re: Was State the 1941 national champion?

quote:

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For the 1941 SEC champions, the season would not end until the following week, when they traveled to the West Coast and defeated the University of San Francisco 26-13 at Kezar Stadium to complete an 8-1-1 campaign. The next day, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and America was at war. Many players from the 1938-1942 Mississippi State teams fought in World War II. One player, Harvey “Boots” Johnson, a star on the 1940 team, was killed in a bombing raid over Japan. Buddy Elrod, State’s first All-American, was imprisoned in a German Stalag prison camp. Football was played in 1942, but Mississippi State did not field a team in 1943 due to the war.

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Actually that is partially true. We did play a game in San Francisco on Dec 6th and we got stuck there when air and train travel was suspended on Dec 7th. While the team waited to get back to Starkville several just enlisted there in San Francisco. By the time State made it back to Starkville Alabama had accepted the offer to play in our place. I doubt we had enough players to field a team at that point anyway. As I remember it explained on BSR.