American college football season
The1942 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented Fresno State Normal School—now known asCalifornia State University, Fresno —as an independent during the1942 college football season . Fresno State had been a member of theCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in 1941, but the conference suspended operating duringWorld War II .[ 1] Led by seventh-year head coachJames Bradshaw , the Bulldogs compiled a record of 9–1. They outscored opponents 362 to 45 for season, and shut out opponents seven times. Fresno State played home games atRatcliffe Stadium on the campus ofFresno City College inFresno, California .
Fresno State was ranked at No. 43 (out of 590 college and military teams) in the final rankings under theLitkenhous Difference by Score System for 1942.[ 2]
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 26 Whittier W 51–04,272 [ 3] October 3 Occidental Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA W 53–63,925 [ 4] October 11 atSan Diego State W 66–06,500 [ 5] October 18 March Field Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA W 20–07,521 [ 6] October 25 Fort Ord [ note 1] Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA W 80–05,979 [ 7] October 31 atPacific (CA) W 13–03,500 [ 8] November 7 Nevada No. 18 Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA W 33–04,271 [ 9] November 11 San Francisco Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA L 13–3312,519 [ 10] November 26 San Jose State Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry ) W 6–010,142 [ 11] November 29 atLoyola (CA) W 27–610,000 [ 12] Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game
[ 13]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Final AP — — — 18(1) — — — —
Team players in the NFL [ edit ] The following Fresno State Bulldog players were selected in the1944 NFL draft .[ 14] [ 15]
^ "Guachos Plan Sports Competition Despite League's Suspension" .Santa Barbara News-Press .Santa Barbara, California . September 27, 1942. p. 8. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2025 – viaNewspapers.com .^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 16, 1942)."Litkenhous Rates Georgia No. 1, Ohio State No. 2" .Twin City Sentinel . p. 10 – viaNewspapers.com . ^ "Fresno State Beats Poets by Big Score" .The San Bernardino County Sun . San Bernardino, California. September 27, 1942. p. 17. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Fresno Crushes Oxy" .The San Bernardino County Sun . San Bernardino, California. October 4, 1942. p. 16. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com .^ Ed Orman (October 12, 1942)."FSC Drubs San Diego, 66 To 0, Leads Nation In Collegiate Scoring" .The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 2-B. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com . ^ Ed Orman (October 19, 1942)."FSC Passes Acid Test In Romping Over March Field Eleven, 20 to 0" .The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 2-B. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com . ^ "Fresno Wins, 80 to 0; Tops Nation in Scoring" .The Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. October 26, 1942. p. II-9. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com .^ Ed Orman (November 1, 1942)."COP Holds Fresno State To 13 To 0 Win" .The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 1C. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com . ^ Ed Orman (November 8, 1942)."Bulldog Star Ruins Nevada Team With His Flossy Flinging" .The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 1C. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com . ^ Ed Orman (November 12, 1942)."Fresno State Folds in Clutch AS USF Captures Holiday Game, 33 To 13" .The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 2-B. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com . ^ "Fresno Scores Narrow 6-0 Win Over San Jose" .The Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. November 27, 1942. p. II-9. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Fresno State Outclasses Loyola Gridders, 27-6" .The Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. November 30, 1942. p. II-9. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2017 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "Fresno State Football Media Guide" (PDF) . Fresno State Athletics. p. 119. RetrievedJanuary 27, 2025 .^ "1944 NFL Draft" .Pro-Football-Reference.com . RetrievedDecember 7, 2016 .^ "Fresno St. Players/Alumni" .Pro-Football-Reference.com . RetrievedDecember 12, 2016 .
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