1941 Stanford Indians football team The 1941 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) intercollegiate competition during the 1941 season . Second - year head coach Clark Shaughnessy led the team to a 6 – 3 record . Before the season , Stanford , which the year prior had finished 10 – 0 , was considered a favorite for the national championship , but three conference losses put it out of contention for a return to the Rose Bowl . After the season , Shaughnessy left Stanford to take over as head coach at the University of Maryland . Before the season . The Indians lost two stars from the previous season , right halfback Hugh Gallarneau and fullback Norm Standlee , to graduation , but returned quarterback Frankie Albert . Shaughnessy made the " pessimistic " projection that the team would drop at least two games . Before and early in the season , expectations were high for Stanford , and alongside Minnesota , the Indians were considered among the frontrunners for the national championship . Throughout the course of the season , however , injuries hindered the team . Season . Neither Stanford nor Minnesota were considered overly impressive in narrow victories in their season openers . The Indians edged , 19 – 15 . The International News Service reported that Stanford " was not the polished , meticulous outfit it was when it trimmed Nebraska " in the previous season ' s Rose Bowl . Stanford then routed UCLA , 33 – 0 . The following week , Oregon State snapped Stanford ' s 13 - game winning streak . The Associated Press credited Beavers center Quentin Greenough with leading Oregon State ' s defensive effort , which blanked Stanford ' s potent T - formation , 10 – 0 . Greenough was injured in the fourth quarter and had to be carried out by stretcher . Against Washington , Stanford scored two second - quarter touchdowns and turned back multiple Huskies ' drives . The Indians had two additional touchdowns negated by penalties , but won , 13 – 7 . On a mud - logged field , Stanford back Pete Kmetovic scored five minutes into the game against . Later in the first quarter , Buck Fawcett broke free for an 84 - yard touchdown run , and before halftime , Kmetovic returned an interception 40 yards to put the Indians back in position for a third score . Stanford ' s defense held Santa Clara at bay for the remainder of the game , and turned back two Bronco drives on the four - yard line for a final result of 27 – 7 . After defeating USC , 13 – 0 , the Indians fell in their penultimate game against . The result tied Stanford , Washington , and Oregon State for first - place in the Pacific Coast Conference with two losses each , and all still vying for a berth in the Rose Bowl . Stanford ' s loss to underdogs California , 16 – 0 , in the finale put them out of contention for the postseason game invitation . The Indians finished with a 6 – 3 record . After the season . In March 1942 , Shaughnessy turned down a head coaching offer from Yale University , but said he was considering the same job at another Eastern school with little football tradition . A short time later , he resigned to accept the job at Maryland . According to " Sports Illustrated " in 1977 , Shaughnessy ' s decision was based on his belief that Stanford would discontinue its football program during World War II .