# 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.
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 |
| 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 |

## Teams
### Redlands

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.
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.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 20 | at Loyola (CA) | Gilmore StadiumLos Angeles, CA | L 0–13 | 12,000 |
| October 5 | at San Diego Marines | San Diego, CA | L 0–13 | |
| October 12 | La Verne | Redlands, CA | W 7–0 | |
| October 19 | at San Diego State | Aztec BowlSan Diego, CA | L 14–20 | 6,000 |
| October 26 | at Pomona | Alumni FieldPomona, CA | W 27–6 | |
| November 2 | Occidental | Redlands, CA | W 13–6 | |
| November 9 | at Whittier | Whittier, CA | T 0–0 | 6,000 |
| November 15 | Caltech | Redlands, CA | W 40–0 | |
| November 23 | at New Mexico A&M | Quesenberry FieldLas Cruces, NM | L 14–25 | |

### Pomona

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.
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.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 20 | at Santa Barbara* | La Playa StadiumSanta Barbara, CA | L 0–19 | |
| September 27 | at San Diego State* | Aztec BowlSan Diego, CA | L 3–33 | 6,000 |
| October 5 | La Verne* | Alumni FieldClaremont, CA | W 33–0 | |
| October 12 | at San Diego Marines* | San Diego, CA | L 0–47 | 6,000 |
| October 19 | Caltech | Alumni FieldClaremont, CA | W 23–6 | |
| October 26 | Redlands | Alumni FieldPomona, CA | L 6–27 | |
| November 2 | at Whittier | Hadley FieldWhittier, CA | W 12–7 | |
| November 16 | Occidental | Patterson FieldLos Angeles, CA | W 6–0 | |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

### Occidental

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.
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.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 28 | at Santa Barbara | La Playa FieldSanta Barbara, CA | L 13–27 | |
| October 4 | at San Diego State | Aztec BowlSan Diego, CA | L 0–20 | 6,000 |
| October 12 | Cal Aggies | D.W. Patterson FieldLos Angeles, CA | T 6–6 | |
| October 26 | Whittier | Patterson FieldLos Angeles, CA | W 7–6 | |
| November 2 | at Redlands | Redlands, CA | L 6–13 | |
| November 8 | at Caltech | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | W 26–13 | 2,500 |
| November 16 | Pomona | Patterson FieldLos Angeles, CA | L 0–6 | |
| November 30 | at Colorado College | Washburn FieldColorado Springs, CO | W 25–6 | |

### Whittier

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.
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.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 28 | at Fresno State | Fresno State College StadiumFresno, CA | L 7–13 | 7,946 |
| October 4 | at Caltech | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | W 19–0 | 1,500 |
| October 11 | at Loyola | Gilmore StadiumLos Angeles, CA | L 0–18 | 10,000 |
| October 26 | at Occidental | Patterson FieldLos Angeles, CA | L 6–7 | |
| November 2 | Pomona | Hadley FieldWhittier, CA | L 7–12 | |
| November 9 | Redlands | Whittier, CA | T 0–0 | 6,000 |
| November 16 | San Diego State | Hadley FieldWhittier, CA | L 0–33 | |
| November 22 | at San Diego Marines | San Diego, CA | L 0–33 | |
| November 30 | Willamette | Hadley FieldWhittier, CA | W 14–7 | 3,000 |

### Caltech

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.
Caltech fullback Stan Sohler received first-team honors on the all-conference team.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 20 | at Cal Poly* | Mustang StadiumSan Luis Obispo, CA | W 12–7 | |
| September 28 | Glendale JC* | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | T 7–7 | 1,500 |
| October 4 | Whittier | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | L 0–19 | 1,500 |
| October 12 | at Arizona State–Flagstaff* | Flagstaff, AZ | L 14–33 | |
| October 19 | at Pomona | Alunni FieldClaremont, CA | L 6–23 | |
| October 26 | at La Verne* | La Verne, CA | W 7–0 | |
| November 8 | Occidental | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | L 13–26 | 2,500 |
| November 15 | at Redlands | Redlands, CA | L 0–40 | |
| *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