# 1942 Southeastern Conference football season

The 1942 Southeastern Conference football season was the tenth season of college football played by the member schools of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and was a part of the 1942 college football season. Georgia compiled an 11–1 overall record, with a conference record of 6–1, and was SEC champion.

## Results and team statistics

| Conf. rank | Team | Head coach | Overall record | Conf. record | AP final | PPG | PAG |
| 1 | Georgia | Wally Butts | 11–1–0 (.917) | 6–1–0 (.857) | No. 2 | 31.3 | 6.3 |
| T–2 | Georgia Tech | William Alexander | 9–2–0 (.818) | 4–1–0 (.800) | No. 5 | 19.9 | 7.9 |
| T–2 | Tennessee | John Barnhill | 9–1–1 (.864) | 4–1–0 (.800) | No. 7 | 23.5 | 5.5 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | Allyn McKeen | 8–2–0 (.800) | 5–2–0 (.714) | No. 18 | 20.0 | 7.7 |
| 5 | Alabama | Frank Thomas | 8–3–0 (.727) | 4–2–0 (.667) | No. 10 | 22.4 | 8.8 |
| 6 | LSU | Bernie Moore | 7–3–0 (.700) | 3–2–0 (.600) | | 19.2 | 11.7 |
| 7 | Auburn | Jack Meagher | 6–4–1 (.591) | 3–3–0 (.500) | No. 16 | 15.8 | 12.1 |
| 8 | Vanderbilt | Red Sanders | 6–4–0 (.600) | 2–4–0 (.333) | | 23.2 | 11.3 |
| 9 | Florida | Tom Lieb | 3–7–0 (.300) | 1–3–0 (.250) | | 10.6 | 18.5 |
| 10 | Tulane | Claude Simons Jr. | 4–5–0 (.444) | 1–4–0 (.200) | | 13.4 | 17.1 |
| T–11 | Kentucky | Albert D. Kirwan | 3–6–1 (.350) | 0–5–0 (.000) | | 15.5 | 15.4 |
| T–11 | Ole Miss | Harry Mehre | 2–7–0 (.222) | 0–5–0 (.000) | | 14.7 | 18.1 |
Key AP final = Rankings from AP sports writers. See 1942 college football rankings PPG = Average of points scored per game PAG = Average of points allowed per game

## Schedule

* Index to colors and formatting
* SEC member won
* SEC member lost
* SEC member tie
* SEC teams in bold

### Week Zero

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 18 | Chattanooga | Auburn | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | W 20–7 | 8,000 |
| September 19 | Louisiana Normal | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 40–0 | |
| September 19 | Florida | Jacksonville NAS | Fairfield Stadium • Jacksonville, FL | L 7–20 | 8,500 |
| September 19 | Georgia | Kentucky | DuPont Stadium • Louisville, KY | UGA 7–6 | 10,500 |

### Week One

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 25 | Jacksonville NAS | Georgia | Municipal Stadium • Macon, GA | W 14–0 | 11,000 |
| September 25 | Southwestern Louisiana | Alabama | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | W 54–0 | |
| September 25 | Kentucky | Xavier | Xavier Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | W 35–19 | 12,000 |
| September 26 | Union (TN) | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 35–2 | 6,000 |
| September 26 | Texas A&M | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | W 16–7 | 25,000 |
| September 26 | Tennessee Tech | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 52–0 | 6,000 |
| September 26 | Randolph–Macon | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | W 45–0 | 3,000 |
| September 26 | Tulane | USC | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 27–13 | 45,000 |
| September 26 | Western Kentucky State | Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | W 39–6 | 1,500 |
| September 26 | Tennessee | South Carolina | Carolina Stadium • Columbia, SC (rivalry) | T 0–0 | 14,000 |
| September 26 | Auburn | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | GT 15–0 | 12,000 |

### Week Two

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 2 | Ole Miss | Georgetown | Griffith Stadium • Washington, DC | L 6–14 | 15,000 |
| October 3 | Furman | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | W 40–7 | 8,000 |
| October 3 | Georgia Tech | Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN | W 13–6 | 20,545 |
| October 3 | Fordham | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 40–14 | 25,000 |
| October 3 | Purdue | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 26–0 | 18,000 |
| October 3 | Florida | Tampa | Phillips Field • Tampa, FL | W 26–6 | 6,500 |
| October 3 | Washington and Lee | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | W 53–0 | |
| October 3 | LSU | Rice | Rice Field • Houston, TX | L 14–27 | 20,000 |
| October 3 | Mississippi State | Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | ALA 21–6 | 18,000 |
| October 3 | Auburn | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (rivalry) | AUB 27–13 | 30,000 |

### Week Three

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 10 | Chattanooga | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | W 30–12 | 12,000 |
| October 10 | Dayton | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 34–6 | |
| October 10 | Pensacola NAS | Alabama | Murphy High School Stadium • Mobile, AL | W 27–0 | 8,000–10,000 |
| October 10 | Rice | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 18–7 | 25,000 |
| October 10 | Georgia | Ole Miss | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | UGA 48–13 | 15,000 |
| October 10 | Mississippi State | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | LSU 16–6 | 25,000 |
| October 10 | Auburn | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL (rivalry) | FLA 6–0 | 10,000 |
| October 10 | Vanderbilt | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY (rivalry) | VAN 7–6 | |

### Week Four

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 16 | Florida | Villanova | Shibe Park • Philadelphia, PA | L 3–13 | 8,051 |
| October 17 | Davidson | No. 6 Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | W 33–0 | 10,000 |
| October 17 | Auburn | Georgetown | Griffith Stadium • Washington, DC | T 6–6 | 12,500 |
| October 17 | Kentucky | VPI | Victory Stadium • Roanoke, VA | T 21–21 | 10,000 |
| October 17 | Tulane | No. 2 Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | UGA 40–0 | 18,000 |
| October 17 | No. 15 Tennessee | No. 4 Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (rivalry) | ALA 8–0 | 25,000 |
| October 17 | Mississippi State | No. 12 Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | MSS 33–0 | 22,000 |
| October 17 | Ole Miss | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | LSU 21–7 | 20,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Five

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 23 | Villanova | Auburn | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | W 14–6 | 10,000 |
| October 24 | No. 2 Georgia | Cincinnati | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | W 35–13 | 15,000 |
| October 24 | No. 6 Georgia Tech | Navy | Thompson Stadium • Annapolis, MD | W 21–0 | 20,000 |
| October 24 | Furman | No. 17 Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 52–7 | |
| October 24 | Georgia Pre-Flight | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 34–0 | 15,000 |
| October 24 | Centre | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 66–0 | 7,000 |
| October 24 | No. 19 North Carolina | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 29–14 | 22,000 |
| October 24 | Arkansas | Ole Miss | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN (rivalry) | L 6–7 | 15,000 |
| October 24 | No. 16 Mississippi State | Vanderbilt | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | MSS 26–12 | 8,000 |
| October 24 | No. 3 Alabama | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | ALA 14–0 | 14,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Six

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 30 | Kentucky | George Washington | Griffith Stadium • Washington, DC | W 27–6 | 5,000 |
| October 31 | No. 5 Georgia Tech | Duke | Duke Stadium • Durham, NC | W 26–7 | 24,000 |
| October 31 | Memphis State | Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS (rivalry) | W 48–0 | |
| October 31 | Florida | Maryland | Griffith Stadium • Washington, DC | L 0–13 | 10,000 |
| October 31 | No. 3 Alabama | No. 2 Georgia | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | UGA 21–10 | 32,000–33,000 |
| October 31 | No. 19 LSU | No. 20 Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | TEN 26–0 | 15,000 |
| October 31 | Mississippi State | Auburn | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | MSS 6–0 | 7,000 |
| October 31 | Vanderbilt | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | TUL 28–21 | 15,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Seven

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 7 | Cincinnati | No. 13 Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 34–12 | 6,000 |
| November 7 | South Carolina | Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 29–0 | 10,000 |
| November 7 | LSU | Fordham | Polo Grounds • New York, NY | W 26–13 | 16,400 |
| November 7 | Auburn | Georgia Pre-Flight | Memorial Stadium • Columbus, GA | L 14–41 | 6,500 |
| November 7 | No. 1 Georgia | Florida | Fairfield Stadium • Jacksonville, FL (rivalry) | UGA 75–0 | 21,000 |
| November 7 | Kentucky | No. 3 Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | GT 47–7 | 20,000 |
| November 7 | Mississippi State | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | MSS 7–0 | 28,000 |
| November 7 | Vanderbilt | Ole Miss | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN (rivalry) | VAN 19–0 | 6,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Eight

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 14 | No. 1 Georgia | Chattanooga | Chamberlain Field • Chattanooga, TN | W 40–0 | 5,500 |
| November 14 | Duquesne | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 28–6 | 10,000 |
| November 14 | Union (TN) | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 27–0 | |
| November 14 | Florida | Miami (FL) | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL (rivalry) | L 0–12 | 15,558 |
| November 14 | Georgia Pre-Flight | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | L 0–7 | 18,000 |
| November 14 | West Virginia | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | L 0–7 | |
| November 14 | No. 5 Alabama | No. 2 Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | GT 7–0 | 34,000 |
| November 14 | No. 11 Tennessee | Ole Miss | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | TEN 14–0 | 10,000 |
| November 14 | LSU | Auburn | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (rivalry) | AUB 25–7 | 8,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Nine

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 21 | Auburn | No. 1 Georgia | Memorial Stadium • Columbus, GA (rivalry) | AUB 27–13 | 22,000 |
| November 21 | Florida | No. 2 Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | GT 20–7 | 15,000 |
| November 21 | Kentucky | No. 11 Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN (rivalry) | TEN 26–0 | 20,000 |
| November 21 | Ole Miss | No. 16 Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS (rivalry) | MSS 34–13 | 16,000 |
| November 21 | Vanderbilt | No. 9 Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | ALA 27–7 | 17,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Ten

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 26 | Tulane | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | LSU 18–6 | 30,071 |
| November 28 | Clemson | No. 16 Auburn | Auburn Stadium • Auburn, AL (rivalry) | W 41–13 | 10,000 |
| November 28 | Georgia Pre-Flight | No. 7 Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | L 19–35 | 7,000 |
| November 28 | No. 2 Georgia Tech | No. 5 Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA (rivalry) | UGA 34–0 | 45,000 |
| November 28 | No. 10 Tennessee | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (rivalry) | TEN 19–7 | 19,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Eleven

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| November 28 | San Francisco | No. 18 Mississippi State | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 19–7 | 250 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Postseason

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| January 1, 1943 | No. 13 UCLA | No. 2 Georgia | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | W 9–0 | 90,000 |
| January 1, 1943 | No. 7 Tennessee | No. 4 Tulsa | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl) | W 14–7 | 70,000 |
| January 1, 1943 | No. 10 Alabama | No. 8 Boston College | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL (Orange Bowl) | W 37–21 | 25,166 |
| January 1, 1943 | No. 18 Texas | No. 5 Georgia Tech | Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | L 7–14 | 36,620 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

## All-conference players

The following players were recognized as consensus first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) on the 1942 All-SEC football team:
* George Poschner, End, Georgia (AP-1, UP-1)
* Don Whitmire, Tackle, Alabama (AP-1, UP-1)
* Clyde Johnson, Tackle, Kentucky (AP-1, UP-1)
* Harvey Hardy, Guard, Georgia Tech (AP-1, UP-1)
* Joe Domnanovich, Center, Alabama (AP-1, UP-1)
* Clint Castleberry, Quarterback, Georgia Tech (AP-1, UP-1)
* Monk Gafford, Halfback, Auburn (AP-1, UP-1)
* Frank Sinkwich, Fullback, Georgia (AP-1, UP-1)

## All-Americans

Three SEC players were consensus first-team picks on the 1942 College Football All-America Team:
* Frank Sinkwich, Halfback, Georgia (AAB, AP, CO, INS, LK, NEA, NW, SN, UP)
* Joe Domnanovich, Center, Alabama (AAB, AP, CO, LK, NW, SN)
* Harvey Hardy, Guard, Georgia Tech (AP-2; INS-1; NEA-1; NW; UP-1; CP-1; NYS-1)
Other SEC players receiving All-American honors from at least one selector were:
* George Poschner, End, Georgia (AP-2; UP-2; SN-2; CP-3; NEA-2; MS-1)
* Al Hust, End, Tennessee (AP-3; INS-2; NEA-2)
* Don Whitmire, Tackle, Alabama (AP-3; SN-3; NEA-1)
* George Hecht, Guard, Alabama ( MS-1 [4-way tie])
* Clint Castleberry, Quarterback, Georgia Tech (AP-3; UP-2; SN-3; INS-2; NEA-2)
* Monk Gafford, Halfback, Auburn (AP-2; INS-1; CP-3; NYS-2; PL)
* J. T. "Blondy" Black, Halfback, Mississippi State (CP-3; NEA-3)

## Head coaches

Records through the completion of the 1942 season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | SEC record |
| Alabama | Frank Thomas | 12 | 119–27–6 (.803) | 93–18–5 (.823) | 46–12–4 (.774) |
| Auburn | Jack Meagher | 9 | 74–63–5 (.539) | 48–37–10 (.558) | 26–25–7 (.509) |
| Florida | Tom Lieb | 3 | 59–51–4 (.535) | 12–19–0 (.387) | 4–9–0 (.308) |
| Georgia | Wally Butts | 4 | 30–12–2 (.705) | 30–12–2 (.705) | 11–5–2 (.667) |
| Georgia Tech | William Alexander | 23 | 118–89–15 (.565) | 118–89–15 (.565) | 26–31–5 (.460) |
| Kentucky | Albert D. Kirwan | 5 | 21–22–4 (.489) | 21–22–4 (.489) | 3–17–3 (.196) |
| LSU | Bernie Moore | 8 | 66–37–6 (.633) | 54–25–3 (.677) | 27–17–2 (.609) |
| Mississippi State | Allyn McKeen | 4 | 47–11–2 (.800) | 34–5–2 (.854) | 16–4–2 (.773) |
| Ole Miss | Harry Mehre | 5 | 92–49–7 (.645) | 33–15–1 (.684) | 22–23–3 (.490) |
| Tennessee | John Barnhill | 2 | 17–3–1 (.833) | 17–3–1 (.833) | 7–2–0 (.778) |
| Tulane | Claude Simons Jr. | 1 | 15–17–1 (.470) | 4–5–0 (.444) | 1–4–0 (.200) |
| Vanderbilt | Red Sanders | 3 | 17–12–1 (.583) | 17–12–1 (.583) | 6–11–1 (.361) |

## 1943 NFL draft

The following SEC players were selected in the 1943 NFL draft:
| Round | Overall Pick | Player name | School | Position | NFL team |
| 1 | 1 | Frank Sinkwich | Georgia | Halfback | Detroit Lions |
| 1 | 10 | Jack Jenkins | Vanderbilt | Halfback | Washington Redskins |
| 2 | 12 | Lamar Davis | Georgia | Back | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2 | 13 | J. T. "Blondy" Black | Mississippi State | Back | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 3 | 17 | Monk Gafford | Auburn | Back | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 4 | 28 | Joe Domnanovich | Alabama | Center | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 4 | 29 | Al Hust | Tennessee | End | Chicago Cardinals |
| 5 | 33 | George Hecht | Alabama | Guard | Chicago Cardinals |
| 5 | 34 | Marty Comer | Tulane | End | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 5 | 35 | Clyde Johnson | Kentucky | Tackle | Cleveland Rams |
| 6 | 46 | Jim Reynolds | Auburn | Back | New York Giants |
| 8 | 61 | George Poschner | Georgia | End | Detroit Lions |
| 8 | 64 | Bill Godwin | Georgia | Center | Chicago Cardinals |
| 8 | 70 | Tony Leon | Alabama | Guard | Washington Redskins |
| 10 | 84 | Fondren Mitchell | Florida | Back | Chicago Cardinals |
| 10 | 90 | Walt McDonald | Tulane | Back | Washington Redskins |
| 12 | 103 | Lou Thomas | Tulane | Back | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 12 | 108 | Van Davis | Georgia | End | Green Bay Packers |
| 12 | 110 | Dan Wood | Ole Miss | Center | Washington Redskins |
| 13 | 119 | Clark Wood | Kentucky | Tackle | Chicago Bears |
| 14 | 122 | George Weeks | Alabama | End | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 14 | 125 | Sam Sharp | Alabama | End | Cleveland Rams |
| 14 | 130 | Oscar Britt | Ole Miss | Guard | Washington Redskins |
| 15 | 132 | Russ Craft | Alabama | Back | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 17 | 152 | Walt Gorinski | LSU | Back | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 17 | 155 | Walt Ruark | Georgia | Guard | Cleveland Rams |
| 22 | 201 | Percy Holland | LSU | Guard | Detroit Lions |
| 23 | 213 | Cliff Kimsey | Georgia | Back | Chicago Cardinals |
| 24 | 230 | Charlie Yancey | Mississippi State | Back | Washington Redskins |
| 25 | 234 | Gene Lee | Florida | Center | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 25 | 236 | Dave Brown | Alabama | Back | New York Giants |
| 25 | 240 | Roman Bentz | Tulane | Tackle | Washington Redskins |
| 29 | 273 | Bill Edwards | LSU | Guard | Chicago Cardinals |
| 29 | 274 | Al Sabo | Alabama | Back | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 29 | 275 | Floyd Konetsky | Florida | Guard | Cleveland Rams |
| 30 | 285 | Willie Miller | LSU | Guard | Cleveland Rams |
| 31 | 295 | Bill "Mother" Corry | Florida | Back | Washington Redskins |