The 1944 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1944. The nine selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1944 season are (1) Collier's Weekly, as selected by Grantland Rice, (2) the Associated Press, (3) the United Press, (4) the All-America Board, (5) Football News, (6) the International News Service (INS), (7) Look magazine, (8) the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and (9) the Sporting News.
Ohio State quarterback Les Horvath and Navy tackle Don Whitmire were the only players unanimously chosen as first-team player by all of the official selectors. Horvath won the 1944 Heisman Trophy as the Buckeyes turned in a 9–0 record and finished second in the national polls. Whitmire later served in Vietnam and held the rank of rear admiral.
Georgia Tech end Phil Tinsley received first-team honors from eight of the nine official selectors, and Army backfield duo of Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard each received seven first-team honors.
For the year 1944, the NCAA recognizes nine published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.
More information Name, Position ...
Name |
Position |
School |
Number |
Official selectors |
Other selectors |
Don Whitmire | Tackle | Navy | 9/9 | AAB, AP, COL, FN, INS, LK, NEA, SN, UP | CP, FWAA, WC |
Les Horvath | Quarterback | Ohio State | 9/9 | AAB, AP, COL, FN, INS, LK, NEA, SN, UP | CP, FWAA, WC |
Phil Tinsley | End | Georgia Tech | 8/9 | AAB, AP, COL, FN, INS, LK, NEA, SN | CP, WC |
Glenn Davis | Halfback | Army | 7/9 | AAB, AP, FN, INS, NEA, SN, UP | CP, FWAA, WC |
Creighton Miller | Halfback | Notre Dame | 7/9 | AAB, AP, COL, FN, INS, SN, UP | -- |
Doc Blanchard | Fullback | Army | 7/9 | AAB, AP, FN, INS, LK, SN, UP | CP, FWAA, WC |
John Ferraro | Tackle | USC | 6/9 | AAB, AP, COL, FN, INS, NEA | CP, FWAA, WC |
Ben Chase | Guard | Navy | 5/9 | AAB, FN, INS, SN, UP | CP, WC |
Paul Walker | End | Yale | 4/9 | COL, FN, LK, NEA | CP, FWAA |
Bill Hackett | Guard | Ohio State | 4/9 | AAB, AP, COL, FN | CP, FWAA, WC |
John Tavener | Center | Indiana | 4/9 | UP, FWAA, INS, LK | CP, FWAA |
Bob Odell | Halfback | Penn | 4/9 | AP, CO, INS, LK | NYS |
Jack Dugger | End | Ohio State | 3/9 | INS, SN, UP | FWAA, WC |
Close
Ends
- Phil Tinsley, Georgia Tech (AAB; AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-2; INS-1; LK; NEA; SN; UP-2; CP-1; WC)
- Paul Walker, Yale (COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-2; LK; NEA; UP-2; CP-1)
- Jack Dugger, Ohio State (AAB; AP-3; FWAA-1; INS-1; SN; UP-1; CP-2; WC)
- Hub Bechtol, Texas (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1)
- Henry Walker, Virginia (AP-2)
- Leon Bramlett, Navy(AP-2)
- Barney Poole, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-3; UP-1; INS-2; CP-2)
- Frank Bauman, Purdue (UP-3; FWAA-2)
- Ben Martin, Navy (UP-3)
- Art Renner, Michigan (UP-4)
Tackles
- Don Whitmire, Navy (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; LK; NEA; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC)
- John Ferraro, USC (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; NEA [g]; UP-2; CP-1; WC)
- George Savitsky, Penn (College Football Hall of Fame) (NEA; UP-3)
- Bill Willis, Ohio State (College and Pro Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; FWAA-2; INS-2; LK; SN; UP-1)
- Milan Lazetich, Michigan (AP-2; FWAA-2; INS-2; UP-3; CP-2)
- Monte Moncrief, Texas A&M (AP-3)
- Robert McClure, Nevada (AP-3; UP-4)
- DeWitt "Tex" Coulter, Army (UP-2)
- George Owen, Wake Forest (UP-4)
- George Sullivan, Notre Dame (UP-4; CP-2)
Guards
- Bill Hackett, Ohio State (AAB; AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-2; UP-2; CP-1; WC)
- Ben Chase, Navy (AAB; FN; FWAA-2; INS-1; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC)
- Hamilton Nichols, Rice (AP-1)
- Joe Stanowicz, Army (FWAA-1; INS-1; UP-1; CP-2)
- Clyde Flowers, TCU (NEA)
- John Green, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; COL; INS-2)
- Bill Hachten, California (AP-2; UP-4; LK)
- Ralph Serpico, Illinois (AP-3; SN; UP-3; FWAA-2)
- Bob Dobelstein, Tennessee (AP-3)
- Pat Filley, Notre Dame (UP-2)
- Ellis Jones, Tulsa (UP-3; CP-2; LK)
- Ernie Knotts, Duke (UP-4)
Centers
- John Tavener, Indiana (College Football Hall of Fame) (UP-1; FWAA-1; INS-1; LK; CP-1)
- Caleb Warrington, Auburn (AAB; AP-1; COL; FWAA-2; INS-2; NEA; SN; UP-3; WC)
- Felto Prewitt, Tulsa (AP-2; FN)
- Robert St. Onge, Army (AP-3)
- John T. Martin, Navy (UP-2)
- Gordon Appleby, Ohio State (UP-4)
- Gordon Berlin, Washington (CP-2)
Quarterbacks
- Les Horvath, Ohio State (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; COL [fb]; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; LK; NEA; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC)
- Buddy Young, Illinois (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; UP-2; INS-2; CP-2; LK)
- Doug Kenna, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (UP-3; COL; CP-2)
- Jim Hardy, USC (UP-4; FWAA-2)
- Frank Broyles, Georgia Tech (FWAA-2)
Halfbacks
- Glenn Davis, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; NEA; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC)
- Creighton Miller, Notre Dame (College Football Hall of Fame) (CO-1; FN; INS-1; SN)
- Bob Odell, Penn (College Football Hall of Fame) (CO-1; INS-1; LK; NYS-1)
- Bob Jenkins, Navy (AAB; AP-2; COL; FWAA-2; INS-2; NEA; SN; UP-1; WC)
- Bob Fenimore, Oklahoma A&M (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-2; NEA; UP-3; CP-2)
- Jug Girard, Wisconsin (LK)
- Bob Kelly, Notre Dame (AP-3; UP-2; INS-2)
- Shorty McWilliams, Mississippi State (AP-2; UP-2)
- Thomas Davis, Duke (AP-3; UP-4; CP-2)
- Harold Hamburg, Navy (AP-3; UP-3)
- Clyde Scott, Navy (College Football Hall of Fame) (UP-4)
Fullbacks
- Doc Blanchard, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; LK; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC)
- Babe Dimancheff, Purdue (AP-2; UP-2; FWAA-2; INS-1; CP-1)
- Bob Wiese, Michigan/Navy (UP-3)
- Gordon Gray, USC (AP-3; UP-4)
Bold = Consensus All-American[1]
- -1 – First-team selection
- -2 – Second-team selection
- -3 – Third-team selection
"Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 8. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. 2005. p. 1196. ISBN 1401337031.
Orlo Robertson (December 8, 1944). "Army, Ohio State Land 2 Players On AP All-American '44 Grid Team". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.
"Colliers All-American Includes 4 Army Men". Long Beach Independent. December 8, 1944.
"INS Selects All-American". Chester Times. December 2, 1944.
Hal Sayles (November 30, 1944). "Speaking of Sports". Abilene Reporter-News.
Red Grange (December 1944). "Navy Wins Two Places On NEA All-American Eleven; Davis, Jenkins, Fenimore And Horvath Are Backs". The News. Frederick, MD.
Leo H. Petersen (November 30, 1944). "1944 All-American Squad Announced: Bob McCIure Of Nevada U. Rated On UP Fourth Team". Nevada State Journal.
Walter L. Johns (December 4, 1944). "Army, Navy, Ohio State Dominate Central Press All-American Team". Wisconsin State Journal.
"Central Press All-American". New Castle News. December 1, 1944.