1940 Oklahoma Sooners football team

{{short description|American college football season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1940

| team = Oklahoma Sooners

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Big Six Conference

| short_conf = Big 6

| record = 6–3

| conf_record = 4–1

| head_coach = Tom Stidham

| hc_year = 4th

| captain = Gus Kitchens

| stadium = Owen Field

}}

{{1940 Big Six Conference football standings}}

The 1940 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1940 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Tom Stidham, the Sooners compiled a 6–3 record (4–1 against conference opponents), finished in second place in the Big Six Conference, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 121 to 105.{{cite web|title=1940 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|access-date=July 20, 2015|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/oklahoma/1940-schedule.html}}

No Sooners received All-America honors in 1940,{{cite web|title=2014 Oklahoma Football Records Supplement|publisher=University of Oklahoma|year=2014|access-date=July 20, 2014|page=90|url=https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/2900563.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=31000&}} but four Sooners received all-conference honors: tackle Roger Eason, end Bill Jennings, guard Harold Lahar, and back John Martin.{{cite web|title=2014 Oklahoma Football Records Supplement|publisher=University of Oklahoma|year=2014|access-date=July 20, 2014|page=95|url=https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/2900563.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=31000&}}

Oklahoma was ranked at No. 45 (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

| rankyear = 1940

| poll = AP

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 5

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| neutral = y

| opponent = Oklahoma A&M

| site_stadium = Taft Stadium

| site_cityst = Oklahoma City, OK

| gamename = Bedlam

| score = 29–27

| attend =

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 12

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| neutral = y

| opponent = Texas

| site_stadium = Cotton Bowl

| site_cityst = Dallas, TX

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 16–19

| attend = 35,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123716342/crain-sets-gait-in-steer-rally-to-win-1/|work=San Angelo Standard-Times|title=Crain sets Gait in Steer rally to win, 19–16|date=October 13, 1940|accessdate=April 28, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 19

| w/l = w

| opponent = Kansas State

| site_stadium = Owen Field

| site_cityst = Norman, OK

| score = 14–0

| attend =

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 26

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Iowa State

| site_stadium = Clyde Williams Stadium

| site_cityst = Ames, IA

| score = 20–7

| attend = 11,424

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 2

| w/l = l

| opponent = Nebraska

| opprank = 12

| site_stadium = Owen Field

| site_cityst = Norman, OK

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 0–13

| attend = 33,377

| source = {{cite news|title=Nebraska Poise, Punch Floor Sooners, 13-0|newspaper=The Daily Oklahoman|date=November 3, 1940|page=37|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120947086/nebraska-poise-punch-floor-sooners/|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 9

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Kansas

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Lawrence, KS

| score = 13–0

| attend = 5,000

| source = {{cite news|title=O.U. 13-0 Victor: Hamm Sparks Winning Drive in The Late Moments Against Kansas|newspaper=The Daily Oklahoman|author=Harold Keith|date=November 10, 1940|pages=Sports 1, 2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115409634/ou-13-0-victor-hamm-sparks-winning/|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 16

| w/l = w

| opponent = Missouri

| site_stadium = Owen Field

| site_cityst = Norman, OK

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 7–0

| attend =

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 23

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| opponent = Temple

| site_stadium = Owen Field

| site_cityst = Norman, OK

| score = 9–6

| attend = 7,000

| source = {{cite news|title=Sooners Wing Owls, 9-6|newspaper=The Daily Oklahoman|author=Arthur Edson|date=November 24, 1940|page=1B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120371910/sooners-wing-owls-9-6/|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 30

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Santa Clara

| opprank = 15

| site_stadium = Kezar Stadium

| site_cityst = San Francisco, CA

| score = 13–33

| attend = 5,000

| source = {{cite news|title=Oklahoma Scares Broncs But Loses Battle, 33 to 13|newspaper=Oakland Tribune|author=Alan Ward|date=December 1, 1940|pages=10, 15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17697837/oklahoma_scares_broncs_but_loses/}}

}}

}}

{{Cite web |last=DeLassus |first=David |title=Oklahoma Yearly Results 1940–1944 |publisher=College Football Data Warehouse |url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/o/oklahoma/1940-1944_yearly_results.php |access-date=July 20, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905180811/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/o/oklahoma/1940-1944_yearly_results.php |url-status=dead }}

NFL draft

The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1941/draft.htm|title=1941 NFL Draft Listing|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=November 29, 2020}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Oklahoma Sooners|border=2|Round|Pick|Player|Position|NFL team}}

979Hal LaharGuardChicago Bears
14128Johnny MartinBackChicago Bears

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Oklahoma Sooners football navbox}}

Oklahoma

Category:Oklahoma Sooners football seasons

Oklahoma Sooners football

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{{Collegefootball-1940-season-stub}}