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1945 SMU Mustangs football
Conference Southwest Conference
Record5–6 (4–2 SWC)
Head coach
CaptainTom Dean, Howard Maley
Home stadium Ownby Stadium
Seasons
←  1944
1946 →
1945 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Texas $ 5 1 0 10 1 0
SMU 4 2 0 5 6 0
TCU 3 3 0 5 5 0
Rice 3 3 0 5 6 0
Texas A&M 3 3 0 6 4 0
Baylor 2 4 0 5 5 1
Arkansas 1 5 0 3 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1945 SMU Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1945 college football season. In their eighth, non-consecutive season under head coach Matty Bell, the Mustangs compiled a 5–6 record (4–2 against conference opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 201 to 110. After a stretch in which the team lost six of seven games, SMU finished the season with three consecutive shutout victories over Arkansas (21-0), Baylor (34-0), and TCU (34-0). [1] The team played its home games at Ownby Stadium in the University Park suburb of Dallas.

Three SMU players received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) and/or United Press (UP) on the 1945 All-Southwest Conference football team: back Doak Walker (AP-1, UP-1); end Gene Wilson (AP-1, UP-1); and tackle Tom Dean (AP-1, UP-1). [2] [3]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22 Blackland AAFW 51–06,500 [4]
September 298:00 p.m.at Corpus Christi NAS
L 7–2216,000 [5] [6] [7]
October 6 Missouri
  • Ownby Stadium
  • University Park, TX
L 7–10
October 12at No. 14 Oklahoma StateL 12–26
October 20 Rice
  • Ownby Stadium
  • University Park, TX ( rivalry)
W 21–18
October 27at TulaneL 7–1928,000 [8]
November 3 Texas
  • Ownby Stadium
  • University Park, TX
L 7–1223,000 [9]
November 10at Texas A&ML 0–3
November 17 Arkansas
  • Ownby Stadium
  • University Park, TX
W 21–0
November 24 Baylor
  • Ownby Stadium
  • University Park, TX
W 34–010,000
December 1at TCUW 34–0

References

  1. ^ "1945 SMU Mustangs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  2. ^ "AP 1945 First Team". The Paris News. December 10, 1945. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "All-Southwest Conference". The Shreveport Times. December 6, 1945. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Ratliff, Harold V. (September 23, 1945). "Powerful SMU Ponies Crush Blackland Air Field, 51-0". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. p. 10, section 1. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  5. ^ "Overflow Crowd, Rain Forecast For Comet-SMU Game Tonight". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. September 29, 1945. p. 1. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. ^ Lee, Bill (September 30, 1945). "Navy Comets Roar Over Southern Methodist, 22 To 7". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. p. 1D. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  7. ^ Lee, Bill (September 30, 1945). "Comets (continued)". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. p. 2D. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ "Intercepted passes give Tulane 19 to 7 triumph over SMU". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. October 28, 1945. Retrieved April 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Bobby Layne's passes give Steers victory late in game". Sunday American-Statesman. November 4, 1945. Retrieved April 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.