1942 St. Thomas Tommies football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1942
| team = St. Thomas Tommies
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
| short_conf = MIAC
| record = 8–0
| conf_record = 5–0
| head_coach = Willie Walsh
| hc_year = 2nd
| captain =
| stadium = O'Shaughnessy Field
| champion = MIAC champion
}}
{{1942 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
The 1942 St. Thomas Tommies football team was an American football team that represented the University of St. Thomas of Saint Paul, Minnesota, as a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) during the 1942 college football season. In their second year under head coach Willie Walsh, the Tommies compiled a perfect 8–0 record (5–0 against MIAC opponents), won the MIAC championship, and outscored all opponents by a total of 153 to 22. On defense, they shut out four of eight opponents and gave up an average of only 2.75 points per game.{{cite web|title=1942 - Saint Thomas (MN)|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse|accessdate=May 3, 2023|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/game_by_game_current.php?teamid=2850&year=1942|archive-date=September 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910190146/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/game_by_game_current.php?teamid=2850&year=1942|url-status=dead}} St. Thomas had additional perfect seasons in 1910, 1913, 1923, 1944, and 1956.{{cite web|title=Saint Thomas (MN) Records by Year|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse|accessdate=May 3, 2023|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/year_by_year_current.php?teamid=2850|archive-date=September 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906080426/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/year_by_year_current.php?teamid=2850|url-status=dead}}
St. Thomas took six of the eleven first-team spots on the 1942 All-MIAC football teams selected by both the United Press and the conference coaches. First-team honors went to the following St. Thomas players: halfback Gene Neitge (UP-1, Coaches-1), fullback Bob Pates (UP-1, Coaches-1), end Dick Jewett (UP-1, Coaches-1), tackle Frank Wambach (UP-1, Coaches-1), guard John Knox (UP-1, Coaches-1), center Gene O'Brien (UP-1, Coaches-1).{{cite news|title=Johns Place 3 on UP All-State|newspaper=The St. Cloud Daily Times|date=November 13, 1942|page=9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-cloud-times-johns-place-3-on-up-all/124005629/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=6 Tommies All State|newspaper=Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal|date=November 22, 1942|page=Peach 7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-minneapolis-star-6-tommies-all-state/124005974/|via=Newspapers.com}}
The team played its home games at O'Shaugnessy Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| attend = y
| source = y
|September 18||{{cfb link|year=1942|team=Bemidji State Beavers|title=Bemidji State}}
|September 25||{{cfb link|year=1942|team=Macalester Scots|title=Macalester}}|O'Shaugnessy Field|Saint Paul, MN|W 12-0||{{cite news|title=Tommies Out-mud Macalester, 12 to 0|newspaper=Minneapolis Morning Tribune|date=September 26, 1942|page=Peach 9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-tommies-out-mud-macalester/124010969/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 2||{{cfb link|year=1942|team=Saint Mary's Redmen|title=Saint Mary's (MN)}}|O'Shaugnessy Field|Saint Paul, MN|W 20-6||{{cite news|title=Two Tilts Todaay May Bring Threat to Winning Tommies: Walsh's Gridders Continue Win Streak|newspaper=Minneapolis Star Journal|author=Rolf Felstad|date=October 3, 1942|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-minneapolis-star-two-tilts-todaay-ma/124011598/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 9||{{cfb link|year=1942|team=Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties|title=Gustavus Adolphus}}|O'Shaugnessy Field|Saint Paul, MN|W 27-2||{{cite news|title=Tommies Blast Gusties, 27 to 2: Score Third League Win; Pates, Neitge Shine for Victors|newspaper=Minneapolis Morning Tribune|date=October 10, 1942|page=Peach 9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-tommies-blast-gusties-27-t/124010651/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=2 Tilts Bar Tom Title|newspaper=Minneapolis Star Journal|date=October 10, 1942|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-minneapolis-star-2-tilts-bar-tom-tit/124010424/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 16|at|{{cfb link|year=1942|team=St. Ambrose Fighting Bees|title=St. Ambrose}}
|October 23|at|{{cfb link|year=1942|team=St. Olaf Oles|title=St. Olaf}}||Northfield, MN|W 28-0||{{cite news|title=Toms Jolt St. Olaf, 28-0|newspaper=Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal|date=October 24, 1942|page=Peach 7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-minneapolis-star-toms-jolt-st-olaf/124009716/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 30||{{cfb link|year=1942|team=Saint John's Johnnies|title=Saint John's (MN)}}|O'Shaugnessy Field|Saint Paul, MN|W 18-0||{{cite news|title=Coach Benda Hails Title Tommies: Crack Walsh Team Smacks Johnnies, 18-0|newspaper=Minneapolis Star Journal|date=October 31, 1942|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-minneapolis-star-coach-benda-hails-t/124009515/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 8|at|{{cfb link|year=1942|team=Loras Duhawks|title=Loras}}
}}