1941 Detroit Titans football team

The 1941 Detroit Titans football team represented the University of Detroit in the 1941 college football season. Detroit outscored its opponents by a combined total of 195 to 43, and finished with a 7–2 record in its 17th year under head coach and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Gus Dorais. Significant games included victories over Indiana (14–7) and Oklahoma A&M (20–14) and a close loss to Arkansas (6–9).[1]

1941 Detroit Titans football
ConferenceIndependent
Record7–2
Head coach
CaptainVince Banonis
Home stadiumUniversity of Detroit Stadium
Seasons
← 1940
1942 →
1941 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Western Michigan     8 0 0
No. 3 Notre Dame     8 0 1
Youngstown     7 0 1
Xavier     9 1 0
Detroit     7 2 0
Ohio     5 2 1
Dayton     7 3 0
Cincinnati     6 3 0
Akron     5 3 1
Michigan State     5 3 1
Central Michigan     4 3 0
Ohio Wesleyan     5 4 0
Marquette     4 5 0
Carthage     1 5 2
Wayne     2 6 0
Miami (OH)     2 7 0
Western Ontario     1 4 0
Wichita     1 6 1
Michigan State Normal     0 5 2
Detroit Tech     0 6 1

In addition to Dorais, the team's coaching staff included Lloyd Brazil (backfield coach, 11th year), Bud Boeringer (line coach, 15th year), and Michael H. "Dad" Butler (trainer, 15th year).[2] During a ceremony at halftime on November 8, Butler, at age 71, was honored for his many years of service as the school's trainer and track and boxing coach; he was presented with $600 in cash, a radio, a "D" blanket, a trophy, a plaque, and scrolls.[3]

Center Vince Banonis, who was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, was the team captain.[4] At the end of the 1941 season, Banonis was chosen as a first-round All-American by Collier's Weekly (selected by Grantland Rice),[5] International News Service,[6] and Paramount News.[7] He was also chosen as a second-team All-American by the Newspaper Enterprise Association.[8]

Louis Harrington picked three Titans as first-team players on his All-Michigan football team for 1941: Vince Banonis, halfback Elmer L. "Tippy" Madarik, and guard Thomas McLoughlin.[9]

Detroit was ranked at No. 44 (out of 681 teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1941.[10]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27at IndianaW 14–710,000[11]
October 3WayneW 54–017,659[12]
October 10Central Michigan
  • University of Detroit Stadium
  • Detroit, MI
W 45–0[13]
October 18at Oklahoma A&MW 20–146,000[14]
October 24Arkansas
  • University of Detroit Stadium
  • Detroit, MI
L 6–921,202[15]
November 1Manhattan
  • University of Detroit Stadium
  • Detroit, MI
W 15–010,131[16][17]
November 8Marquette
  • University of Detroit Stadium
  • Detroit, MI
W 7–616,541[18]
November 16at VillanovaL 6–723,480[19]
November 23at CreightonW 28–0[20]

References

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  1. ^ "1941 Detroit Mercy Titans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  2. ^ "University of Detroit vs. Wayne University game program". University of Detroit. October 3, 1941. p. 3. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  3. ^ "Dad's Day Becomes One for Butler to Remember". Detroit Free Press. November 9, 1941. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Detroit vs. Wayne program, p. 7.
  5. ^ "Rokisky on Collier's Team". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 5, 1941.
  6. ^ Lawton Carver (December 1, 1941). "Albert Tops INS All-America Grid Selections". Reading Eagle.
  7. ^ "Al DeMao, Rokisky on All-America Teams". The Pittsburgh Press. November 29, 1941.
  8. ^ Harry Grayson (November 21, 1941). "Duke's Lach Makes NEA All-America Team". The Rock Hill Herald.
  9. ^ John N. Sabo (December 7, 1941). "Attorney Harrington Picks His Own All-State Collegiate Football Team". Detroit Free Press. pp. 2–6 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 26, 1941). "Gophers Grid Kings Over 6-Year Span: Tennessee 2d, Pitt 3d Over Period Litkenhous Ratins Are Published". The Courier-Journal. p. Sports 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ W.W. Edgar (September 28, 1941). "Long Pass in Final Period Gives Titans Victory, 14 to 7". Detroit Free Press. pp. Sports 1, 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ W.W. Edgar (October 4, 1941). "Madarik Stars as Titans Romp to 54-0 Triumph Over Wayne". Detroit Free Press. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ W.W. Edgar (October 11, 1941). "Piper Suffers Broken Collarbone as Titans Beat Bearcats, 45-0". Detroit Free Press. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "U-D Comes from Behind to Beat Oklahoma Aggies, 20-14". Detroit Free Press. October 19, 1941. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ W.W. Edgar (October 25, 1941). "U-D Beaten in last 7 Seconds by Arkansas Field Goal, 9-6". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1, 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Detroit Tops Jaspers, 15-0; Madarik Stars". New York Daily News. November 2, 1941. p. 89 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ W.W. Edgar (November 2, 1941). "Titans Show Land Power to Stop Jaspers, 15 to 0". Detroit Free Press. pp. Sports 1, 7.
  18. ^ W.W. Edgar (November 9, 1941). "U-D Trips Marquette: Link's Kick Gives Titans 7-6 Victory". Detroit Free Press. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ John N. Sabo (November 17, 1941). "Titans' Air Attack Bottled and Villanova Wins, 7 to 6". Detroit Free Press. pp. 14, 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Titans Roll to Easy Victory over Creighton, 28-0". Detroit Free Press. November 24, 1941. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
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