1940 Denver Pioneers football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1940
| team = Denver Pioneers
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Mountain States Conference
| short_conf = MSC
| record = 6–2–1
| conf_record = 4–1–1
| head_coach = Cac Hubbard
| hc_year = 2nd
| captain =
| stadium = Denver University Stadium
}}
{{1940 Mountain States Conference football standings}}
The 1940 Denver Pioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver as a member of the Mountain States Conference (MSC) during the 1940 college football season. In their second season under head coach Cac Hubbard, the Pioneers compiled a 6–2–1 record (4–1–1 against conference opponents), tied for second in the MSC, and outscored opponents by a total of 155 to 93.{{cite web|title=1940 Denver Pioneers Schedule and Results|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|accessdate=January 20, 2019|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/denver/1940-schedule.html}}
Denver was ranked at No. 77 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.{{cite news|title=Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings|newspaper=The Boston Globe|author=Dr. E. E. Litkenhous|date=December 19, 1940|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123126338/final-1940-litkenhous-ratings/|via=Newspapers.com}}
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| source = y
| attend = y
|September 27||Iowa State
|October 4||Baylor
|October 12||Colorado A&M
|October 19||Wyoming|Denver University Stadium|Denver, CO|W 41-9|11,000|{{cite news|title=Pioneers Rout Cowboys, 41-9, In Conference Tilt at Denver|newspaper=The Casper Tribune-Herald|date=October 20, 1940|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115905452/pioneers-rout-cowboys-41-9-in/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 26|at|Utah|Ute Stadium|Salt Lake City, UT|L 14-25||{{cite news|title=Utes Trounce D.U.: Injuns Rout Foes, 25-14|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|author=Orval Hopkins|date=October 27, 1940|pages=1C, 3C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115905717/utes-trounce-du-injuns-rout-foes/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 9|at|BYU|"Y" Stadium|Provo, UT|W 9-0|7,500|{{cite news|title=Denver Spoils B.Y.U. Homecoming; Wins 9-0|newspaper=The Daily Herald|date=November 10, 1940|pages=1, 2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115905962/denver-spoils-byu-homecoming-wins/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 16||Utah State|Denver University Stadium|Denver, CO|W 34-6||{{cite news|title=D.U. Cops 34-6 Tilt|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|author=Loudon Kelly|date=November 17, 1940|pages=1C, 3C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115906214/du-cops-34-6-tilt/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 21||Colorado|Denver University Stadium|Denver, CO|T 3-3||{{cite news|title=Colorado U. and Denver U. Tie with 3 to 3 Score|newspaper=The Greeley Daily Tribune|date=November 22, 1940|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115906418/colorado-u-and-denver-u-tie-with-3-to/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|December 14|at|Hawaii
}}