# 1940 Southeastern Conference football season

The 1940 Southeastern Conference football season was the eighth season of college football played by the member schools of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and was a part of the 1940 college football season. Tennessee compiled an 10–1 overall record, with a conference record of 5–0, and was SEC champion.

## Results and team statistics

| Conf. rank | Team | Head coach | Overall record | Conf. record | AP final | PPG | PAG |
| 1 | Tennessee | Robert Neyland | 10–1–0 (.909) | 5–0–0 (1.000) | No. 4 | 30.2 | 4.1 |
| 2 | Mississippi State | Allyn McKeen | 10–0–1 (.955) | 4–0–1 (.900) | No. 9 | 22.5 | 5.3 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | Harry Mehre | 9–2–0 (.818) | 3–1–0 (.750) | | 22.8 | 9.1 |
| 4 | Alabama | Frank Thomas | 7–2–0 (.778) | 4–2–0 (.667) | | 18.4 | 8.9 |
| 5 | Auburn | Jack Meagher | 6–4–1 (.591) | 3–2–1 (.583) | | 15.5 | 13.9 |
| 6 | LSU | Bernie Moore | 6–4–0 (.600) | 3–3–0 (.500) | | 13.9 | 11.2 |
| 7 | Georgia | Wally Butts | 5–4–1 (.550) | 2–3–1 (.417) | | 20.9 | 13.4 |
| 8 | Florida | Tom Lieb | 5–5–0 (.500) | 2–3–0 (.400) | | 13.6 | 14.1 |
| 9 | Kentucky | Albert D. Kirwan | 5–3–2 (.600) | 1–2–2 (.400) | | 19.0 | 10.7 |
| 10 | Tulane | Red Dawson | 5–5–0 (.500) | 1–3–0 (.250) | | 14.4 | 12.6 |
| 11 | Vanderbilt | Red Sanders | 3–6–1 (.350) | 1–5–1 (.214) | | 10.1 | 9.8 |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | William Alexander | 3–7–0 (.300) | 1–5–0 (.167) | | 13.9 | 16.0 |
| 13 | Sewanee | Harry E. Clark | 3–5–0 (.375) | 0–1–0 (.000) | | 16.5 | 15.6 |
Key AP final = Rankings from AP sports writers. See 1940 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 |
| September 21 | Union (TN) | Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | W 37–0 |
| September 21 | Louisiana Tech | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 39–7 |
| September 21 | Baldwin–Wallace | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | W 59–7 |

### Week One

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 27 | Alabama | Spring Hill | Murphy High School Stadium • Mobile, AL | W 26–0 | 7,500 |
| September 27 | Howard (AL) | Auburn | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | W 27–13 | 10,000 |
| September 27 | Georgia | Oglethorpe | Ponce de Leon Park • Atlanta, GA | W 53–0 | 25,000 |
| September 27 | Kentucky | Xavier | Xavier Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | W 13–0 | 12,000 |
| September 28 | Mercer | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 49–0 | 20,000 |
| September 28 | Washington & Lee | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 19–0 | 9,000 |
| September 28 | Boston College | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | L 7–27 | 42,000 |
| September 28 | Mississippi State | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | MSS 25–7 | 12,000 |
| September 28 | Ole Miss | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | OM 19–6 | |

### Week Two

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 5 | Duke | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 13–0 | 25,000 |
| October 5 | Southwestern Louisiana | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 20–0 | 7,000 |
| October 5 | Ole Miss | Southwestern (TN) | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 27–6 | 10,000 |
| October 5 | Mercer | Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 20–0 | 6,000 |
| October 5 | Holy Cross | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 25–0 | |
| October 5 | Georgia | South Carolina | Columbia Municipal Stadium • Columbia, SC (rivalry) | W 33–2 | 15,000 |
| October 5 | Florida | Tampa | Phillips Field • Tampa, FL | W 23–0 | |
| October 5 | Washington and Lee | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | W 47–12 | 10,000 |
| October 5 | Howard (AL) | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | W 27–0 | 15,000 |
| October 5 | Cumberland (TN) | Sewanee | Hardee Field • Sewanee, TN | W 49–0 | 1,000 |
| October 5 | Vanderbilt | Princeton | Palmer Stadium • Princeton, NJ | L 6–7 | 16,000 |
| October 5 | Auburn | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (rivalry) | AUB 20–14 | 32,000 |

### Week Three

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 11 | Florida | Villanova | Shibe Park • Philadelphia, PA | L 0–28 | 22,000 |
| October 12 | Chattanooga | Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 53–0 | 12,000 |
| October 12 | Howard (AL) | Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 31–0 | 4,500 |
| October 12 | Tennessee Tech | Sewanee | Hardee Field • Sewanee, TN | W 25–6 | 1,500 |
| October 12 | LSU | Rice | Rice Field • Houston, TX | L 0–23 | 23,000 |
| October 12 | Tulane | Fordham | Polo Grounds • New York, NY | L 7–20 | 35,400 |
| October 12 | Georgia Tech | Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | L 20–26 | 32,492 |
| October 12 | Mississippi State | Auburn | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | T 7–7 | 18,000 |
| October 12 | Ole Miss | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | OM 28–14 | 25,000 |
| October 12 | Kentucky | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | T 7–7 | 15,000 |

### Week Four

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 19 | Howard (AL) | Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 41–7 | 6,000 |
| October 19 | Duquesne | No. 13 Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | W 14–6 | 15,000 |
| October 19 | Mercer | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | W 20–0 | 10,000 |
| October 19 | Maryland | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | W 19–0 | 10,000 |
| October 19 | George Washington | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | W 24–0 | 7,000 |
| October 19 | Rice | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 15–6 | 34,000 |
| October 19 | Auburn | SMU | Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX | L 13–20 | 10,000 |
| October 19 | Georgia | Columbia | Baker Field • New York, NY | L 13–14 | 25,000 |
| October 19 | Sewanee | Davidson | Richardson Stadium • Davidson, NC | L 20–27 | 6,000 |
| October 19 | No. 5 Tennessee | Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (rivalry) | TEN 27–12 | 24,500 |
| October 19 | Vanderbilt | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | GT 19–0 | 20,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Five

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 25 | Sewanee | Chattanooga | Chamberlain Field • Chattanooga, TN | L 6–20 | 4,424 |
| October 25 | Kentucky | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | T 7–7 | |
| October 26 | Mississippi State | NC State | Riddick Stadium • Raleigh, NC | W 26–10 | 10,000 |
| October 26 | Tulane | North Carolina | Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC | W 14–13 | 20,000 |
| October 26 | Arkansas | No. 14 Ole Miss | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN (rivalry) | L 20–21 | 15,000 |
| October 26 | Florida | No. 5 Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN (rivalry) | TEN 14–0 | 15,000 |
| October 26 | Auburn | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | AUB 16–7 | 25,000 |
| October 26 | Vanderbilt | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | LSU 7–0 | 20,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Six

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 2 | No. 20 Mississippi State | Southwestern (TN) | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 13–0 | 9,000 |
| November 2 | No. 10 Clemson | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 13–0 | 31,000 |
| November 2 | Georgia Tech | No. 18 Duke | Duke Stadium • Durham, NC | L 7–41 | 34,000 |
| November 2 | Sewanee | Dartmouth | Memorial Field • Hanover, NH | L 0–26 | |
| November 2 | LSU | No. 7 Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | TEN 28–0 | 18,000 |
| November 2 | Ole Miss | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (rivalry) | OM 13–7 | 13,000 |
| November 2 | Alabama | Kentucky | McLean Stadium • Lexington, KY | ALA 25–0 | 13,000 |
| November 2 | Auburn | Georgia | Memorial Stadium • Columbus, GA (rivalry) | UGA 14–13 | 20,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Seven

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 9 | No. 5 Tennessee | Southwestern (TN) | Crump Stadium • Memphis, TN | W 40–0 | 8,000 |
| November 9 | Ole Miss | Holy Cross | Fitton Field • Worcester, MA | W 34–7 | 4,000 |
| November 9 | Clemson | Auburn | Auburn Stadium • Auburn, AL (rivalry) | W 21–7 | 12,000 |
| November 9 | No. 19 Mississippi State | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | MSS 22–7 | 20,000 |
| November 9 | Tulane | Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | ALA 13–6 | 20,000 |
| November 9 | Georgia | Florida | Fairfield Stadium • Jacksonville, FL (rivalry) | FLA 18–13 | 19,000 |
| November 9 | Georgia Tech | Kentucky | DuPont Stadium • Louisville, KY | KEN 26–7 | 14,000 |
| November 9 | Sewanee | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (rivalry) | VAN 20–0 | 6,500 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Eight

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 16 | Virginia | No. 5 Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN | W 41–14 | 7,000 |
| November 16 | Millsaps | No. 15 Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS | W 46–13 | 10,500 |
| November 16 | West Tennessee State | No. 17 Ole Miss | Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS (rivalry) | W 38–7 | |
| November 16 | Florida | Miami (FL) | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL (rivalry) | W 46–6 | 17,365 |
| November 16 | Tennessee Tech | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 21–0 | |
| November 16 | Washington and Lee | Sewanee | Chamberlain Field • Chattanooga, TN | W 25–13 | 1,500 |
| November 16 | Kentucky | West Virginia | Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV | L 7–9 | 7,500 |
| November 16 | No. 14 Alabama | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA (rivalry) | ALA 14–13 | 25,000 |
| November 16 | LSU | Auburn | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (rivalry) | LSU 21–13 | 11,000 |
| November 16 | Georgia | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | TUL 21–13 | 30,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Nine

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 23 | Louisiana Normal | Tulane | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | W 47–0 | 20,000 |
| November 23 | Auburn | No. 4 Boston College | Fenway Park • Boston, MA | L 7–33 | 30,000 |
| November 23 | Sewanee | The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC | L 7–13 | 2,500 |
| November 23 | Kentucky | No. 6 Tennessee | Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, TN (rivalry) | TEN 33–0 | 25,000 |
| November 23 | No. 11 Ole Miss | No. 16 Mississippi State | Scott Field • Starkville, MS (rivalry) | MSS 19–0 | 25,000 |
| November 23 | Vanderbilt | No. 17 Alabama | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | ALA 25–21 | 14,000 |
| November 23 | Florida | Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | FLA 16–7 | 12,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Ten

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| November 29 | Ole Miss | Miami (FL) | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL | W 21–7 | 7,518 |
| November 30 | No. 6 Tennessee | Vanderbilt | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (rivalry) | TEN 20–0 | 25,000 |
| November 30 | No. 11 Mississippi State | No. 17 Alabama | Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | MSS 13–0 | 18,500 |
| November 30 | Florida | Auburn | Memorial Stadium • Columbus, GA (rivalry) | AUB 20–7 | 7,500 |
| November 30 | Tulane | LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | LSU 14–0 | 30,799 |
| November 30 | Georgia Tech | Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA (rivalry) | UGA 21–19 | 30,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Week Eleven

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| December 6 | Georgia | Miami (FL) | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL | W 28–7 | 11,860–15,000 |
| December 7 | Villanova | Auburn | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | W 13–10 | 6,500 |
| December 7 | Texas | Florida | Florida Field • Gainesville, FL | L 0–26 | 12,000 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||

### Postseason

| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| January 1, 1941 | No. 13 Georgetown | No. 9 Mississippi State | Burdine Stadium • Miami, FL | W 14–7 | 38,307 |
| January 1, 1941 | No. 5 Boston College | No. 4 Tennessee | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA | L 13–19 | 73,181 |
| $^#$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 1940 All-SEC football team:
* Buddy Elrod, End, Mississippi State (AP-1, INS, UP)
* Holt Rast, End, Alabama (AP-1, INS, UP)
* Abe Shires, Tackle, Tennessee (AP-1, INS, UP)
* Bob Suffridge, Guard, Tennessee (AP-1, INS, UP)
* Bob Gude, Center, Vanderbilt (AP-1, INS, UP)
* Bob Foxx. Backfield, Tennessee (AP-1, INS, UP)

## All-Americans

One SEC player was a consensus first-team pick on the 1940 College Football All-America Team:
* Bob Suffridge, Guard, Tennessee (AAB, AP, CO, INS, LIB, NEA, NW, SN, UP)
Other SEC players receiving All-American honors from at least one selector were:
* Buddy Elrod, End, Mississippi State (AP-1; LIB; CP-1; NYS-1; NEA-3)
* Bob Ison, End, Georgia Tech (UP-3)
* Holt Rast, End, Alabama (NEA-2; CP-4)
* Abe Shires, Tackle, Tennessee (CP-3; NEA-3)
* Hunter Cohern, Guard, Mississippi State (AP-2)
* Ed Molinski, Guard, Tennessee (SN; UP-3; CP-3; NEA-2)
* George Kinard, Guard, Ole Miss (CP-4)
* John W. Goree, Guard, LSU (CP-4)
* Bob Foxx, Halfback, Tennessee (AP-3; INS-2; CP-4)
* Merle Hapes, Halfback, Ole Miss (UP-3; NEA-3)
* Jimmy Nelson, Halfback, Alabama (CP-2)

## Head coaches

Records through the completion of the 1940 season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | SEC record |
| Alabama | Frank Thomas | 10 | 102–22–6 (.808) | 76–13–5 (.835) | 37–8–4 (.796) |
| Auburn | Jack Meagher | 7 | 64–54–3 (.541) | 38–28–8 (.568) | 23–18–6 (.553) |
| Florida | Tom Lieb | 1 | 52–38–4 (.574) | 5–5–0 (.500) | 2–3–0 (.400) |
| Georgia | Wally Butts | 2 | 10–10–1 (.500) | 10–10–1 (.500) | 2–3–1 (.417) |
| Georgia Tech | William Alexander | 21 | 106–81–15 (.562) | 106–81–15 (.562) | 20–26–5 (.441) |
| Kentucky | Albert D. Kirwan | 3 | 13–12–3 (.518) | 13–12–3 (.518) | 3–8–3 (.321) |
| LSU | Bernie Moore | 6 | 55–30–4 (.640) | 43–18–1 (.702) | 22–13–0 (.629) |
| Mississippi State | Allyn McKeen | 2 | 31–8–1 (.788) | 18–2–1 (.881) | 7–2–1 (.750) |
| Ole Miss | Harry Mehre | 3 | 84–40–6 (.669) | 25–6–0 (.806) | 20–17–2 (.538) |
| Sewanee | Jenks Gillem | 1 | 69–60–10 (.532) | 3–5–0 (.375) | 0–1–0 (.000) |
| Tennessee | Robert Neyland | 14 | 119–16–8 (.860) | 119–16–8 (.860) | 35–7–2 (.818) |
| Tulane | Red Dawson | 5 | 31–15–4 (.660) | 31–15–4 (.660) | 14–10–3 (.574) |
| Vanderbilt | Red Sanders | 1 | 3–6–1 (.350) | 3–6–1 (.350) | 1–5–1 (.214) |

## 1941 NFL draft

The following SEC players were selected in the 1941 NFL draft:
| Round | Overall Pick | Player name | School | Position | NFL team |
| 2 | 14 | Abe Shires | Tennessee | Tackle | Cleveland Rams |
| 3 | 17 | Bob Foxx | Tennessee | Back | Chicago Cardinals |
| 3 | 25 | Fred Davis | Alabama | Tackle | Washington Redskins |
| 6 | 42 | Bob Suffridge | Tennessee | Offensive guard | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 6 | 45 | John Tripson | Mississippi State | Tackle | Detroit Lions |
| 6 | 48 | Tommy O'Boyle | Tulane | Offensive guard | Chicago Bears |
| 6 | 50 | Ed Cifers | Tennessee | End | Washington Redskins |
| 7 | 51 | Julius Battista | Florida | Guard | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 7 | 58 | Hal Newman | Alabama | End | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 9 | 73 | Buddy Elrod | Mississippi State | End | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 10 | 90 | Ed Hickerson | Alabama | Guard | Washington Redskins |
| 11 | 99 | Jim Hardin | Kentucky | End | Chicago Bears |
| 12 | 105 | Billy Jefferson | Mississippi State | Back | Detroit Lions |
| 12 | 109 | Harvey Johnson | Mississippi State | Back | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 13 | 118 | George Kinard | Ole Miss | Guard | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 14 | 121 | Les Dodson | Ole Miss | Back | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 14 | 122 | J. W. Goree | LSU | Guard | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 14 | 127 | Arnie Moore | Mississippi State | End | New York Giants |
| 14 | 129 | Lloyd Cheatham | Auburn | Back | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 15 | 133 | John Eibner | Kentucky | Tackle | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 17 | 158 | Dick McGowen | Auburn | Back | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 18 | 165 | Charlie Ishmael | Kentucky | Back | Detroit Lions |
| 20 | 184 | Leo Barnes | LSU | Tackle | Cleveland Rams |
| 20 | 190 | Ed Hiestand | Vanderbilt | End | Washington Redskins |
| 21 | 192 | Joe Bailey | Kentucky | Center | Green Bay Packers |
| 21 | 194 | Hunter Corbern | Mississippi State | Guard | Chicago Bears |