1944 Bainbridge Commodores football team

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1944

| team = Bainbridge Commodores

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Independent

| APRank = 5

| record = 10–0

| head_coach = Joe Maniaci

| hc_year = 2nd

| captain =

| stadium = Tome Field

}}

The 1944 Bainbridge Naval Training Station Commodores football team represented the United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge, Maryland during the 1944 college football season. The team compiled a 10–0 record and was ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll. Joe Maniaci was the team's head coach.{{cite news|title=Wonder Team of Bainbridge To Have Its Chance|newspaper=The Daily Mail|date=November 17, 1943|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17751651/wonder_team_of_bainbridge_to_have_its/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Bainbridge players took five of eleven spots on the Associated Press' All-Mid-Atlantic football team: end Ed Vandeweghe, guard Buster Ramsey, center Lou Sossamon, and backs Charlie Justice and Harvey Johnson.{{cite news|title=Bainbridge Dominates All-Mid-Atlantic Team|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=December 5, 1944|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17766228/bainbridge_dominates_allmidatlantic/|via=Newspapers.com}} Justice led the team in both scoring (14 touchdowns for 84 points) and rushing (529 yards on 48 carries for an average of 11.0 yards per carry).{{cite news|title=Charlie Justice Leads Bainbridge Scoring|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=December 5, 1944|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17766337/charlie_justice_leads_bainbridge_scoring/|via=Newspapers.com}} Harry Hopp was the team's second leading rusher with 520 yards on 83 carries (6.3 yards per carry).

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, Bainbridge ranked 28th among the nation's college and service teams and fifth out of 28 United States Navy teams with a rating of 98.8.{{cite news |last=Litkenhous |first=E. E. |authorlink=Edward E. Litkenhous |title=Big Ten Circuit Repeats As King of College Leagues |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune/122545021/ |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune |location=Salt Lake City Utah |date=December 10, 1944 |page=8B |access-date=April 9, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |last=Litkenhous |first=E. E. |authorlink=Edward E. Litkenhous |title=Army, Randolph Field One-Two in Final Litkenhouse Ratings |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-sun-telegraph/122892812/ |newspaper=Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph |location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |date=December 17, 1944 |page=4, section 2 |access-date=April 15, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

Schedule

{{CFB schedule

| rankyear = 1944

| poll = AP

| timezone = Eastern

| time = y

| rank = y

| attend = y

| source = y

|September 30|2:30 p.m.||Camp Lee||Tome Field|Bainbridge, MD|W 43-0| |{{cite news |author= |title=Navy To Open Grid Season With Cloudbusters Today |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/122739095/ |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |location=Baltimore, Maryland |date=September 30, 1944 |page=12 |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news|title=Commodores Top Camp Lee: Bainbridge Eleven Downs Soldiers By 43-0 Score|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|page=21|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17766834/commodores_top_camp_lee_bainbridge/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 9|||{{cfb link|year=1944|team=Camp Lejeune Marines|title=Camp Lejeune}}||Tome Field|Bainbridge, MD|W 53-7| |{{cite news|title=Marines Bow To Bainbridge: Camp Lejeune Eleven Buried Under 53-7|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=October 9, 1944|page=17|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17767735/marines_bow_to_bainbridge_camp_lejeune/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 15|||Camden Blue Devils|18|Tome Field|Bainbridge, MD|W 47-7| |{{cite news|title=Bainbridge Gridders Swamp Camden Pro Eleven, 47-7|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=October 16, 1944|page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17767841/bainbridge_gridders_swamp_camden_pro/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 22||at|Camp Peary|18| |Williamsburg, VA|W 7-0| |{{cite news|title=Camp Peary Bows To Bainbridge, 7-0|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=October 23, 1944|page=15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17767171/camp_peary_bows_to_bainbridge_70/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 29||at|Maxwell Field|13|Cramton Bowl|Montgomery, AL|W 15-7| |{{cite news|title=Maxwell Bows To Bainbridge: Commodores Barely Manage To Edge Soldiers, 15-7|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=October 30, 1944|page=15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17767620/maxwell_bows_to_bainbridge_commodores/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 5|2:30 p.m.|at|No. 8 North Carolina Pre-Flight|12|Kenan Memorial Stadium|Chapel Hill, NC|W 49-20|22,000|{{cite news |author= |title='Busters Buck Bainbridge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100856510/the-charlotte-observer/ |newspaper=The Charlotte Observer |location=Charlotte, North Carolina |date=November 5, 1944 |page=23 |access-date=May 1, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news|title=Bainbridge Wins, 49 to 20: Commodores Humble North Carolina Pre-Flight Eleven|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=November 6, 1944|page=17|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17767277/bainbridge_wins_49_to_20_commodores/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 11|||Cherry Point Marines|6|Tome Field|Bainbridge, MD|W 50-7| |{{cite news|title=Bainbridge Flattens Cherry Point Marines, 50-7, For 14th Straight Win: Victors Tally 8 Touchdowns|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=November 12, 1944|page=21|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17767040/bainbridge_flattens_cherry_point/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 19||at|Camp Lejeune|6| |Camp Lejeune, NC|W 33-6| |{{cite news|title=Bainbridge Triumphs, 33-6: Trounces Camp Lejeune As Justice Scores 3 Times|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=November 20, 1944|page=15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17766727/bainbridge_triumphs_336_trounces/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 25|||Camp Peary|5|Tome Field|Bainbridge, MD|W 21-13|13,000|{{cite news|title=Bainbridge Continues Undefeated With 21-13 Victory Over Camp Peary|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=November 26, 1944|page=23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17766521/bainbridge_continues_undefeated_with/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|December 3|||Maxwell Field|5|Tome Field|Bainbridge, MD|W 13-3||{{cite news|title=Bainbridge Triumphs, 13-3: Unbeaten Sailors Top Maxwell Field For 17th Victory|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=December 4, 1944|page=16|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17767496/bainbridge_triumphs_133_unbeaten/|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}