1942 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1942
| team = Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Independent
| record = 8–3–1
| APRank = 1 (APS)
| head_coach = Tony Hinkle
| hc_year = 1st
| captain =
| stadium = Soldier Field
}}
{{1942 military service football records}}
The 1942 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team represented the United States Navy's Great Lakes Naval Training Station (Great Lakes NTS) during the 1942 college football season. Playing a schedule that included six Big Nine Conference football teams, Notre Dame, Pitt, Michigan State, and Missouri, the team compiled an 8–3–1 record, shut out seven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 222 to 55.{{cite web|title=1942 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets Schedule and Results|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|accessdate=March 1, 2018|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/great-lakes-navy/1942-schedule.html}}{{cite web|title=1942 Great Lakes|author=Jack Scott|publisher=College Football Historical Society Newsletter|via=LA84 Foundation|accessdate=March 1, 2018|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv11/CFHSNv11n4e.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825211817/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv11/CFHSNv11n4e.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 25, 2016}} The team was ranked No. 1 among the service teams in a poll of 91 sports writers conducted by the Associated Press.{{cite news|title=Great Lakes Is Leading Service Team Of Nation|newspaper=Ashville Citizen-Times|date=December 6, 1942|page=D2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17922930/great_lakes_is_leading_service_team_of/|via=Newspapers.com}}
The team's head coach was Tony Hinkle, who coached football, baseball, and basketball at Butler University before the war. Butler agreed in March 1942 to send Hinkle to Great Lakes NTS to assist in the war effort.{{cite news|title=Butler Sacrifices Hinkle for War Effort: Tony to Join Great Lakes Staff|newspaper=The Indianapolis News|date=March 4, 1942|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17894706/butler_sacrifices_hinkle_for_war/}}
The team was made up of college and professional football players who were serving in the Navy and stationed at Great Lakes NTS. The team was led on offense by Bruce Smith, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1941 while playing for Minnesota. Other players included: Rudy Mucha, a consensus All-American center in 1940 who spent the 1941 season in the NFL, Bob Sweiger (fullback, Minnesota), Pete Kmetovic (halfback, Stanford), Vic Marino (All-Big Ten guard from Ohio State) Bill Radovich (guard, USC/Detroit Lions), Carl Mulleneaux (end, Utah State), and Steve Belichick, father of Bill Belichick who played for the Detroit Lions in 1941.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| rankyear = 1942
| poll = AP
| attend = y
| source = y
|September 26|at|Michigan|Michigan Stadium|Ann Arbor, MI|L 0-9|17,031|{{cite news|title=Michigan Upsets Great Lakes, 9-0: Aerial Drive to Touchdown in Second Period, Field Goal in the Third Decide; Chappius Paces Attack|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 27, 1942|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/09/27/archives/michigan-upsets-great-lakes-90-aerial-drive-to-touchdown-in-second.html?sq=michigan+%2526+%2522great+lakes%2522&scp=1&st=p| accessdate= 14 January 2012 }}
|October 3|at|Iowa|Iowa Stadium|Iowa City, IA|W 25-0|8,600|{{cite news|title=Great Lakes Wilts Iowa, 25-0|newspaper=The Des Moines Register|author=Bert McGrane|date=October 4, 1942|pages=5-1, 5-9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17887345/great_lakes_wilts_iowa_250/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 10|vs|Pittsburgh|Cleveland Municipal Stadium|Cleveland, OH|W 7-6|12,315|{{cite news |title=Pitt Loses, 7-6, As Great Lakes Rallies in 4th |date=October 11, 1942 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |page=2-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17887376/pitt_loses_76_as_great_lakes_rallies/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 17||No. 7 Wisconsin|Soldier Field|Chicago, IL|L 7-13|30,000|{{cite news|title=Badger Rally Wins, 13-7, Over Great Lakes|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|author=Irving Vaughan|date=October 18, 1942|pages=2-1, 2-8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17887416/badger_rally_wins_137_over_great/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 24|at|Michigan State|Macklin Field|East Lansing, MI|L 0-14|12,000|{{cite news|title=Michigan State Wins; State Upsets Favored Navy Team, 14 to 0|newspaper=Lansing State Journal|date=October 25, 1942|pages=17–18|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17887446/michigan_state_wins_state_upsets/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 31|vs.|Missouri|Sportsman's Park|St. Louis, MO|W 17-0|16,627|{{cite news|title=Great Lakes' Individual Play Overcomes Teamwork of Missouri U. and Sailors Win, 17 to 0, Before 16,627|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=November 1, 1942|pages=1D, 2D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17887487/great_lakes_individual_play_overcomes/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 7|at|Purdue|Ross–Ade Stadium|West Lafayette, IN|W 42-0|12,000|{{cite news|title=Purdue Routed, 42-0: Bluejackets Have Field Day|newspaper=The Muncie Sunday Star|date=November 8, 1942|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17887531/purdue_routed_420_bluejackets_have/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 11|at|Camp Grant|Bell Bowl|Camp Grant, IL|W 33-0|8,000|{{cite news|title=Great Lakes Whips Camp Grant Eleven, 33-0|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=November 12, 1942|author=Irving Vaughan|pages=25, 27|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17890669/great_lakes_whips_camp_grant_eleven/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 15|at|Marquette|Marquette Stadium|Milwaukee, WI|W 24-0|20,000|{{cite news|title=Marquette Tires, Great Lakes Wins Tilt 24 to 0|newspaper=Ironwood Daily Globe|date=November 16, 1942|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17890465/marquette_tires_great_lakes_wins_tilt/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 21|at|Illinois|Memorial Stadium|Champaign, IL|W 6-0|10,856|{{cite news|title=Sweiger Score Tips Illini, 6-0|newspaper=Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal|date=November 22, 1942|page=29|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17890343/sweiger_score_tips_illini_60/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 26|at|Northwestern|Dyche Stadium|Evanston, IL|W 48-0|18,500|{{cite news|title=Great Lakes Power Plays Crush N. U. 48-0|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|author=Wilfrid Smith|date=November 27, 1942|pages=2-1, 2-21|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17890243/great_lakes_power_plays_crush_n_u_480/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|December 5||No. 8 Notre Dame|Soldier Field|Chicago, IL|T 13-13|35,000|{{cite news|title=Notre Dame Rally Ties Great Lakes, 13 to 13|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|author=Wilfrid Smith|date=December 6, 1942|pages=2-1, 2-3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17887585/notre_dame_rally_ties_great_lakes_13/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
{{cite book |last=Daye |first=John |date=2014 |title=Encyclopedia of Armed Forces Football |location=Haworth, New Jersey |publisher=St. Johann Press |page=118 |isbn=978-1-937943-21-9 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{World War II service football teams navbox}}