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American college football season
The 1942 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented Fresno State Normal School—now known as California State University, Fresno —as an independent during the 1942 college football season . Fresno State had been a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in 1941, but the conference suspended operating during World War II .[ 1] Led by seventh-year head coach James Bradshaw , the Bulldogs compiled a record of 9–1. They outscored opponents 362 to 45 for the season, and shut out opponents seven times. Fresno State played home games at Ratcliffe Stadium on the campus of Fresno City College in Fresno, California .
Fresno State was ranked at No. 43 (out of 590 college and military teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1942.[ 2]
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 26 Whittier W 51–04,272 [ 3]
October 3 Occidental Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA W 53–63,925 [ 4]
October 11 at San Diego State W 66–06,500 [ 5]
October 18 March Field Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA W 20–07,521 [ 6]
October 25 Fort Ord [ note 1] Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA W 80–05,979 [ 7]
October 31 at Pacific (CA) W 13–03,500 [ 8]
November 7 Nevada No. 18 Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA W 33–04,271 [ 9]
November 11 San Francisco Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA L 13–3312,519 [ 10]
November 26 San Jose State Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry ) W 6–010,142 [ 11]
November 29 at Loyola (CA) W 27–610,000 [ 12]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 13]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Final AP — — — 18 (1) — — — —
Team players in the NFL [ edit ]
The following Fresno State Bulldog players were selected in the 1944 NFL draft .[ 14] [ 15]
^ "Guachos Plan Sports Competition Despite League's Suspension" . Santa Barbara News-Press . Santa Barbara, California . September 27, 1942. p. 8. Retrieved January 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 16, 1942). "Litkenhous Rates Georgia No. 1, Ohio State No. 2" . Twin City Sentinel . p. 10 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Fresno State Beats Poets by Big Score" . The San Bernardino County Sun . San Bernardino, California. September 27, 1942. p. 17. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Fresno Crushes Oxy" . The San Bernardino County Sun . San Bernardino, California. October 4, 1942. p. 16. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Ed Orman (October 12, 1942). "FSC Drubs San Diego, 66 To 0, Leads Nation In Collegiate Scoring" . The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 2-B. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Ed Orman (October 19, 1942). "FSC Passes Acid Test In Romping Over March Field Eleven, 20 to 0" . The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 2-B. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Fresno Wins, 80 to 0; Tops Nation in Scoring" . The Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. October 26, 1942. p. II-9. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Ed Orman (November 1, 1942). "COP Holds Fresno State To 13 To 0 Win" . The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 1C. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Ed Orman (November 8, 1942). "Bulldog Star Ruins Nevada Team With His Flossy Flinging" . The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 1C. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Ed Orman (November 12, 1942). "Fresno State Folds in Clutch AS USF Captures Holiday Game, 33 To 13" . The Fresno Bee . Fresno, California. p. 2-B. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Fresno Scores Narrow 6-0 Win Over San Jose" . The Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. November 27, 1942. p. II-9. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Fresno State Outclasses Loyola Gridders, 27-6" . The Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. November 30, 1942. p. II-9. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Fresno State Football Media Guide" (PDF) . Fresno State Athletics. p. 119. Retrieved January 27, 2025 .
^ "1944 NFL Draft" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved December 7, 2016 .
^ "Fresno St. Players/Alumni" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved December 12, 2016 .
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