DECEMBER 7, 1942
FABL ROSTERS HIT HARD BY ENLISTS & SELECTIVE SERVICE
Most teams were reeling a year ago at this time with news breaking almost daily of players joining the war effort in response to the devastating Japanese sneak-attack on Pearl Harbor. Now as we mark the one year anniversary of that tragic day the losses to FABL starting line-ups only seem to have accelerated and there will be a lot of teams with a large number of holes to fill come Opening Day. There is also worry that several minor leagues may not even have enough players available to field the full complement of teams. Transportation issues also remain a big worry but FABL vows there will be a season in 1943 although one filled with patchwork rosters for many of it's 16 clubs that comprise the Federal and Continental Associations.
The task of filling those roster holes will hopefully begin to be addressed in spring training - assuming the ODT gives ball teams to go-ahead to convene in Florida in mid-March. In a two-part report TWIFB takes a look at what each team has lost this off-season. It should be noted this is only looking at players that were on active rosters (either in FABL or as top minor league prospects) in 1942 so the many players -like Fred McCormick and Pete Papenfus- who missed the entire 1942 season are not factored in. We will start this week with the Federal Association as we examine how each club has changed since the end of September and what their outlook might be going forward.
FEDERAL ASSOCIATION
BOSTON MINUTEMEN LOST: Pitchers Ray Dalpman, John Edwards, Bobby Montefusco, Art Myers and Fred Nelson. Second baseman Buddy Schneider, infielder Charlie Reed and outfielders Bill Burkett, Dave Henry and Red Samuel.
Boston was hit hard the past two weeks with the loss of Dalpman and Schneider. Dalpman did have his struggles as a sophomore after being the top rookie in baseball and helping the Minutemen to win the 1941 WCS, but with his absence for '43 there is now a major hole in the Boston rotation. The bullpen got hit hard as well as Montefusco (7-5, 3.77) was a steady reliever who had 17 saves and appeared in 59 games last season. Losing both Schneider (.264,1,81) and center fielder Burkett (.263,8,74) will be tough to overcome and it doesn't help that backups Charlie Reed (.254,3,17) and Red Samuel (.318,4,12) are also gone. Hit harder than most teams, it is not difficult to imagine the Minutemen taking a step back next season.
CHICAGO: LOST: Pitchers Bob Crowley, Milt Fritz and Sam Vaughan, catchers Joe Brown and Solly Skidmore along with outfielders Bill May, Joe Rutherford and Skeeter Gray.
The Chiefs lost a lot of quality young talent in Crowley, Skidmore and Rutherford but aside from center fielder May (.310,2,28), they got off much easier than many of their Fed rivals as far as veteran losses go. They actually have experience playing without May as the 29 year old missed much of last year with an injury. The Chiefs dealt away Hank Barnett in October with the eye to Solly Skidmore taking over the catching duties and Tom Bird shifting to first base. That plan is on hold as Skidmore is now with the Coast Guard. Bird may be extra busy behind the plate as his backup Joe Brown is also now in the service. Veteran Milt Fritz (4-9, 4.21) and 25 year old Sam Vaughan (4-5, 4.20) combined to start 22 games last season but the Chiefs were hit much less in pitching losses compared to some of their rivals when you consider their top four starters -Al Miller, Rabbit Day, Red Hampton and Les Zoller- all return, at least so far.
DETROIT LOST: Pitchers Charlie Ashmore, Lou Barker, Charlie Wheeler and Johnny Witt. Infielders Rich Conway, Rabbit Mudd and Constantine Peters along with outfielder Ollie Williams.
Last year was a nightmare for the Dynamos with most of the blame falling on their pitching staff. The Dynamos likely had visions of trying to rebuild around Ashmore and perhaps Witt while also hoping Wheeler and Sergio Gonzales could rebound. Only Gonzales remains in the picture now and he is dealing with arm troubles so unless the likes of Joe Shaffner, Mike Murphy and Frank Crawford can turn it around next season this might be another rough one in Detroit. As bleak as the pitching outlook might appear, the good news is the Dynamos offense did not take much of a hit. Red Johnson and Sal Pestilli are both still here, although there are rumbles both considered enlisting. The loss of Peters will be felt as he was likely ready to move from second base and takeover for 40-year Frank Vance at the hot corner.
NEW YORK LOST: Pitchers Sammy Alger, Harry Carter, Bunny Edwards, Harry Frenette and Charlie Sutton. Second baseman Roosevelt Brewer, shortstop Mule Monier and first baseman Frank Bunch Jr. and Bill Murname along with outfielders Bobby Boone and Hub Parks.
The defending champs will have their work cut out for them if they plan on repeating and judging by the losses it might be too big of an ask. It is hard to say if they will miss the doubleplay tandem of Brewer (.282,0,50) and Monier (.295,6,49) or the pitching losses of Carter (16-14, 4.17) and Sutton (0.67, 13 sv) more. With young first base prospects Bunch and Murname both exiting it puts pressure on Bud Jameson to get one more solid season out of his what will be 39-year old frame next year.
PHILADELPHIALOST: Pitchers Abe Abingdon, Bud Canfield, Henry Shaffer and Lloyd Stevens. Infielders Al Hess and Lee Scott along with outfielders Jeff Cochran, Tony Pestilli, Davey Robicheaux and Jack Smith.
Stevens (17-7, 2.71) and Robichaeaux (.239,10,55) are the two big losses but the absence of Abingdon might be felt as well. The 22 year old with 2-2 with a 2.92 era in a late season call-up and certainly had Keystones fans excited. If Chuck Hood can step up in the outfield to replace Robicheaux and some more of the young pitching, perhaps even 21 year old Ray Montgomery, proves ready then the Keystones might be in a pretty good position. The club has a deep group of pitchers -or at least had one until the war- as they have lost a lot of very good young arms in Ernie Espanoza, Sid Moulton, Joe Quade and now Abingdon to the war effort.
PITTSBURGH Pitchers Sonny O'Callaghan, Charlie Porter, Tony Puccinello and Charlie Stedman, catcher George Cleaves and infielders Al Cox, Gary Ely and Hans Stiles.
The big losses are of course Cleaves and Stedman. Cleaves has been the heart of the team for close to a decade and is a 7-time all-star catcher. Stedman will turn 41 early next season but after a 16-14, 3.41 showing last season he did not appear to be slowing down. While Ely is a nice infield prospect none of the others that left are considered major hits. There is a good chance the Miners can withstand the loss of Stedman, especially if Speed Brown can return from his injury and Gene Stevens shows he can be a dependable pitching asset at the back of the rotation.
36 year old Tom Aiello has spent most of his career stuck behind all-star catchers, and complaining about it. Now it is time for Aiello to prove that he does deserve to be a FABL regular. If he can approach his .277 career batting average he might just be a very acceptable replacement for Cleaves. If Aiello has a solid season at this point I would suggest the Miners might once again be the team to beat, even without their superstar catcher.
ST LOUIS LOST- Pitchers Mal Bianco, Dick Long and Dan Rivard, catchers John Kennedy, Mike Logan and Tucker Ness, first basemen Bob Johnston Jr and Zip Sullivan and second basemen Ira Armstrong and Abel Gardner.
The Pioneers were not going to contend in 1943 but they took a big hit in their plans to continue to build for the future. Ness, Johnston Jr, Bianco and Long are all key youth pieces that will miss out on valuable experience while serving in the military.
WASHINGTON LOST- Pitchers Jim Birdwell, Lou Johnson, Tommy Trott and Hal Weston along with first baseman Bob Mark, middle infielders Henry Bush and Pat Reed and outfielder Gene Zavala.
The Eagles did not have enough pitching to begin with and now to see Birdwell (15-10, 3.50) leave as well as Johnson, Trott and Weston - all of whom spent time with the Eagles last season - is a big blow. Further complicating matters is the fact that most of the Eagles top pitching prospects were already in the services, players like Buckeye Smith, Jackie Yates and Juan Tostado. It looks like it is going to be another long year in Washington so it is likely time to give the youngsters that remain in the organization a chance to learn on the job in DC. Pitcher Bob Brown and 19 year old outfielder Jesse Alvardo are two that quickly come to mind.
EARLY PREDICTION
Based on how the rosters look right now - but one can likely be sure there will be more losses- here is how TWIFB sees the Federal Association race shaping up in 1943.
The Fed, as always seems to be the case, will likely once again be a dog fight even though each of the contenders has suffered some losses. At this stage we would suggest the Pittsburgh Miners are best equipped to overcome those losses and are the early favourite for the 1943 season with the Philadelphia Keystones a close second. The Chicago Chiefs pitching staff remained for the most part intact, and that is not something any of the other Fed challengers can boast. The big question in Chicago is not war related as it hinges on their ability to replace Hank Barnett's production now that the veteran third baseman has been moved to the cross-town Cougars. Rabbit Day needs another big year but if he delivers the Chiefs will challenge. Boston and New York both took big hits in player personnel and seem, at least at this point, to be a step back of the top three. Detroit could surprise and they certainly did last season but for all the wrong reasons. The Dynamos need to figure out their pitching situation but certainly have the offense to contend. St Louis and Washington are just not quite good enough to matter in the Fed race in '43.
1- Pittsburgh Miners
2- Philadelphia Keystones
3- Chicago Chiefs
4- New York Gothams
5- Boston Minutemen
6- Detroit Dynamos
7- St Louis Pioneers
8- Washington Eagles.
Next week we look at the Continental Association clubs.
THOMAS GIVES UP BASEBALL TO FOCUS FULLY ON GRIDIRON
St. Louis Pioneers pitcher Del Thomas has decided to retire from baseball to concentrate on his career as a professional football quarterback. Thomas has largely been a pitcher for the Pioneers' top minor league affiliate in Oakland. Though very little of the baseball and football seasons overlap, Thomas, who plays for the American Football Association's Boston Americans, found the travel schedule "wearying beyond measure."
To be fair, Thomas has found much more success on the gridiron than on the diamond. His career stats with the Pioneers at the FABL level include a record of 9-17 with 1 save and a 5.58 earned run average. His numbers in the Great Western League are not that much better: 28-29 with a 4.04 ERA. Conversely, Thomas is arguably the best quarterback in pro football: he leads the AFA in passing yardage this season and is second in touchdown passes. Since joining the Americans in 1937 he has been in the top two in passing yardage every season but one. He is also a stellar punter and an excellent defensive back.
"I'll miss the fellas," Thomas said, referring to his team mates in Oakland and St. Louis. "But coach has been after me for years to give up baseball," he explained, referring to Americans coach Bunky O'Neill. "I know this will make him happy, at least. I just wish I had been able to perform better for the great fans in St. Louis."
- The Brooklyn Kings parted ways with long-time coach Danny Goff. The 57 year old, who won 252 FABL games including 124 in two separate stints with the Kings, had been the club's bench coach and Powell Slocum's right-hand man since 1933. No explanation was given and Goff was clearly upset when informed of the decision. Brooklyn quickly announced that Ted Dougherty, a 36 year old with no FABL experience either as a player or coach, will step into the role. Dougherty spent 7 seasons in the minors and is a Detroit City College grad who was a 22nd round pick of St Louis in 1927.
- You have to think Goff will not stay unemployed for long. Perhaps the Chicago Cougars might be a good destination as his son Danny Jr debuted for them last year but is now in the Navy. Danny Sr. has already coached the other son Jack in the big leagues. That was with Brooklyn but Jack, like Danny Jr., is also in the Navy.
- Saints pitcher Jake DeYoung might have started a new fad in Montreal. He and a number of teammates, as well as manager Homer Moore, along with some local celebrities, staged a charity softball game last week. Wait a minute. Softball in Montreal in December? How could that be? Well, they actually used the Montreal Arena, home of the NAHC's Valiants and were joined by several Valiants players. By all accounts, the game was a grand success and raised funds to benefit local youth baseball and hockey leagues in the Canadian city.
PERFECT! WILDCATS FINISH 11-0
More than one expert voiced concern when news broke that long-time Chicago Wildcats coach Carl Boon was leaving the club in mid-season to take a post with the Navy. Boon was so revered and such an innovator as a coach it actually took two men to replace him as his assistants Marv Englert and Bill Youngberg were promoted to be co-head coaches in Boon's absence. The change went as smoothly as it possibly could with the Wildcats not missing a beat and going to complete the first perfect season in the modern history (post-1935) of the American Football Association.
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PERFECT SEASONS IN AFA HISTORY
YEAR TEAM
1920 - Youngstown Reapers
1922 - Youngstown Reapers
1923 - Pittsburgh Pros
1924 - Toledo Tigers
1927 - Detroit Maroons
1928 - Chicago Wildcats
1929 - Detroit Maroons
1942- Chicago Wildcats
Chicago capped it's regular season run with a 28-7 victory in Cleveland over the Finches. Dutch Hoffman was the player of the game this time, with 6 catches for 112 yards and a pair of scores, but as has been the case all season the Wildcats -with their many threats- spread the offense around. The Wildcats performance this season was nothing short of dominating. They outscored their opponents 330-86 on the season and only once did they fail to win by double digits. That was on October 18th when they beat a pesky New York Stars team by a 21-13 count.
*** HOLT SETS RUSHING MARK ***
Dominating is also the phrase to best describe the season put up by St Louis Ramblers rookie back Bob Holt. The All-American from Eastern State became the first to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season since Magnus Norman of Boston did it in 1932 and Holt's 75 yards against Detroit on Sunday gave him 1,035 on the campaign- which is a new all-time record encompassing both the modern era and the early days of the sport.
Unfortunately for Ramblers fans, Holt's efforts this season were not enough to prevent another losing campaign for the franchise and yesterday's contest had a bitter ending as St Louis led 17-7 entering the fourth quarter in Detroit but surrendered 17 unanswered points in the final stanza to fall 24-17. Troy Renton was the hero for the hometown Maroons, notching all 17 points on a pair of running touchdowns, a 22 yard field goal and two extra-points. While Holt's rushing record garnered much of the attention the game also saw Detroit quarterback Dewey Burnett throw for 188 yards, giving him 1,886 passing yards on the season which is also a new modern record. Interesting to note that 1,218 of those yards were on passes to Stan Vaught, who is clearly the best pass catching end the sport has ever seen.
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FINAL AFA STANDINGS
EASTERN W L T PCT
Boston 9 2 0 .818
New York 8 3 0 .727
Brooklyn 5 6 0 .455
Washington 5 6 0 .455
Philadelphia 3 8 0 .273
WESTERN W L T PCT
Chicago 11 0 0 1.000
Detroit 6 4 1 .600
St Louis 4 7 0 .364
Cleveland 2 9 0 .182
Pittsburgh 1 9 1 .100
AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
SUNDAY December 6
New York 7 Brooklyn 3
Detroit 24 St Louis 17
Chicago 28 Cleveland 7
END OF REGULAR SEASON
Sunday December 13
AFA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Boston (9-2) at Chicago (11-0)
Code:
AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Vaught, Det 134
Stein, Bkn 98
Holt, StL 66
Milatz, NYS 57
Renton, Det 54
Hooper, Bos 50
Kelly, Bos 48
Frum, WAS 48
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Burnett, Det 165-310 1,886 21 16
Thomas, Bos 164-300 1,776 17 12
Boetcher, Cle 145-356 1,523 9 35
Proos, Was 108-255 1,430 11 40
Fuchs, Chi 64-159 1,141 15 22
RUSHING YDS TD
Holt, StL 1037 10
Stein, Bkn 885 7
Fitzgerald, Bos 643 5
Garecht, NY 592 5
Ramsey, Bkn 559 1
Sadowski, Was 528 6
Hartley, Chi 527 7
RECEIVING CAT TD
Vaught, Det 84 17
Kelly, Bos 36 6
Hooper, Bos 30 4
Douglas, Was 28 2
Kurtzman, Cle 28 5
Smithberger, Cle 28 1
INERCEPTIONS #
Stein, Bkn 11
Vaught, Det 10
Murphy. Det 9
B McLean, Chi 9
Spagna, Det 8
Kurtzman, Cle 8
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW
With all of Chicago's regular season accomplishments it is now time to turn their attention to the 9-2 Boston Americans, who the Wildcats will host in Sunday's championship game. Before everyone goes and just hands the championship trophy to the Wildcats for the second year in a row it is probably worth mentioning that Chicago is just 1-5 since 1937 against Boston including an upset loss in the 1939 title game. The two did not meet this season and it will be interesting to see how the league's top passer in Del Thomas does against the swarming Chicago defense.
Boston's hopes hinge on a big game from Thomas, who enjoyed his most productive season as a passer despite the fact his top receiving threat in Tom Bowens spent the season in the Army. Thomas established a new AFA single-season mark for passing yards by throwing for 1,776 but watched on Sunday as Detroit's Dewey Burnett surpassed him to raise the record to 1,886 yards. At 28 years of age, and now fully committed to football following his decision to hang up his baseball spikes, Del Thomas seems to just be hitting his stride as a quarterback and may one day reach the 2,000 passing yard total in a single season. For now the present is the focus, and Thomas will be heavily counted on by the Boston gridders to lead them to their second American Football Association championship next weekend when they square off against the unbeaten Chicago Wildcats.
NOTES -Quite an accomplish by the Wildcats to go 11-0. Of course it will all mean nothing unless they make it 12 straight. It is interesting the Boston Americans have won 5 of their last 6 meetings with the Wildcats.....Even if Chicago wins the title game they won't be able to match the 1929 Detroit Maroons for wins. That club went 13-0...This is the second time a Wildcats team had a perfect season. Old-timers will quickly point out Chicago's unbeaten 1928 squad was led by Jack Barrell at quarterback. His brother Joe was also on the team in 1927 but had retired when the '28 season rolled around.
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DEL THOMAS CAREER STATS
PASSING
YEAR TM COMP-ATT PCT YDS TD INT RAT TEAM REC
1937 BOS 73-184 39.7 932 8 14 39.0 7-3-1
1938 BOS 80-194 41.2 993 7 17 33.3 3-8
1939 BOS 54-121 44.6 631 7 14 40.7 8-3*
1940 BOS 129-215 60.0 1370 8 12 67.8 5-6
1941 BOS 162-242 66.9 1417 6 17 61.3 7-3-1
1942 BOS 164-300 54.7 1776 17 12 74.5 9-2
*won AFA championship
RUSHING
YEAR TM ATT YDS AVG TD
1937 BOS 112 545 4.9 4
1938 BOS 24 99 4.1 0
1939 BOS 11 49 4.5 0
1940 BOS 13 51 3.9 0
1941 BOS 15 52 3.5 0
1942 BOS 13 49 3.8 0
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION TITLE GAME RESULTS
YEAR RESULT VENUE
1941 Chicago 10 New York 7 Whitney Park
1940 Brooklyn 20 Detroit 7 Thompson Field
1939 Boston 21 Chicago 14 Whitney Park
1938 Brooklyn 9 Pittsburgh 7 Kings County
1937 New York 34 Chicago 0 Bigsby Oval
1936 Detroit 24 Pittsburgh 7 Thompson Field
CC LOS ANGELES CLAIMS EAST-WEST INVITE
It came as no surprise to learn the City College of Los Angeles will participate in the New Year Day East-West Classic at Santa Ana. The Coyotes made the berth in the big game against 11-0 Noble Jones College official with a 28-0 shutout win over Idaho A&M. The victory improves CCLA's record to 7-1-1 overall and 5-1 in West Coast Athletic Association play. The Coyotes are a half game back of Redwood, which is 6-1 in conference and 7-3 overall with the Coyotes handing the Mammoths their only section-loss of the season, a 24-13 defeat on Halloween. CCLA can still pull even and claim the conference crown as the Coyotes have one more game remaining before the New Years clash. That would be next Saturday against Coastal California (5-3-1). The Dolphins also play on December 19th against Golden Gate Pre-Flight but those would be the only two games remaining involving major schools before the New Years Classics.
St Blane (7-3-1) saw it's 8 game unbeaten streak come to an end with a 17-7 loss to Great Lakes Navy in the final contest for each.
WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
Great Lakes Navy 17 St. Blane 7
CC Los Angeles 28 Idaho A&M 0
Daniel Boone College 27 Iowa Pre-Flight 17
Northern California 31 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 0
Jacksonville Naval Air Station 23 Spence Field 3
California Catholic 14 Colorado Valley State 6
Tempe College 14 Flagstaff State 0
Northern Mississippi 41 San Francisco Tech 9
Red River State 14 Texas Gulf Coast 6
Valley State 31 Second Air Force (WA) 14
Coastal California 54 Custer College 0
Darnell State 27 Spokane State 0
Golden Gate University 13 Northern Minnesota 3
UPCOMING GAMES
DECEMBER 12
Coastal California vs CC Los Angeles
DECEMBER 19
Golden Gate University Pre-Flight at Coastal California
JANUARY 1, 1943 (CLASSIC GAMES)
Noble Jones College (11-0) vs CCLA (7-1-1) East-West Classic
Alabama Baptist (6-3-1) vs Commonwealth Catholic (7-1-1) Sunshine Classic
Detroit City College (9-1) vs Bayou State (7-3) Desert Classic
Cumberland (9-1) vs Payne State (9-1) Cajun Classic
Georgia Baptist (8-1-1) vs Travis College (6-2-2) Lone Star Classic
The college Classic games are on, but word from the sponsors of the 5-major New Years contests is locals-only. The Office of Defense Transportation laid down the law, requiring written confirmation from the organizers of each event confirming they understand and will comply with the ODT's edict to restrict ticket sales to residents of the immediate areas in which the games will be played.
ODT Director Joseph B. Eastman mentioned no precise geographical limitation in his request, but proposed an arrangement similar to that which applied to the recent Annapolis Maritime-Rome State game. That contest was staged at Annapolis, with attendance limited to persons living within a ten-mile radius of the small Maryland town. The ODT did admit it really had no way to police the ticket sales or to actually check the identification of everyone who entered each of the stadiums on game day. Eastman said the request was aimed primarily at discouraging "long distance travel of fans and team followers."
The big issues, Eastman added was that the bowl games are played at a holiday time when there are likely to be increased troop furlough movements and that "current passenger train shortages" demand travel be minimized and ticket distribution confined to the area where the games are played.
LIBERTY TAKES OVER TOP SPOT
The defending AIAA national tournament champions from Liberty College have taken over top spot in the college basketball ranks after improving to 7-0 with a pair of decisive victories last week. The Bells continued their domination of Academia Alliance schools with a 54-30 drubbing over Grafton, coming after having little issues with Pierpont or Brunswick in their two previous games. Liberty College finished the week out yesterday with a 57-37 win in Saginaw over Michigan Lutheran. Ron Berner led the way with 14 points in that win and his 12.1 ppg on the season continues to lead the Philadelphia school with center Robert Grant, a second team All-American selection a year ago, close behind averaging over 11 points per contest.
The Bells moved into the top spot after St Ignatius was tripped up by Smithfield College last Wednesday and fell from 1st to fifth in the rankings. The Lancers did regroup and finished off what was a busy week for them with wins over West Corners and Bronx Tech.
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AIAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP TWENTY-FIVE
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Liberty College (59) 7-0 1787 2 Northeast Conference
2. CC Los Angeles (11) 6-0 1736 3 West Coast Athletic Association
3. Detroit City College (2) 4-0 1661 4 Great Lakes Alliance
4. North Carolina Tech 5-0 1552 5 South Atlantic Conference
5. St. Ignatius 4-1 1487 1 Great Lakes Alliance
6. Coastal California 5-1 1466 6 West Coast Athletic Association
7. Carolina Poly 4-0 1373 7 South Atlantic Conference
8. Lane State 2-0 1270 8 West Coast Athletic Association
9. Minnesota Tech 6-0 1172 13 Great Lakes Alliance
10. Chesapeake State 6-1 1155 15 South Atlantic Conference
11. Alabama Baptist 6-0 1136 11 Deep South Conference
12. Western Iowa 3-1 881 14 Great Lakes Alliance
13. Central Ohio 4-1 823 19 Great Lakes Alliance
14. Rainier College 3-1 815 17 West Coast Athletic Association
15. Coastal State 4-0 755 25 South Atlantic Conference
16. Lubbock State 4-0 680 20 Southwestern Alliance
17. Whitney College 3-1 605 18 Great Lakes Alliance
18. St. Patrick's 5-1 540 9 Northeast Conference
19. Texas Gulf Coast 4-0 492 NR Southwestern Alliance
20. Portland Tech 3-0 329 NR West Coast Athletic Association
21. Orrville 5-0 295 NR Independent
22. Tinker 4-0 235 NR Eastern Eight
23. St. Magnus 3-0 217 NR Great Lakes Alliance
24. Lawrence State 5-0 198 NR Plains Athletic Association
25. Mobile Maritime 5-1 165 12 South Atlantic Conference
RESULTS INVOLVING TOP TEAMS
Monday November 30
#19 Texas Gulf Coast 47 North Carolina Atlantic 39
#22 Tinker 46 Bay State 34
St Blane 47 NW Pennsylvania 44
Wisconsin State 39 Kit Carson University 38
Great Plains State 44 Daniel Boone College 18
Tuesday December 1
#16 Lubbock State 48 Charleston Tech 32
#24 Lawrence State 45 Hampden 27
#25 Mobile Maritime 41 Bliss College 30
Annapolis Maritime 51 Hamman 43
Commonwealth Catholic 38 Narragansett 36
Wednesday December 2
Smithfield College 53 #5 St Ignatius 51
#10 Chesapeake State 41 Lambert College 40
#22 Tinker 44 Manhattan Tech 39
#23 St Magnus 38 Poweshiek 22
Redwood 55 Eastern State 39
Rome State 47 Columbia Military Academy 37
Thursday December 3
#7 Carolina Poly 55 Opelika State 49
#11 Alabama Baptist 62 Alexandria 49
St Blane 44 Western State 27
Ferguson 46 Georgia Baptist 30
Maryland State 40 Mississippi Tech 32
Friday December 4
#1 Liberty College 54 Grafton 30
#2 CCLA 58 Springfield State 39
#4 North Carolina Tech 54 St Matthew's College 51
#5 St Ignatius 48 West Corners(NY) 43
#6 Coastal California 55 Flint 25
#15 Coastal State 63 Potomac College 43
#21 Orrville 50 Mahoning Valley State 41
Indiana A&M 45 Oklahoma City State 34
Saturday December 5
#13 Cental Ohio 50 Queen City 34
#20 Portland Tech 39 Bluegrass State 38
#24 Lawrence State 57 Wisconsin Catholic 47
Noble Jones College 54 Bulein 38
Rome State 40 Baton Rogue State 24
Annapolis Maritime 55 Frankford State 38
Sunday December 6
#1 Liberty College 47 Michigan Lutheran 37
#2 CCLA 58 Valley State 40
#5 St Ignatius 50 Bronx Tech 37
#6 Coastal California 64 El Paso Methodist 39
#9 Minnesota Tech 55 Dakota College 25
#15 Coastal State 44 #18 St Patrick's 33
#16 Lubbock State 39 Bayou State 34
#19 Texas Gulf Coast 41 #25 Mobile Maritime 38
#21 Orrville 41 Central Maryland 25
The Detroit City College Knights had no games last week but that did not stop them from moving up a spot in the polls and even picking up a couple of votes for the number one ranking. The Knights stepped up from #4 to third after Michigan rival St Ignatius slipped from top spot and ended up fifth this week. Liberty College (7-0) and CC Los Angeles (6-0) are the two teams ahead of Detroit City College (4-0).
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Knights have two games this week starting with a meeting with Armstrong of the Keystone Alliance this evening in Detroit. Armstrong is 3-4 on the season with their most recent game being a 53-33 loss to Queen City in Cincinnati last Monday. On Saturday it should be a little tougher challenge for Detroit City College to remain unbeaten as the Knights entertain the Lambert College Stags. The Stags, who play in the Midwestern Association, hail from Columbia, Missouri and reached the National quarter finals a year ago in what was just the second tournament appearance in school history. This will be a rematch of that quarter final game as it was the Knights who eliminated the Stags last March and if that score is any indication (78-55) this should be a high scoring game.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/06/1942
- Allied troops continue to have the Nazis pinned down in North Africa and begin to bombard the old forts ringing Tunis.
- Nazi subs are blamed for the sinking of 5 US transports off the coast of Morocco. German Navy vessels are also credited with sinking the giant British aircraft carrier Avenger, as well as several smaller ships in an all-out attempt to maintain a foothold in North Africa.
- The R.A.F. continues it's assault on Italian targets in night time bombing raids. Benito Mussolini confirmed that 11,883 buildings were destroyed or damaged in Genoa alone in British raids.
- American Naval forces frustrated a new Japanese attempt to land troops on Guadalcanal and a desperate enemy bid for a lightning victory in the Solomons in advance of the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. Despite the current success, there is growing concern a larger Japanese offensive on the Solomons is imminent.
- On the anniversary of the attack, the United States officially listed the count as 8 US battleships and 11 other vessels along with 177 planes were crippled in the attack on Pearl Harbor last December 7.
- Russian forces continue to push back the Germans in the Stalingrad area.
- The death tolls is expected to be around 500 after a fire destroyed a nightclub in Boston Saturday evening, prompting the Governor of Massachusetts to call for the closure of all such entertainment venues until they pass a full fire and safety inspection.
- The film Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman premiers to rave reviews at the Hollywood Theater in new York City. The release in select theatres was rushed to capitalize on the Allied invasion of French North Africa.