1944 El Toro Flying Marines football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1944
| team = El Toro Flying Marines
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Independent
| APRank = 16
| record = 8–1
| head_coach = Dick Hanley
| hc_year = 1st
| captain =
| stadium = Santa Ana Municipal Bowl
}}
{{1944 military service football records}}
The 1944 El Toro Flying Marines football team represented the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station during the 1944 college football season. The station was located in Orange County, California, near the town of El Toro (later renamed Lake Forest). The team compiled an 8–1 record and was ranked No. 16 in the final AP poll. Lt. Col. Dick Hanley was the team's head coach.{{cite news|title=Hanley's Marines To Unleash Power|newspaper=The Fresno Bee|page=2B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17790113/hanleys_marines_to_unleash_power/|via=Newspapers.com}} Cliff Battles and Jim Tuttle were assistant coaches.
In the final Litkenhous Ratings, El Toro ranked 23rd among the nation's college and service teams and first out of six United States Marine Corps teams with a rating of 100.0.{{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
| attend = y
| source = y
| rank = y
| rankyear = 1944
| poll = AP
|September 16|at|Fleet City||Camp Shoemaker|Dublin, CA|W 13-7|6,000|{{cite news|title=Marines Edge Sailors, 13-7|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 17, 1944|page=II-5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17792810/marines_edge_sailors_137/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|September 30||Fairfield-Suisun AAB||Municipal Bowl|Santa Ana, CA|W 56-0||{{cite news|title=Flying Marines Spank Army Eleven, 56 to 0|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=October 1, 1944|page=II-6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17792375/flying_marines_spank_army_eleven_56_to/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 7||{{cfb link|year=1944|team=Beaumont General Hospital Raiders|title=Beaumont General Hospital}}||Municipal Bowl|Santa Ana, CA|W 52-0||{{cite news|title=California Marines Best Beaumont Team|newspaper=The Paris (TX) News|date=October 8, 1944|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17791812/california_marines_best_beaumont_team/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 15|at|San Diego NTS||San Diego, CA||W 6-0||{{cite news|title=Marines Edge San Diego Navy By Touchdown|newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun|date=October 16, 1944|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17790828/marines_edge_san_diego_navy_by_touchdown/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 22|at|No. 14 March Field||Wheelock Field|Riverside, CA|L 14-20|16,000|{{cite news|title=March Field Whips Marines In Hard Game; 16,000 See Fliers Check El Toro Rally, Win 20-14|newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun|date=October 23, 1944|page=9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17776772/march_field_whips_marines_in_hard_game/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 28||Fleet City||Municipal Bowl|Santa Ana, CA|W 14-0|8,000|{{cite news|title=Fleet City Gobs Drop 14-0 Tussle To El Toro Marines|newspaper=Nevada State Journal|date=October 29, 1944|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17791038/fleet_city_gobs_drop_140_tussle_to_el/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 11|at|Coronado Amphibious Training Base|17|Balboa Stadium|San Diego, CA|W 51-7||{{cite news|title=El Toro Marines Trounce Coronado|newspaper=The Fresno Bee|date=November 11, 1944|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17791233/el_toro_marines_trounce_coronado/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 18|at|{{cfb link|year=1944|team=Fort Bliss Anti-Aircraft Gunners|title=Fort Bliss}}|15||El Paso, TX|W 42-0||{{cite news|title=El Toro Maines Swamp Foes, 42-0|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 19, 1944|page=II-6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17792544/el_toro_marines_swamp_foes_420/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 25|vs|San Francisco Coast Guard|16||Santa Barbara, CA|W 60-0||{{cite news|title=El Toro Clouts Pilots, 60-0|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 26, 1944|page=II-6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17792466/el_toro_clouts_pilots_600/|via=Newspapers.com}}
}}
Rankings
{{see also|1944 college football rankings}}
{{Ranking movements
| poll1title = AP
| poll1firstweek = 1
| poll1lastweek = 9
| poll1_1=NR
| poll1_2=NR
| poll1_3=NR
| poll1_4=NR
| poll1_5=17
| poll1_6=15
| poll1_7=16
| poll1_8=18т
| poll1_9=16
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{World War II service football teams navbox}}