Posted 11 years ago
Shadrack_J…
(23 items)
Some Programs from WWII. During the war most of the men were in the service and there was a lack of men playing college and professional football. Any man with college or professional experience usually ended up on a service team. These service teams served as a moral booster to both the troops and people on the home front. These are three rare examples of service programs.
GREAT programs. The war years were also the years Army won its National Championships-- 1944, 45 and 46!
scott
The USMA was also very strong in the post war years also. Many of those players on the service teams went on to play pro ball and continue with their college ball after the war. One of the players on the Marine team was, Alvin Dark, of LSU. Al went on to manage the San Francisco Giants. Also, after the war, the colleges and professional teams got a flood of manpower, all WWII vets to fill out their rosters. The average age of a college freshman playing football in 1946 was 22 years old and he was most likely a vet of WWII. Those vets playing college and pro ball back in the late '40's and early '50's, while not as big or athletic as players of today, were certainly a lot tougher.