1944 Camp Peary Pirates football team

The 1944 Camp Peary Pirates football team represented Camp Peary during the 1944 college football season. The team compiled a 5–2 record.[1] Red Strader, who was coach of the Saint Mary's Gaels football team before the war, was the head coach.

1944 Camp Peary Pirates football
ConferenceIndependent
Record5–2
Head coach
Seasons
 1943
1945 
1944 military service football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Randolph Field  1100
No. 5 Bainbridge  1000
No. 18 Fort Pierce  900
No. T–13 Norman NAS  600
No. 6 Iowa Pre-Flight  1010
No. 16 El Toro Marines  810
Hondo AAF  710
Bunker Hill NAS  610
Lincoln AAF  610
Blackland AAF  711
Keesler Field  812
No. 17 Great Lakes Navy  921
No. 10 March Field  722
Third Air Force  830
North Carolina Pre-Flight  621
Atlantic City NAS  520
Camp Peary  520
Tonopah AAF  520
Daniel Field  730
No. 20 Second Air Force  1041
San Francisco Coast Guard  421
Ellington Field  632
Amarillo AAF  530
Alameda Coast Guard  422
Coronado Amphibious  211
Olathe NAS  422
Selman Field  422
Galveston AAF  532
Fleet City  641
Jacksonville NAS  430
San Diego NTS  431
Camp Beale  540
Lubbock AAF  540
Fort Warren  541
Fort Monroe  550
Klamath Falls Marines  221
Maxwell Field  550
Minter Field  330
No. 19 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight  440
Fourth Infantry  342
Georgia Pre-Flight  450
Third Infantry  450
Melville PT Boats  300
Bergstrom Field  340
Ottumwa NAS  340
Camp Lee  350
Cherry Point Marines  360
Chatham Field  281
Sampton NTS  270
Miami NTC  280
Bryan AAF  170
Fairfield-Suisun AAB  170
Richmond AAB  0101
Camp Ellis  050
South Plains AAF  080
Rankings from AP Poll

The team garnered attention when, shortly before the season began, the Navy assigned eight former NFL players to Camp Peary. The eight included halfbacks Joe Vodicka, Andy Uram, Len Janiak, and Bob Morrow, fullback Joe Bokant, center Al Matuza, and tackle Bob Bjorklund. Other notable players on the team included ends Ralph Schilling and Gregg Browning and tackle Russ Letlow who was later named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team.[2]

The Richmond Army Air Base Thunderbyrds originally scheduled two games with Camp Peary, on September 23 and October 29, but cancelled those games in early September.[3]

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, March Field ranked 39th among the nation's college and service teams and eighth out of 63 United States Army teams with a rating of 94.2.[4][5]

Schedule

edit
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 24 Washington Redskins rookiesWilliamsburg, VAW 33–2712,500[6]
September 30at Cherry Point MarinesCherry Point, NCW 20–0 [6]
October 8vs. Camp Lee
W 38–010,000[7]
October 14Camp LejeuneCancelled
October 22 No. 18 BainbridgeWilliamsburg, VAL 0–7 [8]
October 29at Richmond AABCancelled
November 5at Camp LeeCamp Lee, GAW 41–0[9]
November 12Fort MonroeCancelled
November 18at North Carolina Pre-FlightW 19–7[10]
November 25at No. 5 BainbridgeNo. 14
L 13–2113,000[11]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

edit
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP1417

References

edit
  1. "Redskin Power Crushes Cambridge 39-6". The Coshocton Tribune. October 14, 1944. p. 4 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Sports Spotlight Focuses On Camp Peary Naval Base". The Jackson Sun. September 13, 1944. p. 6 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Thunderbyrds Cancel 2 Game With Peary". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. September 8, 1944. p. 16. Retrieved April 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  4. Litkenhous, E. E. (December 10, 1944). "Big Ten Circuit Repeats As King of College Leagues". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City Utah. p. 8B. Retrieved April 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  5. Litkenhous, E. E. (December 17, 1944). "Army, Randolph Field One-Two in Final Litkenhouse Ratings". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. 4, section 2. Retrieved April 15, 2023 via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. 1 2 "Strader's Navy Squad Outplays' Smith's Marines". The Fresno Bee. October 1, 1944. p. 41 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Camp Peary Swamps Lee". Daily Press (Newport News, VA). October 9, 1944. p. 5 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Camp Peary Bows To Bainbridge, 7-0". The Baltimore Sun. October 23, 1944. p. 15 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Camp Peary Gridders Bow To Lee By 41-0". The Baltimore Sun. November 6, 1944. p. 17 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Camp Peary Nips N. C. Pre-Flight". The Greenville News. November 19, 1944. p. 10 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Bainbridge Continues Undefeated With 21-13 Victory Over Camp Peary". The Baltimore Sun. November 26, 1944. p. 23 via Newspapers.com.