1940 Oklahoma Sooners football team

The 1940 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1940 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Tom Stidham, the Sooners compiled a 6–3 record (4–1 against conference opponents), finished in second place in the Big Six Conference, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 121 to 105.[1][2]

1940 Oklahoma Sooners football
ConferenceBig Six Conference
Record6–3 (4–1 Big 6)
Head coach
CaptainGus Kitchens
Home stadiumOwen Field
Seasons
← 1939
1941 →
1940 Big Six Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Nebraska $ 5 0 0 8 2 0
Oklahoma 4 1 0 6 3 0
Missouri 3 2 0 6 3 0
Iowa State 2 3 0 4 5 0
Kansas State 1 4 0 2 7 0
Kansas 0 5 0 2 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

No Sooners received All-America honors in 1940,[3] but four Sooners received all-conference honors: tackle Roger Eason, end Bill Jennings, guard Harold Lahar, and back John Martin.[4]

Oklahoma was ranked at No. 45 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[5]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 5vs. Oklahoma A&M*W 29–27
October 12vs. Texas*L 16–1935,000[6]
October 19Kansas StateW 14–0
October 26at Iowa StateW 20–711,424
November 2No. 12 Nebraska
L 0–1333,377[7]
November 9at KansasW 13–05,000[8]
November 16Missouri
W 7–0
November 23Temple*
  • Owen Field
  • Norman, OK
W 9–67,000[9]
November 30at No. 15 Santa Clara*L 13–335,000[10]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[11]

NFL draft

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The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season.[12]

Round Pick Player Position NFL team
9 79 Hal Lahar Guard Chicago Bears
14 128 Johnny Martin Back Chicago Bears

References

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  1. ^ "Oklahoma Yearly Results (1940-1944)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  2. ^ "1940 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  3. ^ "2014 Oklahoma Football Records Supplement" (PDF). University of Oklahoma. 2014. p. 90. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  4. ^ "2014 Oklahoma Football Records Supplement" (PDF). University of Oklahoma. 2014. p. 95. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  5. ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 19, 1940). "Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Crain sets Gait in Steer rally to win, 19–16". San Angelo Standard-Times. October 13, 1940. Retrieved April 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Nebraska Poise, Punch Floor Sooners, 13-0". The Daily Oklahoman. November 3, 1940. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Harold Keith (November 10, 1940). "O.U. 13-0 Victor: Hamm Sparks Winning Drive in The Late Moments Against Kansas". The Daily Oklahoman. pp. Sports 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Arthur Edson (November 24, 1940). "Sooners Wing Owls, 9-6". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Alan Ward (December 1, 1940). "Oklahoma Scares Broncs But Loses Battle, 33 to 13". Oakland Tribune. pp. 10, 15.
  11. ^ DeLassus, David. "Oklahoma Yearly Results 1940–1944". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  12. ^ "1941 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.