# 1941 Southeastern Conference football season

The 1941 Southeastern Conference football season was the ninth season of college football played by the member schools of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and was a part of the 1941 college football season. Mississippi State compiled an 8–1–1 overall record, with a conference record of 4–0–1, and was SEC champion. This also marked the first season without Sewanee after they withdrew from the SEC and demphasized collegiate athletics.

## Results and team statistics

| Conf. rank | Team | Head coach | Overall record | Conf. record | AP final | PPG | PAG |
| 1 | Mississippi State | Allyn McKeen | 8–1–1 (.850) | 4–0–1 (.900) | No. 16 | 19.1 | 5.5 |
| 2 | Tennessee | John Barnhill | 8–2–0 (.800) | 3–1–0 (.750) | No. 19 | 18.2 | 7.3 |
| 3 | Alabama | Frank Thomas | 9–2–0 (.818) | 5–2–0 (.714) | No. 20 | 23.9 | 7.7 |
| 4 | Georgia | Wally Butts | 9–1–1 (.864) | 3–1–1 (.700) | No. 14 | 29.0 | 7.7 |
| 5 | Ole Miss | Harry Mehre | 6–2–1 (.722) | 2–1–1 (.625) | No. 17 | 14.6 | 7.4 |
| 6 | Vanderbilt | Red Sanders | 8–2–0 (.800) | 3–2–0 (.600) | | 26.0 | 8.9 |
| 7 | LSU | Bernie Moore | 4–4–2 (.500) | 2–2–2 (.500) | | 11.9 | 9.3 |
| 8 | Tulane | Red Dawson | 5–4–0 (.556) | 2–3–0 (.400) | | 24.4 | 10.6 |
| 9 | Georgia Tech | William Alexander | 3–6–0 (.333) | 2–4–0 (.333) | | 9.1 | 14.4 |
| 10 | Florida | Tom Lieb | 4–6–0 (.400) | 1–3–0 (.250) | | 14.9 | 9.7 |
| 11 | Auburn | Jack Meagher | 4–5–1 (.450) | 0–4–1 (.100) | | 12.3 | 11.5 |
| 12 | Kentucky | Albert D. Kirwan | 5–4–0 (.556) | 0–4–0 (.000) | | 16.8 | 17.1 |
Key AP final = Rankings from AP sports writers. See 1941 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 20 | Furman | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 32–6 | 12,000 |
| September 20 | Louisiana Tech | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 25–0 | 10,000 |
| September 20 | Randolph–Macon | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | W 26–0 | |

### Week One

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 26 | Howard (AL) | Auburn | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | W 13–0 | 9,000 |
| September 26 | Ole Miss | Georgetown | Griffith Stadium • Washington, DC | L 6–16 | 6,000 |
| September 27 | Southwestern Louisiana | Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 47–6 | 6,000 |
| September 27 | Georgia | Mercer | Porter Field • Macon, GA | W 81–0 | 12,000 |
| September 27 | Vanderbilt | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | W 3–0 | 17,000 |
| September 27 | Boston College | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 21–7 | 45,000 |
| September 27 | VPI | Kentucky | Manual Stadium • Louisville, KY | W 37–14 | 8,000 |
| September 27 | Holy Cross | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | L 13–19 | 25,000 |
| September 27 | Florida | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | MSS 6–0 | 13,000 |

### Week Two

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 4 | South Carolina | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA (rivalry) | W 34–6 | 17,000 |
| October 4 | Southwestern (TN) | Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | W 27–0 | 4,500 |
| October 4 | Tennessee Tech | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 42–0 | 8,000 |
| October 4 | Chattanooga | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | W 20–0 | 10,000 |
| October 4 | Tampa | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | W 46–6 | |
| October 4 | Kentucky | Washington & Lee | Wilson Field • Lexington, VA | W 7–0 | 3,000 |
| October 4 | Tennessee | Duke | Duke Stadium • Durham, NC | L 0–19 | 45,000 |
| October 4 | LSU | Texas | Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | L 0–34 | 18,000 |
| October 4 | Mississippi State | Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | MSS 14–0 | 20,000 |
| October 4 | Auburn | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (rivalry) | TUL 32–0 | 35,000 |

### Week Three

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 10 | Ole Miss | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | T 14–14 | 25,000 |
| October 11 | Dayton | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 26–0 | 30,000 |
| October 11 | Howard (AL) | Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | W 61–0 | 6,000 |
| October 11 | Louisiana Tech | Auburn | Auburn Stadium • Auburn, AL | W 34–0 | 8,500 |
| October 11 | Tulane | Rice | Rice Field • Houston, TX | L 9–10 | 25,000 |
| October 11 | Notre Dame | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | L 0–20 | 31,000 |
| October 11 | Villanova | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | L 0–6 | > 20,000 |
| October 11 | Mississippi State | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | T 0–0 | 30,000 |
| October 11 | Vanderbilt | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY (rivalry) | VAN 39–15 | 11,000 |

### Week Four

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 18 | Georgia | No. 20 Columbia | Baker Field • New York, NY | W 7–3 | 27,000 |
| October 18 | Ole Miss | Holy Cross | Fitton Field • Worcester, MA | W 21–0 | 22,000 |
| October 18 | Rice | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 27–0 | 25,000 |
| October 18 | North Carolina | No. 17 Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 52–6 | 33,000 |
| October 18 | Kentucky | Xavier | Xavier Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | W 21–6 | 11,000 |
| October 18 | Florida | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | L 12–13 | 7,500 |
| October 18 | SMU | Auburn | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | L 7–20 | 12,000 |
| October 18 | No. 4 Alabama | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN (rivalry) | ALA 9–2 | 37,000 |
| October 18 | Georgia Tech | No. 18 Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (rivalry) | VAN 14–7 | 15,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Five

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 25 | Union (TN) | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 56–7 | 14,000 |
| October 25 | Cincinnati | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 21–6 | 7,000 |
| October 25 | Princeton | No. 15 Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 46–7 | 14,000 |
| October 25 | West Virginia | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | W 18–6 | 7,000 |
| October 25 | Georgia | Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (rivalry) | ALA 27–14 | 23,000 |
| October 25 | Ole Miss | No. 10 Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (rivalry) | OM 20–13 | 45,000 |
| October 25 | Florida | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | LSU 10–7 | 20,000 |
| October 25 | Auburn | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | GT 28–14 | 20,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Six

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 1 | No. 17 Mississippi State | Southwestern (TN) | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 20–6 | |
| November 1 | No. 17 Ole Miss | Marquette | Marquette Stadium • Milwaukee, WI | W 12–6 | 7,500 |
| November 1 | No. 4 Duke | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | L 0–14 | 28,000 |
| November 1 | Tennessee | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | TEN 13–6 | 30,000 |
| November 1 | Kentucky | No. 15 Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | ALA 30–0 | 11,000 |
| November 1 | Auburn | Georgia | Memorial Stadium • Columbus, GA (rivalry) | UGA 7–0 | 17,000 |
| November 1 | Tulane | No. 10 Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | TUL 34–14 | 22,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Seven

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 8 | Howard (AL) | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 28–6 | 4,000 |
| November 8 | Sewanee | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (rivalry) | W 20–0 | 5,000 |
| November 8 | No. 15 Mississippi State | Auburn | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | MSS 14–7 | 11,000 |
| November 8 | No. 13 Alabama | No. 14 Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | ALA 19–14 | 50,000 |
| November 8 | Florida | Georgia | Municipal Stadium • Jacksonville, FL (rivalry) | UGA 19–3 | 21,000 |
| November 8 | No. 16 Ole Miss | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | OM 13–12 | 28,000 |
| November 8 | Kentucky | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | GT 20–13 | 15,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Eight

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 15 | Tennessee | No. 18 Boston College | Alumni Field • Chestnut Hill, MA | W 14–7 | 32,000 |
| November 15 | Centre | Georgia | Ponce de Leon Park • Atlanta, GA | W 47–6 | 5,000 |
| November 15 | Tulane | NYU | Yankee Stadium • Bronx, NY | W 45–0 | 10,000 |
| November 15 | Florida | Miami (FL) | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL (rivalry) | W 14–0 | 31,731 |
| November 15 | Southwestern (TN) | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | W 33–19 | 8,000 |
| November 15 | No. 13 Mississippi State | No. 10 Duquesne | Forbes Field • Pittsburgh, PA | L 0–16 | 31,483 |
| November 15 | Georgia Tech | No. 9 Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (rivalry) | ALA 20–0 | 25,000 |
| November 15 | Auburn | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | T 7–7 | |
| November 16 | Vanderbilt | Louisville | duPont Manual Stadium • Louisville, KY | W 68–0 | 4,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Nine

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 22 | Millsaps | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 49–6 | |
| November 22 | Dartmouth | No. 20 Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | W 35–0 | > 18,000 |
| November 22 | Arkansas | No. 15 Ole Miss | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN (rivalry) | W 18–0 | 10,000 |
| November 22 | Auburn | Villanova | Shibe Park • Philadelphia, PA | W 13–0 | 12,000 |
| November 22 | Tennessee | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY (rivalry) | TEN 20–7 | 14,000 |
| November 22 | No. 7 Alabama | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | VAN 7–0 | 12,000 |
| November 22 | Georgia Tech | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | FLA 14–7 | 15,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Ten

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 28 | No. 18 Alabama | Miami (FL) | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL | W 21–7 | 26,000 |
| November 28 | No. 16 Clemson | Auburn | Auburn Stadium • Auburn, AL (rivalry) | W 28–7 | 12,000 |
| November 29 | No. 14 Mississippi State | Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS (rivalry) | MSS 6–0 | 28,000 |
| November 29 | No. 12 Vanderbilt | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN (rivalry) | TEN 26–7 | 30,000 |
| November 29 | No. 20 Georgia | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | UGA 21–0 | 31,000 |
| November 29 | LSU | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (rivalry) | LSU 19–0 | 50,764 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Eleven

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| December 6 | No. 16 Mississippi State | San Francisco | Kezar Stadium • San Francisco, CA | W 26–13 | 25,000 |
| December 20 | UCLA | Florida | Fairfield Stadium • Jacksonville, FL | L 27–30 | 8,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Postseason

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| January 1, 1942 | No. 20 Alabama | No. 9 Texas A&M | Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | W 29–21 | 38,000 |
| January 1, 1942 | TCU | No. 14 Georgia | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL (Orange Bowl) | W 40–26 | 38,000 |
| $^#$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 1941 All-SEC football team:
* Holt Rast, End, Alabama (AP-1, UP-1)
* Ernie Blandin, Tackle, Tulane (AP-1, UP-1)
* Homer "Larry" Hazel Jr., Guard, Ole Miss (AP-1, UP-1)
* John Wyhonic, Guard, Alabama (AP-1, UP-1)
* Bob Gude, Center, Vanderbilt (AP-1, UP-1)
* Jimmy Nelson, Halfback, Alabama (AP-1, UP-1)
* Frank Sinkwich, Halfback, Georgia (AP-1, UP-1)
* Jack Jenkins, Fullback, Vanderbilt (AP-1, UP-1)

## All-Americans

Three SEC players were consensus first-team picks on the 1941 College Football All-America Team:
* Holt Rast, End, Alebama (AAB, INS, LIB, SN, NW, UP)
* Ernie Blandin, Tackle, Tulane (CO, LIB, NEA, NW, UP)
* Frank Sinkwich, Halfback, Georgia (AAB, AP, LIB, SN, UP)
Other SEC players receiving All-American honors from at least one selector were:
* John Wyhonic, Tackle, Alabama (LIFE-3)
* Bob Gude, Center, Vanderbilt (CP-3)
* Jimmy Nelson, Halfback, Alabama (AP-3; NEA-3; CP-3)
* Jack Jenkins, Halfback, Vanderbilt (AP-3)
* Merle Hapes, Fullback, Ole Miss (NEA-2)

## Head coaches

Records through the completion of the 1941 season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | SEC record |
| Alabama | Frank Thomas | 11 | 111–24–6 (.809) | 85–15–5 (.833) | 42–10–4 (.786) |
| Auburn | Jack Meagher | 8 | 68–59–4 (.534) | 42–33–9 (.554) | 23–22–7 (.510) |
| Florida | Tom Lieb | 2 | 56–44–4 (.558) | 9–11–0 (.450) | 3–6–0 (.333) |
| Georgia | Wally Butts | 3 | 19–11–2 (.625) | 19–11–2 (.625) | 5–4–2 (.545) |
| Georgia Tech | William Alexander | 22 | 109–87–15 (.552) | 109–87–15 (.552) | 22–30–5 (.430) |
| Kentucky | Albert D. Kirwan | 4 | 18–16–3 (.527) | 18–16–3 (.527) | 3–12–3 (.250) |
| LSU | Bernie Moore | 7 | 59–34–6 (.626) | 47–22–3 (.674) | 24–15–2 (.610) |
| Mississippi State | Allyn McKeen | 3 | 39–9–2 (.800) | 26–3–2 (.871) | 11–2–2 (.800) |
| Ole Miss | Harry Mehre | 4 | 90–42–7 (.673) | 31–8–1 (.788) | 22–18–3 (.547) |
| Tennessee | John Barnhill | 1 | 8–2–0 (.800) | 8–2–0 (.800) | 3–1–0 (.750) |
| Tulane | Red Dawson | 6 | 36–19–4 (.644) | 36–19–4 (.644) | 16–13–3 (.547) |
| Vanderbilt | Red Sanders | 2 | 11–8–1 (.575) | 11–8–1 (.575) | 4–7–1 (.375) |

## 1942 NFL draft

The following SEC players were selected in the 1942 NFL draft:
| Round | Overall Pick | Player name | School | Position | NFL team |
| 1 | 8 | Merle Hapes | Ole Miss | Fullback | New York Giants |
| 2 | 14 | Lloyd Cheatham | Auburn | Back | Chicago Cardinals |
| 3 | 21 | Rufus Deal | Auburn | Back | Washington Redskins |
| 5 | 33 | Ernie Blandin | Tulane | Tackle | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 6 | 46 | Harley McCollum | Tulane | Tackle | Washington Redskins |
| 6 | 48 | Bob Glass | Tulane | Back | New York Giants |
| 7 | 51 | John Butler | Tennessee | Back | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 9 | 73 | Ray Graves | Tennessee | Center | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 9 | 79 | Noah Langdale | Alabama | Tackle | Green Bay Packers |
| 10 | 90 | Noah Mullins | Kentucky | Back | Chicago Bears |
| 12 | 107 | Jim Thibaut | Tulane | Back | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 14 | 122 | Tom Greene | Georgia | Tackle | Cleveland Rams |
| 14 | 123 | John Wyhonic | Alabama | Guard | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 14 | 130 | Bob Gude | Vanderbilt | Center | Chicago Bears |
| 15 | 132 | Ike Peel | Tennessee | Back | Cleveland Rams |
| 17 | 160 | Don Edmiston | Tennessee | Tackle | Chicago Bears |
| 18 | 168 | Junie Hovious | Ole Miss | Back | New York Giants |
| 18 | 170 | Holt Rast | Alabama | End | Chicago Bears |
| 19 | 174 | Jimmy Nelson | Alabama | Back | Chicago Cardinals |
| 22 | 198 | Milt Hull | Florida | Tackle | New York Giants |