# 1939 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season

The 1939 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the season of college football played by the six member schools of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) as part of the 1939 college football season.
The Maryville Bearcats from Maryville, Missouri, led by head coach Ryland Milner, compiled a perfect 9–0 record, shut out seven of nine opponents, and won the MIAA championship.The 1939 season was part of a 21-game winning streak for Maryville that began with an undefeated 1938 season and ended in October 1940.

## Conference overview

| Conf. rank | Team | Head coach | Conf. record | Overall record | Points scored | Points against |
| 1 | Maryville | Ryland Milner | 5–0 | 9–0 | 167 | 20 |
| 2 | Springfield | Red Blair | 3–1–1 | 7–1–1 | 129 | 75 |
| 3 | Rolla | Gale Bullman | 3–2 | 5–4 | 111 | 120 |
| 4 | Warrensburg | Carl Voltmer | 1–2–2 | 3–3–3 | | |
| 5 | Cape Girardeau | Abe Stuber | 1–3–1 | 5–3–1 | | |
| 6 | Kifksville | Malcolm Eiken | 0–5 | 2–6 | 54 | 100 |

## Teams
### Maryville

The 1939 Maryville Bearcats football team was an American football team that represented Maryville State Teachers College (later renamed as Northwest Missouri State University) at Maryville, Missouri. In their third season under head coach Ryland Milner, the Bearcats compiled a perfect 9–0 record (5–0 against MIAA opponents), shut out seven of nine opponents, and won the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) championship.
Guard Marion Rogers was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team player on the 1939 Little All-America college football team. Four Northwest Missouri players received first-team honors on the 1939 all-conference team: Bill Bernau at back; Green at tackle; and M. Rogers and R. Rogers at guard.
Maryville was ranked at No. 155 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| September 22 | Tahlequah* | Maryville, MO | W 7–0 |
| September 30 | at Washington University* | Francis FieldSt. Louis, MO | W 9–7 |
| October 6 | at Sioux Falls* | Sioux Falls, SD | W 48–0 |
| October 13 | Southwest Missouri State* | Maryville, MO | W 21–0 |
| October 20 | at Rolla | Rolla, MO | W 17–0 |
| October 27 | Chadron State* | Maryville, MO | W 27–0 |
| November 3 | at Cape Girardeau | Houck Field StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | W 7–0 |
| November 10 | Kirksville | Maryville, MO | W 19–13 |
| November 17 | at Warrensburg | Warrensburg, MO | W 12–0 |
| *Non-conference game |||||

### Springfield

The 1939 Springfield Bears football team represented the Springfield State College (later renamed Missouri State University) at Springfield, Missouri. In their second season under head coach Red Blair, the Bears compiled a 7–1–1 record (3–1–1 against MIAA opponents) and finished in second place in the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).
Two Springfield players received first-team honors on the 1939 all-conference team: quarterback Dwight Bumpus and end Russell Kaminsky.
Springfield was ranked at No. 201 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 29 | Tahlequah* | STC StadiumSpringfield, MO | W 12–0 | |
| October 6 | Durant* | STC StadiumSpringfield, MO | W 19–14 | |
| October 13 | at Maryville | Maryville, MO | L 0–21 | |
| October 21 | Kirksville | STC StadiumSpringfield, MO | W 27–0 | |
| October 28 | at Rolla | Rolla, MO | W 20–6 | 2,500 |
| November 11 | at Warrensburg | Warrensburg, MO | T 13–13 | 4,000 |
| November 17 | Cape Girardeau | STC fieldSpringfield, MO | W 6–0 | |
| November 23 | Hastings | Springfield, MO | W 25–21 | 3,000 |
| November 30 | Arkansas A&M* | Springfield, MO | W 7–0 | |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

### Rolla

The 1939 Rolla Miners football team represented the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (later renamed as Missouri University of Science and Technology) at Rolla, Missouri. In their third year under head coach Gale Bullman, the Miners compiled a 5–4 record (3–2 against MIAA opponents), finished in third place in the MIAA, and were outscored by a total of 120 to 111.
Rolla was ranked at No. 299 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 29 | at Saint Louis* | Walsh Memorial StadiumSt. Louis, MO | L 0–13 | |
| October 7 | Arkansas State* | Rolla, MO | W 39–6 | |
| October 13 | Warrensburg | Warrensburg, MO | W 13–7 | |
| October 20 | Northwest Missouri State | Rolla, MO | L 0–17 | |
| October 28 | Springfield | Rolla, MO | L 6–20 | 2,500 |
| November 4 | Arkansas A&M* | Rolla, MO | W 28–13 | |
| November 10 | at Cape Girardeau | Houck Field StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | W 12–6 | |
| November 18 | Kirksville | Rolla, MO | W 13–6 | |
| November 25 | at Washington University* | Francis FieldSt. Louis, MO | L 0–32 | 6,000 |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

### Warrensburg

The 1939 Warrensburg Mules football team represented the Warrensburg State College (later renamed University of Central Missouri) at Warrensburg, Missouri. In their fifth year under head coach Carl Voltmer, the Mules compiled a 3–3–3 record (1–2–2 against conference opponents), and finished in fourth place in the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).
Warrensburg was ranked at No. 290 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 29 | Kansas Wesleyan* | Warrensburg, MO | W 14–0 | |
| October 6 | at Central* | Fayette, MO | T 6–6 | |
| October 13 | Rolla | Warrensburg, MO | L 7–13 | |
| October 20 | at Cape Girardeau | Houck Field StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | T 0–0 | |
| October 27 | at Rockhurst* | Kansas City, MO | W 13–12 | |
| November 3 | at Kirksville | Stokes StadiumKirksville, MO | W 20–6 | |
| November 11 | Springfield | Warrensburg, MO | T 13–13 | 4,000 |
| November 17 | Maryville | Warresnburg, MO | L 0–12 | |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

### Cape Girardeau

The 1939 Cape Girardeau Indians football team represented Cape Girardeau State College (later renamed as Southeast Missouri State University) at Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In their eighth season under head coach Abe Stuber, the Indians compiled a 5–3–1 record (1–3–1 against conference opponents) and finished in fifth place in the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).
Cape Girardeau was ranked at No. 298 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| September 29 | Southern Illinois* | Houck Field StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | W 9–2 |
| October 13 | at Kirksville | Stokes StadiumKirksville, MO | W 9–3 |
| October 28 | Carthage | | W 27–6 |
| November 3 | Maryville | Houck Field StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | L 0–7 |
| November 10 | Rolla | Houck Field StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | L 6–12 |
| November 17 | at Springfield | STC fieldSpringfield, MO | L 0–6 |
| November 23 | at Southern Illinois | McAndrew StadiumCarbondale, IL | W 24–0 |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

### Kirksville

The 1939 Kirksville Bulldogs football team represented the Kirksville State Teaches College (also known as Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, later renamed as Truman State University) at Kirksville, Missouri. In their first year under head coach Malcolm Eiken, the Bulldogs compiled a 2–6 record (0–5 against conference opponents) and finished in last place out of six teams in the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Kirksville was ranked at No. 367 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 23 | at Iowa State Teachers | Cedar Falls, IA | L 0–12 | |
| September 30 | Culver–Stockton | Stokes StadiumKirksville, MO | W 3–0 | |
| October 6 | Chillicothe | Stokes StadiumKirksville, MO | W 14–0 | 2,200 |
| October 13 | Cape Girardeau | Stokes StadiumKirksville, MO | L 3–9 | |
| October 21 | at Springfield | STC StadiumSpringfield, MO | L 9–27 | |
| November 3 | Warrensburg | Stokes StadiumKirksville, MO | L 6–20 | |
| November 10 | at Maryville | Maryville, MO | L 13–19 | |
| November 18 | at Rolla | Rolla, MO | L 6–13 | |
| Homecoming ||||||

## All-conference team

At the end of the season, the conference coaches selected an all-conference team consisting of the following first-team players:
* Backs: Bill Bernau, Maryville; Harvey Ladd, Rolla; Dwight Bumpus, Springfield; Keith Gooch, Warrensburg
* Ends: Russell Kaminsky, Springfield; William Kies, Cape Girardeau
* Tackles: John Green, Maryville; Hay, Cape Girardeau
* Guards: Marion Rogers, Maryville; Richard Rogers, Maryville
* Center: Joe Spafford, Rolla