1941 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

The 1941 Kent State Golden Flashes football team was an American football team that represented Kent State University in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) during the 1941 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Donald Starn, the Golden Flashes compiled a 2–5–1 record.[1] It was their first season at the new Athletic Field, which replaced their original home of Rockwell Field.[2]

1941 Kent State Golden Flashes football
ConferenceOhio Athletic Conference
Record2–5–1 (1–3 OAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumKent State Athletic Field
Seasons
← 1940
1942 →
1941 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Case $ 4 0 0 7 1 0
Ohio Northern 5 0 0 6 1 1
Toledo 2 0 0 7 4 0
Bowling Green 4 0 1 5 2 0
Kenyon 4 1 0 5 2 0
Wooster 4 1 1 5 1 1
Heidelberg 5 2 0 6 2 0
Otterbein 4 2 0 5 3 0
Wittenberg 3 3 0 4 4 0
Muskingum 2 3 0 3 5 0
John Carroll 1 2 1 2 5 1
Kent State 1 3 0 2 5 1
Marietta 1 3 0 1 6 0
Capital 1 4 0 2 4 1
Baldwin–Wallace 0 2 1 3 4 1
Findlay 0 4 0 3 5 0
Mount Union 0 5 0 1 7 0
Ashland 0 3 0 0 5 0
Oberlin 0 3 0 0 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion

The team won the first two games by a combined total of 84 to 0.[1] In the season opener, the team scored a 58–0 victory over Bluffton. It was the largest single-game point total in the history of the Kent State football program, surpassing the 54 points scored against Buffalo in 1938. The Golden Flashes scored 52 of their points in the second half, including 33 points in the fourth quarter.[3]

In the final six games of the season, the Golden Flashes did not win another game and were outscored by a total of 100 to 25.[1]

The roster included an African-American back, Grady Jackson, a sophomore transfer student from Mercer.[3] Joe Mileski was the team's quarterback and punter.[4]

Kent State was ranked at No. 212 (out of 681 teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System.[5]

Schedule edit

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27Bluffton*W 58–02,500[3]
October 3Findlay
  • Donnell Memorial Stadium
  • Findlay, OH
W 26–0[4]
October 10at CaseL 6–74,500[6]
October 18West Liberty State Teachers*
  • Kent State Athletic Field
  • Kent, OH
T 0–0[7]
October 25at Western Reserve*L 0–283,500[8]
November 1Bowling Green
  • Kent State Athletic Field
  • Kent, OH (rivalry)
L 6–123,000[9]
November 8John Carroll
  • Kent State Athletic Field
  • Kent, OH
L 0–12[10]
November 15at Akron*L 13–417,000[11]
  • *Non-conference game

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "2016 Kent State Football Record Book" (PDF). Kent State University. p. D5. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  2. ^ Richard, Jim (September 26, 1941). "KSU To Oppose Bluffton Tomorrow; Play On New Field". Kent Stater. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Lincoln Hackim (September 28, 1941). "Flashes Rout Bluffton: Kent Sets Record In 58-0 Romp". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Kent Smashes Findlay". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 4, 1941. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Kent State Bows To Case, 7-6, As Extra Point Fails: Blocked Punt Leads Flashes Into Defeat". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 11, 1941. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Kent, West Liberty Tie: State Fails As Mileski Is Injured". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 19, 1941. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Kent Is Laced By Reserve: Flashes Take 20-0 Beating". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 26, 1941. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Bee Gees Top Kent In Last Five Seconds, 12-6". Akron Beacon Journal. November 2, 1941. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Kent State Is Beaten By Carroll". The Akron Beacon Journal. November 9, 1941. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Eddie Butler (November 16, 1941). "Zips Trounce Kent: Flossie Star in 41-13 Win Over Flashes". Akron Beacon Journal. pp. 1C, 5C – via Newspapers.com.