1939 Stanford Indians football team

The 1939 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1939 college football season. Seventh-year head coach Tiny Thornhill led the team to a 1–7–1 record, which ultimately contributed to his relief at the end of the season. He was replaced by Clark Shaughnessy, who surprised critics by leading the following year's team, largely made up of the same players, to the Rose Bowl.^[1] Shaughnessy noted that the players were not suited to the single-wing offense that Thornhill had employed.^[2]

1939 Stanford Indians football
Head coach Tiny Thornhill
Conference	Pacific Coast Conference
Record	1–7–1 (0–6 PCC)
Head coach	Tiny Thornhill (7th season)
Offensive scheme	Single-wing
Captain	Stan Andersen
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium
Seasons ← 1938 1940 →

1939 Pacific Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 USC $	5	–	0	–	2			8	–	0	–	2
No. 7 UCLA	5	–	0	–	3			6	–	0	–	4
Oregon State	6	–	1	–	1			9	–	1	–	1
Washington	4	–	4	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
Oregon	3	–	3	–	1			3	–	4	–	1
Washington State	3	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Montana	1	–	2	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
California	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Stanford	0	–	6	–	1			1	–	7	–	1
Idaho	0	–	3	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Stanford was ranked at No. 111 (out of 609 teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1939.^[3]

Before the season, the Stanford Board of Athletic Control retained Thornhill as head coach, despite opposition from some of the alumni base.^[4] The Indians finished last in the Pacific Coast Conference with a 0–6–1 record against league opponents. It was the first time in history that Stanford failed to win a single Pacific Coast Conference game in a season.^[5] Contemporary sources called the 1939 squad the worst football team to represent Stanford University in the history of the program.^[1]

Stanford's only victory came in the season finale against Dartmouth at the Polo Grounds in New York City. At halftime, Stanford trailed 3–0, and Thornhill and his assistants, at a loss for words, asked former "Vow Boys" halfback Bob "Bones" Hamilton to deliver a halftime pep talk. Hamilton told the downtrodden players, "You are by far and large the worst group of players who have ever worn the Stanford red."^[1] The insult motivated the team to score 14 unanswered points for their only win of the season.^[1]

After the game, the United Press wrote, "Stanford, the worst team the West Coast has produced in years, pulled the day's gridiron surprise by walloping the strong Dartmouth eleven."^[6]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 30	Oregon State	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 0–12	20,000
October 7	vs. Oregon	Multnomah Stadium Portland, OR	L 0–10	20,000	[7]
October 14	UCLA	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	T 14–14	18,000	[8]
October 28	at Washington	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	L 5–8	19,771
November 4	Santa Clara*	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 7–27	40,000	[9]
November 11	at USC	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	L 0–33	50,000	[10]
November 18	Washington State	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 0–7	10,000	[11]
November 25	California	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	L 14–32	60,000	[12]
December 2	vs. Dartmouth*	Polo Grounds New York, NY	W 14–3	10,603	[13]
*Non-conference game

Players drafted by the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Hamp Pool	End	9	77	Chicago Bears
Stan Andersen	Tackle	12	101	Chicago Cardinals

^[14]