Re: Hill Watch...85 days!!!

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85 Seasons Ago Clemson Football Finished 6-2-1 in 1940

Jun 6, 2025, 12:01 AM

As war rages across Europe, Clemson football sees the end of one era! And the beginning of an even greater era!! Line Coach Frank Howard takes the reins! And Clemson scored on the first offensive play under Head Coach Howard!

Also: Clemson’s class ring is designed and introduced!

Overview:

According to Wikipedia:

“The 1940 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson College in the Southern Conference during the 1940 college football season. In their first season under head coach Frank Howard, the Tigers compiled a 6–2–1 record (4–0 against conference opponents), won the Southern Conference championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 182 to 73.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940_Clemson_Tigers_football_team

Head Coach Frank Howard:

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Howard_(American_football))

Worthy of Note:

According to ClemsonTigers.com:

“Jan. 10, 1940 – Jess Neely resigned as athletic director and football coach to accept the head football coaching job at Rice. Neely had inherited a $47,000 deficit when he arrived in 1931 and earned Clemson $100,000 during his tenure, and left with $57,000 in the treasury. His overall record at Clemson was 43-35-7. He would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

Jan. 11, 1940 – Frank Howard was named head coach. At the Athletic Council meeting that day, Howard was nominated for the position by Professor Sam Rhodes, a council member. When a call for a second was asked, Howard, standing in the back of the room, said: “I second the nomination.” It is perhaps the only recorded time in history a coach has seconded his own nomination for head coach.

July 25, 1940 – Banks McFadden accepted a bid to play in the College All-Star game against the Green Bay Packers on August 29. He scored one of the two touchdowns for the College All-Stars.

Sept. 1, 1940 – Banks McFadden signed a one-year contract to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers professional football team. He led the NFL in yards per carry in 1940, but did not like the bright lights of New York and returned to Clemson.

Sept. 21, 1940 – In Frank Howard’s first game as head coach, Clemson scored on the first offensive play as George Floyd reversed around left end and raced 18 yards untouched for a touchdown. The Tigers went on to a 38-0 win over Presbyterian.

Oct. 12, 1940 – Clemson shutout Wake Forest 39-0 in Clemson’s second game of the season at Riggs Field. It was Clemson’s third shutout in the first four games of the Howard era. It was the last home game of the season for the Tigers, who would go on to win the Southern Conference title even though seven of the nine games were on the road.

Oct. 24, 1940 – Frank Howard won his first game as head coach in the rivalry with South Carolina. The Tigers were victorious 21-13 thanks to five interceptions by the Tiger defense. Howard coached in 30 Clemson-South Carolina games. Incredible as it may seem, both Clemson and South Carolina scored exactly 411 total points in those 30 games.

Oct. 28, 1940 – It didn’t take Howard long to get the Tigers into the nation’s top 10. With the 5-0 start the Tigers earned 136 poll points and ranked No. 10 in the nation, Clemson’s first top-10 ranking in the AP poll. Two writers ranked Clemson No. 1.

Nov. 23, 1940 – Clemson won the Southern Conference title with a 13-7 win over Furman. Ed Maness led the way for the Tigers with 136 yards rushing on 18 carries. It was the first of eight conference titles for the Tigers under Frank Howard.”

https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-football-historical-timeline/

Wikipedia adds similar insights:

“Red Sharpe was the team captain. The team's statistical leaders included tailback Chippy Maness with 388 passing yards and 472 rushing yards and wingback Aubrey Rion with 28 points scored (4 touchdowns, 4 extra points).

Three Clemson players were selected as first-team players on the 1940 All-Southern Conference football team: end Joe Blalock; tackle George Fritts; and back Charlie Timmons.

Clemson was ranked at No. 54 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_Clemson_Tigers_football_team

Clemson star Charlie Timmons:

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Timmons)

Clemson star Joe Blalock:

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Blalock_

Results:

September 21: at Presbyterian* W 38–0
September 28: Wofford* W 26–0
October 5: vs. NC State (Charlotte) W 26–7
October 12: Wake Forest W 39–0
October 24: at South Carolina W 21–13
November 2: at Tulane L 0–13
November 9: at Auburn* L 7–21
November 16: at Southwestern (TN)* (Memphis) T 12–12
November 23: at Furman W 13–7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940_Clemson_Tigers_football_team

It seems crazy that Clemson played only two home games. The final home game was on October 12! Up until that point, Clemson had outscored its opponents 129-7!! The final five games were all on the road. Clemson went 2-2-1 in those final road games.

With yet another win over the Chickens, the series is looking quite one-sided! Clemson now improved its record vs the Gamechickens to 26-11-1. It is the first Clemson streak of 7 straight wins over the Chickens – but it is not the last.

Also in 1940:

According to ClemsonWiki:

“Clemson's official class ring design is adopted and was designed by a group of architecture students. The ring is copyrighted so that only Clemson alumni can wear it.”

…

“June 1: The Amphitheater is officially presented to the college by the Class of 1915.”

https://clemsonwiki.com/wiki/1940

Additional Info on First Year Head Coach Frank Howard:

From Wikipedia:

“Howard joined the staff at Clemson College and became head coach in 1940. Howard coached the Clemson Tigers for 30 years, amassing the 15th most wins of any college football coach. He led Clemson to ten bowl games, an undefeated season in 1948, and several top-20 rankings during his tenure as head coach.

During his stay at Clemson, Howard also oversaw the athletic department, ticket sales, and was an assistant coach for the baseball team. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Clemson Ring of Honor.

The playing surface at Clemson's Memorial Stadium is named after him.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Howard_(American_football)

Great work, Coach!! Great work!!

Meanwhile: The fighting in Europe was nothing short of horrific!! According to History.com:

“On April 9, 1940, Germany simultaneously invaded Norway and occupied Denmark, and the war began in earnest. On May 10, German forces swept through Belgium and the Netherlands in what became known as “blitzkrieg,” or lightning war. Three days later, Hitler’s troops crossed the Meuse River and struck French forces at Sedan, located at the northern end of the Maginot Line, an elaborate chain of fortifications constructed after World War I and considered an impenetrable defensive barrier. In fact, the Germans broke through the line with their tanks and planes and continued to the rear, rendering it useless. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was evacuated by sea from Dunkirk in late May, while in the south French forces mounted a doomed resistance. With France on the verge of collapse, Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini formed an alliance with Hitler, the Pact of Steel, and Italy declared war against France and Britain on June 10.

On June 14, German forces entered Paris; a new government formed by Marshal Philippe Petain (France’s hero of World War I) requested an armistice two nights later. France was subsequently divided into two zones, one under German military occupation and the other under Petain’s government, installed at Vichy France. Hitler now turned his attention to Britain, which had the defensive advantage of being separated from the Continent by the English Channel.
To pave the way for an amphibious invasion (dubbed Operation Sea Lion), German planes bombed Britain extensively beginning in September 1940 until May 1941, known as the Blitz, including night raids on London and other industrial centers that caused heavy civilian casualties and damage.”

https://www.history.com/articles/world-war-ii-history

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Clemson: Academic Excellence! Athletic Excellence!

Hill Watch...85 days!!!