1944 Keesler Field Fliers football team

The 1944 Keesler Field Fliers football team, also called the "Commandos", represented the United States Army Air Forces's Keesler Field during the 1944 college football season. Led by second-year head coach Berl Huffman, the Fliers compiled a record of 8–1–2. The team's roster included Frank Huffman, Herm Rohrig, Jimmy Strausbaugh, and Tony Tonelli.[1]

1944 Keesler Field Fliers football
ConferenceIndependent
Record8–1–2
Head coach
CaptainDon Gray
Seasons
← 1943
1945 →
1944 military service football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Randolph Field     11 0 0
No. 5 Bainbridge     10 0 0
No. 18 Fort Pierce     9 0 0
No. 13 Norman NAS     6 0 0
No. 6 Iowa Pre-Flight     10 1 0
No. 16 El Toro Marines     8 1 0
Hondo AAF     7 1 0
Bunker Hill NAS     6 1 0
Lincoln AAF     6 1 0
Blackland AAF     7 1 1
Keesler Field     8 1 2
No. 17 Great Lakes Navy     9 2 1
No. 10 March Field     7 2 2
Third Air Force     8 3 0
North Carolina Pre-Flight     6 2 1
Atlantic City NAS     5 2 0
Camp Peary     5 2 0
Tonopah AAF     5 2 0
Daniel Field     7 3 0
No. 20 Second Air Force     10 4 1
San Francisco Coast Guard     4 2 1
Ellington Field     6 3 2
Amarillo AAF     5 3 0
Alameda Coast Guard     4 2 2
Coronado Amphibious     2 1 1
Olathe NAS     4 2 2
Selman Field     4 2 2
Galveston AAF     5 3 2
Fleet City     6 4 1
Jacksonville NAS     4 3 0
San Diego NTS     4 3 1
Camp Beale     5 4 0
Lubbock AAF     5 4 0
Fort Warren     5 4 1
Fort Monroe     5 5 0
Klamath Falls Marines     2 2 1
Maxwell Field     5 5 0
Minter Field     3 3 0
No. 19 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight     4 4 0
Fourth Infantry     3 4 2
Georgia Pre-Flight     4 5 0
Third Infantry     4 5 0
Bergstrom Field     3 4 0
Ottumwa NAS     3 4 0
Camp Lee     3 5 0
Cherry Point Marines     3 6 0
Chatham Field     2 8 1
Sampton NTS     2 7 0
Miami NTC     2 8 0
Bryan AAF     1 7 0
Fairfield-Suisun AAB     1 7 0
Richmond AAB     0 10 1
Camp Ellis     0 5 0
South Plains AAF     0 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, Keesler Field ranked 67th among the nation's college and service teams and tenth out of 63 United States Army teams with a rating of 82.1.[2][3]

Schedule edit

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 242:00 p.m.Algiers NSBiloxi, MSW 41–010,000[4][5]
September 308:30 p.m.at Southwestern LouisianaW 13–0[6][7]
October 8142nd Mississippi Ordnance BattalionBiloxi, MSW 62–06,000[8][9]
October 148:15 p.m.at Selman FieldT 19–196,000[10][11][12]
October 22Gulfport AAFBiloxi, MSW 20–0[13]
October 291:00 p.m.at Fourth Infantry
T 7–722,000[14][15]
November 52:30 p.m.Selman FieldBiloxi, MSW 20–010,000[16][17]
November 12at Gulfport AAFW 39–06,000[18]
November 19at Algiers NSNew Orleans, LAW 33–0[19]
November 272:15 p.m.Third InfantryBiloxi, MSW 19–012,000[20][21]
December 10at No. 18 Fort PierceFort Pierce, FLL 7–34[22]

References edit

  1. ^ "McHugh Seeks Berth On Air Force Team". Selma Times-Journal. Selma, Alabama. September 24, 1944. p. 5. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  2. ^ 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  .
  3. ^ 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  .
  4. ^ "Keesler Field Opens". Nashville Banner. Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press. September 23, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  5. ^ "Keesler Field Eleven Smothers Algiers Naval Station, 41-0". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. Associated Press. September 25, 1944. p. 5. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  6. ^ "SLI Will Face Big Opposition On Saturday". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. September 29, 1944. p. 8. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  7. ^ "Keesler Field Airmen Defeat Southwestern". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. October 1, 1944. p. 10. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  8. ^ "Flora Ordnance to Oppose Keesler in Biloxi Tomorrow". The Daily Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. October 7, 1944. p. 10. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  9. ^ "Keesler in Easy Grid Win Over Flora Ordnance". The Daily Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. October 9, 1944. p. 8. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  10. ^ "Selman Tackles Keesler Eleven". The Monroe News-Star. Monroe, Louisiana. October 10, 1944. p. 13. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  11. ^ "Selman Battles Keesler To 19-19 Deadlock Here". Monroe Morning World. Monroe, Louisiana. October 15, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  12. ^ "Selman (continued)". Monroe Morning World. Monroe, Louisiana. October 15, 1944. p. 11. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  13. ^ "Keesler Field Beats Gulfport". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. Associated Press. October 23, 1944. p. 10. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  14. ^ Cronin, John T. (October 29, 1944). "Commandos Attack Raiders At Benning". The Sunday Ledger-Enquirer. Columbus, Georgia. p. 9. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  15. ^ Cronin, John T. (October 30, 1944). "'4th,' Keesler Tie In Thriller". The Columbus Ledger. Columbus, Georgia. p. 6. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  16. ^ "Selman Meets Keesler In Return Battle At Biloxi". Monroe Morning World. Monroe, Louisiana. November 5, 1944. p. 8. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  17. ^ "Selman Cyclones Defeated 20 to 0 By Keesler Field". The Monroe News-Star. Monroe, Louisiana. November 6, 1944. p. 7. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  18. ^ "Keesler in Easy Gridiron Triumph At Gulfport Field". The Daily Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. November 13, 1944. p. 2. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  19. ^ "Keesler's Fliers Blast Algiers". The Nashville Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press. November 20, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  20. ^ "Keesler Game Postponed". The Daily Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. November 27, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  21. ^ "Keesler Wins Over Benning By 19-0 Score". Tampa Morning Tribune. Tampa, Florida. Associated Press. November 28, 1944. p. 13. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  22. ^ "Fort Pierce Amphibs Spank Keesler, 34-7". Tampa Bay Times. December 11, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.