1939 Princeton Tigers football team

The 1939 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University as an independent during the 1939 college football season. In its second season under head coach Tad Wieman, the team compiled a 7–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 132 to 65.[1][2] Princeton played its 1939 home games at Palmer Stadium in Princeton, New Jersey.

1939 Princeton Tigers football
ConferenceIndependent
Record7–1
Head coach
CaptainBob Tierney
Home stadiumPalmer Stadium
Seasons
← 1938
1940 →
1939 Eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Cornell     8 0 0
No. 10 Duquesne     8 0 1
Swarthmore     6 0 1
Scranton     7 0 2
Princeton     7 1 0
La Salle     6 1 1
Penn State     5 1 2
No. 11 Boston College     9 2 0
No. 17 Fordham     6 2 0
Villanova     6 2 0
Boston University     5 3 0
Brown     5 3 1
Dartmouth     5 3 1
Hofstra     4 3 0
NYU     5 4 0
Pittsburgh     5 4 0
Harvard     4 4 0
Manhattan     4 4 0
Penn     4 4 0
Syracuse     3 3 2
Vermont     3 3 2
Tufts     3 4 1
Yale     3 4 1
Army     3 4 2
Bucknell     3 5 0
Carnegie Tech     3 5 0
Providence     3 5 0
Columbia     2 4 2
Massachusetts State     2 5 2
Colgate     2 5 1
Temple     2 7 0
CCNY     1 7 0
Buffalo     0 7 0
Rankings from AP Poll

Princeton was ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll issued prior to its final game against Navy. Despite defeating Navy by a 28–0 score, the Tigers dropped out of the final AP Poll. Princeton's sole loss was to the 1939 Cornell Big Red football team that finished the season undefeated and ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll.

Princeton was not ranked in the final AP poll, but it was ranked at No. 14 in the 1939 Williamson System ratings,[3] and at No. 24 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.[4]

Tackle Bob Tierney was Princeton's team captain.[5] Guard James H. Worth received the John Prentiss Poe Cup, the team's highest award.[6]

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 7WilliamsW 26–615,000[7]
October 14Cornell
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ
L 7–2035,000[8]
October 21at ColumbiaNew York, NYW 14–730,000[9]
October 28Brown
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ
W 26–1225,000[10]
November 4Harvard
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ (rivalry)
W 9–6[11]
November 11 No. 14 Dartmouth
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ
W 9–745,000[12]
November 18at YaleW 13–735,000[13]
November 25NavyNo. 19
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ
W 28–035,000[14]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

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  1. ^ "1939 Princeton Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  2. ^ "2008 Princeton Tigers Football Media Guide" (PDF). Princeton University. p. 127. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  3. ^ Paul Williamson (December 8, 1941). "Texas Aggies Ranked Nation's Top". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ E. E. Litkenhous (December 31, 1939). "Vols Second In Final Litkenhous Grid Rankings; Southern California Tenth". Johnson City Sunday Press. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Princeton Lettermen Name Tackle Tierney '39 Captain". Chicago Tribune. November 23, 1938. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Princeton's Poe Cup Awarded To Worth". The Paterson Morning Call. December 6, 1939. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Princeton Takes Williams, 26 to 6". New York Daily News. October 8, 1939. p. 99 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Cornell's Early Attack Routs Princeton, 20-7". The Sunday Times. October 15, 1939. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Hy Turkin (October 22, 1939). "Princeton 'Airs' Columbia, 14-7". New York Daily News. p. 89 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Princeton Beats Brown, 26 to 12". New York Daily News. October 29, 1939. p. C41 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Bob Sylvester (November 5, 1939). "Princeton Beats Harvard, 9 to 6". New York Daily News. p. C38 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Princeton Upsets Dartmouth". The Sunday Times, New Brunswick, N.J. November 12, 1939. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Princeton Comes From Behind In Final Period To Overcome Yale Team By 13-7: Tigers Get Two Quick Touchdowns". The Hartford Courant. November 19, 1939. p. IV-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Princeton Air Attack Crushes Middies, 28 to 0". The Sunday Times, New Brunswick, N.J. November 26, 1939. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.