". Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal. November 30, 1941. p. Peach 2 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Harold V. Ratliff (December 7, 1941). "Rice Rides Herd On Ponies, 6-0, In Final Southwest Loop Tilt". Sunday American-Statesman. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.