1941 Washington University Bears football team

1941 Washington University Bears football
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
Record	4–5 (1–3 MVC)
Head coach	Frank Loebs (2nd season)
Home stadium	Francis Field
Seasons ←  1940 1942  →

1941 Missouri Valley Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Tulsa $	4	–	0	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Oklahoma A&M	3	–	1	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Creighton	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Saint Louis	1	–	3	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
Washington University	1	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Drake	0	–	3	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
$ – Conference champion

The 1941 Washington University Bears football team was an American football team that represented Washington University in St. Louis as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1941 college football season. In their second and final season under head coach Frank Loebs, the Bears compiled a 4–5 record (1–3 against MVC opponents), finished fifth in the MVC, and were outscored by a total of 165 to 150. ^[1] The team played its home games at Francis Field in St. Louis.

The team was led by senior halfback Bud Schwenk. During the 1941 season, Schwenk broke the national collegiate single-season records for completed passes (114) and yards of total offense (1,928). ^{[2] [3] [4]} Schwenk also led the nation in 1941 with 1,457 passing yards.

Washington University was ranked at No. 198 (out of 681 teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System. ^[5]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 4		at Kansas *	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 6–19		[6]
October 11		Oklahoma A&M	Francis Field St. Louis, MO	L 12–41	5,000	[7]
October 18	2:30 p.m.	Creighton	Francis Field St. Louis, MO	L 13–14	3,500	[8] [9] [10] [11]
October 25		at Centenary *	Louisiana State Fair Shreveport, LA	W 13–7	1,500	[12] [13]
October 31		at Drake	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	W 12–0		[14]
November 8		Illinois College *	Francis Field St. Louis, MO	W 53–12	1,500	[15]
November 15		at Butler *	Butler Bowl Indianapolis, IN	L 13–40	9,000	[16]
November 20		Missouri Mines *	Francis Field St. Louis, MO	W 28–7	6,000	[2]
November 29		at Saint Louis	Walsh Stadium St. Louis, MO	L 0–25	12,000	[17]
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Central time

^[18]

References

1. "1941 Washington (MO) Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
2. James M. Gould (November 21, 1941). "Schwenk Holds National Passing Record After Beating Rolla: His 103 Completions Push Davey O'Brien's Mark Into Discard". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 2E – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Schwenk Leads On The Ground". The High Point (NC) Enterprise. December 4, 1941. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2015. pp. 50–51.
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. "Jayhawks Slide To 19-6 Victory Over Washington". The Morning Chronicle. October 5, 1941. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
7. J. Roy Stockton (October 12, 1941). "Bears Lose To The Aggies, 41 To 12, After Leading Twice". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
8. Fleischman, Bill (October 18, 1941). "Injured Bears Play Creighton". St. Louis Globe-Democrat . St. Louis, Missouri. p. 3B. Retrieved July 6, 2023– via Newspapers.com .
9. Fleischman, Bill (October 19, 1941). "Creighton Nips Bears, 14-13". St. Louis Globe-Democrat . St. Louis, Missouri. p. 1E. Retrieved July 6, 2023– via Newspapers.com .
10. Fleischman, Bill (October 19, 1941). "Creighton Nips Bears, 14-13 (continued)". St. Louis Globe-Democrat . St. Louis, Missouri. p. 3E. Retrieved July 6, 2023– via Newspapers.com .
11. J. Roy Stockton (October 19, 1941). "Washington Nosed Out by Creighton, 14 to 13". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Centenary Is Beaten, 13-7, By St. Louis Team". The Shreveport Times. October 26, 1941. pp. 1, 21 – via Newspapers.com.
13. ""One-Man Gang" Beats 11 Gentlemen; Bears Win". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 26, 1941. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
14. Frank Brody (November 1, 1941). "Drake Football Prospects Hit New Low: Bears Down Locals, 12-0". The Des Moines Register. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
15. J. Roy Stockton (November 9, 1941). "Schwenk And Bears Win By 53 To 12". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
16. Bob Stranahan (November 16, 1941). "Bulldogs Crush Washington U. In Final Game". The Indianapolis Star. pp. 41, 45 – via Newspapers.com.
17. J. Roy Stockton (November 30, 1941). "Billikens Defeat Bears, 25-0; Schwenk Sets Two U.S. Marks". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
18. "2020-21 Football Record Book" (PDF). Washington University in St. Louis. p. 15. Retrieved January 3, 2023.