1943 Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers football team

The 1943 Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers football team represented the United States Navy pre-flight aviation training school at the University of Georgia during the 1943 college football season. The team compiled a 7–1–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 183 to 105.^[1]

1943 Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–1
Head coach	Rex Enright (1st season)
Home stadium	Sanford Stadium
Seasons ← 1942 1944 →

1943 military service football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 17 Bainbridge			–					7	–	0	–	0
Bunker Hill NAS			–					6	–	0	–	0
Greensboro			–					4	–	0	–	0
Memphis NATTC			–					2	–	0	–	0
No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 10 March Field			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 8 Del Monte Pre-Flight			–					7	–	1	–	0
Randolph Field			–					9	–	1	–	1
Georgia Pre-Flight			–					5	–	1	–	0
No. 6 Great Lakes Navy			–					10	–	2	–	0
Lubbock AAF			–					5	–	1	–	0
Ottumwa NAS			–					5	–	1	–	0
Camp Davis			–					8	–	2	–	0
Sampson NTS			–					7	–	2	–	0
San Diego NTS			–					7	–	2	–	0
Keesler Field			–					3	–	1	–	0
Wright Field			–					1	–	0	–	1
Camp Lejeune			–					6	–	2	–	1
Fort Riley			–					6	–	2	–	1
Kearns Field			–					5	–	2	–	0
Fort Knox			–					4	–	2	–	0
Cherry Point Marines			–					4	–	2	–	1
Alameda Coast Guard			–					4	–	2	–	1
Fort Douglas			–					4	–	2	–	1
300th Infantry			–					5	–	3	–	0
176th Infantry			–					4	–	3	–	0
Blackland AAF			–					4	–	3	–	0
Fort Sheridan			–					4	–	3	–	0
Fort Warren			–					4	–	3	–	0
Norman NAS			–					4	–	3	–	0
Charleston Coast Guard			–					5	–	4	–	0
Salt Lake AAB			–					4	–	3	–	2
124th Infantry			–					2	–	2	–	0
Camp Kilmer			–					2	–	2	–	0
Camp Lee			–					5	–	5	–	0
Logan Navy			–					2	–	2	–	0
Spokane Air Service			–					2	–	2	–	0
Camp Edwards			–					4	–	5	–	0
Curtis Bay Coast Guard			–					4	–	5	–	0
Saint Mary's Pre-Flight			–					3	–	4	–	1
Jacksonville NATTC			–					3	–	4	–	0
Richmond AAB			–					4	–	6	–	1
Atlantic City NAS			–					2	–	3	–	0
North Carolina Pre-Flight			–					2	–	4	–	1
Patterson Field			–					2	–	4	–	1
Bowman Field			–					2	–	4	–	0
Kirtland Field			–					1	–	2	–	0
Lakehurst NAS			–					2	–	4	–	0
Camp Grant			–					2	–	6	–	2
Lowry Field			–					1	–	3	–	0
Fort Monroe			–					3	–	7	–	0
Daniel Field			–					2	–	7	–	0
Camp Gordon			–					1	–	4	–	0
South Plains AAF			–					1	–	4	–	0
Greenville AAB			–					1	–	5	–	0
Ward Island Marines			–					1	–	5	–	0
Bryan AAF			–					1	–	6	–	0
Pocatello AAB			–					0	–	3	–	0
Norfolk Fleet Marines			–					0	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

In July 1943, Lieutenant Rex Enright was assigned as the team's head coach.^[2] His assistant coaches included Andy Pilney, Bud Kerr, and George T. Barclay.^[3]

Players included Pat Harder (Wisconsin), Steve Filipowicz (Fordham), Fuller Brooks, Warren Tiller, Carl Nolte, Zealand Thigpen, Tom Averitt, Wally Moesmer, Jim Randall, Carl Dreisbach, H. C. Byars, Jim Shepard, and Oscar Hoequist. Harder was named as a second-team player on the 1943 All-Service football team.^[4]

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, Georgia Pre-Flight ranked 40th among the nation's college and service teams with a rating of 85.7.^[5]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 2	Daniel Field	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	W 19–13	5,000	[6][7][8]
October 9	at Georgia Tech	Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 7–35	12,000	[9]
October 17	Newberry	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	W 53–0	10,000	[10]
October 23	at North Carolina Pre-Flight	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	W 20–7	5,000	[11]
October 30	at Tulane	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 14–13	18,000	[12]
November 13	vs. Clemson	Sirrine Stadium Greenville, SC	W 32–6	4,500	[13]

^[14]

References

1. "1943 Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
2. "Rex Enright Named Coach of Georgia Navy Gridders". Ashville Citizen-Times. July 11, 1943 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Coach Rex Enright Names Aides for Navy Pre-Flight Grid Team". The Greenville News. August 15, 1943. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "1943 Service All-America". Waterloo Daily Courier. December 10, 1943. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Litkenhous, E. E. (December 17, 1943). "Litkenhouse Selects U. S. Grid Leaders". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 18. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
6. "Augusta Fliers To Meet Skycracker '11' Tonight". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. October 2, 1943. p. 9. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
7. Williams, F. M. (October 3, 1943). "Skycracker Rally Beats Daniel Field Fliers, 19-13". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. p. 12C. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
8. "Georgia Preflight Tips Daniel Field, 19-13". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 4, 1943. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Georgia Tech Engineers Give Navy Pre-Flight Fancy Licking". The Times (Shreveport). October 10, 1943. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Georgia Preflight's Famed Stars Smash Newberry, 53-0". The Greenville News. October 18, 1943. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Georgia Sailors Rip Cloudbusters". The Greenville News. October 24, 1943. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Tulane Misses Try for Point and Loses to Georgia Sailors". The Shreveport Times. October 31, 1943. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Scoop Latimer (November 14, 1943). "Georgia Preflighters Overpower Clemson, 32-6". The Greenville News. p. 8B – via Newspapers.com.
14. Daye, John (2014). Encyclopedia of Armed Forces Football. Haworth, New Jersey: St. Johann Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-937943-21-9.