DECEMBER 27, 1943
SPORTS ROLLED ON IN 1943 AS NATION STRUCK AGAINST FOES
As another year comes to an end we can remember how sports carried on in 1943 despite vast numbers of athletes leaving the scene. This is the year in which this land strove to harness all of it's tremendous resources to attain maximum hitting power against our enemies over the seas. This is the second year of war.
This is a year in which sports -premier and characteristic diversion of the American people, but a diversion nevertheless- could not conceivably carry on as usual. It's needless to say that sports didn't. Vast numbers of athletes - professional and amateur- left the sporting scene and headed towards the battle front. More essential industries claimed it's quota of competitors. Transportation problems piled on the headaches. And yet, though the black storm of Mars continued unabated, the cavalcade of sports rolled on.
What we had left brought thrills, made headlines - the resurgent Cannons, Wisconsin Catholic's grid squad, Del Thomas, Jerry McElheny, Freeman Stahlberg, the Majestics hardwood five of Rainier College, the Minutemen and Americans of Boston, baseball revivals in St Louis and Washington, Sam Sheppard, Deuce Barrell, Johnny Littlejohn, the AFA survived thanks in no small part to the Friglers combined team and college football was dominated by schools with naval trainees enrolled.
*** CANNONS FIRED ON THE BASEBALL FRONT ***
This is the year that started with professional baseball wondering whether it would be able to get off the ground. It did, and followed through with record crowds the second half of the season and a thrilling seven game World Championship Series in which the Cincinnati Cannons erased all memories of the franchises failures in Baltimore with win over Boston. It saw an incredible start out of the Washington Eagles, long-time doormats of the Federal Association, and a tremendous pennant-push by the long-time struggling St Louis Pioneers. Football gave us a rematch of the Boston Americans and Chicago Wildcats and another dramatic finish -just like last year- but this time favouring the Windy City Eleven. College teams fell by the wayside but enough survived to give us another great season, and a surprise contender for next week's East-West Classic in a tiny Catholic school out of Wisconsin. College hoops seems no worse for wear as we witnessed a solid start to this season by western schools that had been dominant a year ago.
Yes indeed, there is plenty to remember about 1943 A.D.
AFA ALL-STAR TEAM ANNOUNCED
TWIFB has for the first team selected it's All-Star Team for the American Football Association. Highlighting the list of the grid-eleven are three members each from the championship winning Chicago Wildcats and title game participant Boston Americans clubs including record setting quarterback Del Thomas. It was quite a season for Thomas, who set a new single season and single game passing yardage record this season as well as equaled the season mark for interceptions by collecting 13 of them while on the defensive side of the ball. Joining him on the select squad are his Boston teammates Johnny Littlejohn, who led the AFA with 11 touchdown catches, along with Boston linemen Joe King. Chicago Wildcats quarterback Gus Brown, fresh off a big AFA championship game win, makes the squad along with teammates Bob Serviss and Bus McLean.
Here is the complete AFA all-star squad.
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1943 AFA ALL-STAR TEAM
POS NAME TEAM
B Del Thomas Boston Americans
B Gus Brown Chicago Wildcats
B Dave Davis Phil-StL Friglers
B Jerry McElheny New York Stars
E Stan Vaught Detroit Maroons
E Johnny Littlejohn Boston Americans
T Steve Julian New York Stats
G Bob Serviss Chicago Wildcats
C Bus McLean Chicago Wildcats
G Joe King Boston Americans
T Isaac Rhodes Brooklyn Kings
NEW YEARS CLASSIC GAME MATCH-UPS
EAST-WEST CLASSIC: Wisconsin Catholic (8-0) vs Northern California (9-1)
SUNSHINE CLASSIC: Darnell State (8-1) vs North Carolina Tech (8-1)
DESERT CLASSIC: Travis College (5-2-1) vs Minnesota Tech (9-0)
CAJUN CLASSIC: Georgia Baptist (5-4) vs Amarillo Methodist (6-2)
LONE STAR CLASSIC: Provo Tech (5-1-1) vs Eastern State (6-2)
DOLPHINS' MELCHER LEADS THE WAY
Morgan Melcher continues to be the most dangerous player in college basketball and the Coastal California junior is a big reason why the Dolphins remain unbeaten and ranked number one in the nation. It is hardly a surprise that the Los Angeles native is leading the entire AIAA in scoring while averaging 19.4 ppg this season as he scored in double figures each of his first two seasons of college ball. He was a Freshman All-American in 1941-42 when he notched 12.7 ppg and the 6'6" graduate of Franklin High School in Los Angeles improved to 14.1 ppg last season.
This year he has been on fire with a career best (and WCAA record) 31 point outing earlier in the season. Last week the Dolphins played twice, winning both to improve to 7-0 on the season with Melcher scoring 15 despite sitting out most of the second half in a 51-36 romp over Bliss College on Wednesday. Yesterday it was a similar story as Melcher scored 16 points in just 28 minutes as the Dolphins had little problem downing Tempe College 50-35.
Melcher and his Coastal California teammates have 3 more weeks of relatively easy games before things get tough. They open the always difficult West Coast Athletic Association schedule on January 16 with a game in Washington against defending National Champion and 3rd ranked Rainier College before having to play against their cross-town rivals and 12th ranked CCLA at the Coyotes home arena.
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AIAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL RANKINGS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Coastal California (69) 7-0 1797 1 West Coast Athletic Association
2. North Carolina Tech (3) 9-0 1731 2 South Atlantic Conference
3. Rainier College 7-1 1645 3 West Coast Athletic Association
4. Minnesota Tech 9-0 1588 6 Great Lakes Alliance
5. Detroit City College 8-1 1448 7 Great Lakes Alliance
6. Ohio Poly 11-1 1383 5 Independent
7. Perry State College 11-0 1364 8 Midwestern Association
8. Western Iowa 7-2 1327 4 Great Lakes Alliance
9. Brooklyn State 7-1 1260 9 Northeast Conference
10. Frankford State 8-1 1125 10 Northeast Conference
11. Indiana A&M 9-1 1099 13 Great Lakes Alliance
12. CC Los Angeles 6-2 999 17 West Coast Athletic Association
13. Bronx Tech 10-1 983 14 Independent
14. St. Pancras 8-1 887 16 Northeast Conference
15. Annapolis Maritime 10-2 755 25 Independent
16. Central Ohio 6-2 608 12 Great Lakes Alliance
17. Chesapeake State 7-3 576 11 South Atlantic Conference
18. Hamman 13-2 543 NR Independent
19. Darnell State 4-1 448 NR Southwestern Alliance
20. Alabama Baptist 6-2 379 NR Deep South Conference
21. Liberty College 8-3 346 15 Northeast Conference
22. St. Ignatius 4-3 293 NR Great Lakes Alliance
23. Brookland 10-2 219 NR Independent
24. Whitney College 7-3 150 20 Great Lakes Alliance
25. Lincoln 7-2 123 NR Great Lakes Alliance
RESULTS INVOLVING RANKED TEAMS
MONDAY DEC 20
#6 Ohio Poly 45 Flint 41
#7 Perry State College 63 Topeka State 56
#8 Western Iowa 47 Mile High State 31
#13 Bronx Tech 49 West Corners(NY) 33
College of Omaha 56 #16 Central Ohio 51
#23 Brookland 41 Central Maryland 40
TUESDAY DEC 21
#9 Brooklyn State 42 Bethlehem College 40
#21 Liberty College 48 Bulein 24
#22 St Ignatius 46 Elyria 40
#24 Whitney College 53 Pittsburgh State 45
WEDNESDAY DEC 22
#1 Coastal California 51 Bliss College 36
#2 North Carolina Tech 48 El Paso Methodist 35
#7 Perry State College 43 Lubbock State 42
#11 Indiana A&M 50 Three Rivers State 37
#12 CC Los Angeles 48 Golden Gate 31
#18 Hamman 37 Petersburg 36
#20 Alabama Baptist 46 Red River State 39
#23 Brookland 45 Caesar Rodney 42
THURSDAY DEC 23
#10 Frankford State 62 Bigsby College 54
#15 Annapolis Maritime 50 Garden State 43
#16 Central Ohio 55 Pittsburgh State 31
#19 Darnell State 34 Great Plains State 32
#22 St Ignatius 54 Maldin 37
FRIDAY DEC 24
#9 Brooklyn State 66 NW New York State 39
#11 Indiana A&M 52 #6 Ohio Poly 48
#14 St Pancras 36 Narragansett 34
#20 Alabama Baptist 61 Capital(MS) University 35
Sadler 54 #21 Liberty College 46
SATURDAY DEC 25
Springfield State 53 #8 Western Iowa 45
#12 CC Los Angeles 69 Opelika State 40
#19 Darnell State 49 Mississippi Tech 36
Grange College 42 #21 Whitney College 41
SUNDAY DEC 26
#1 Coastal California 50 Tempe College 35
#7 Perry State College 43 Grant(IN) 35
#15 Annapolis Maritime 54 Alexandria 41
#21 Liberty College 60 Chicago Poly 34
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/26/1943
- The long-delayed Russian winter offensive appears in full swing after Red Army troops, paced by powerful armored units and ski detachments broke through a German "iron-wall: line below Nevel.
- British bombers, in what London newspapers called in banner headlines "A Blitz on the Rocket Coast," carried the heaviest assault on northwestern France since 1940. They were targeting areas where the Germans have been reported setting up secret weapons to bombard England.
- Allied nightly bombing runs on Germany continue with a huge attack on Frankfurt being the key action this week. The US also launched a record blitz in the Pacific, hitting Japanese targets on New Britain.
- Sobering news for a nation that seemed to be growing the feeling that the worst of the war was over. A report out of Washington anticipates an American casualty list of 400,000 in the next 90 days of fighting.
- A brief but violent coup in Bolivia has overthrown that country's President. The revolution caused deep concern among Washington officials but they guardedly refrained from direct comment.
- FDR himself has become involved in crucial negotiations with railway workers demanding wage concessions. On Christmas Eve an agreement was reached with 2 of the 5 rail unions to not strike, but negotiations continue with the other 3.
