1943 Del Monte Pre-Flight Navyators football team

The 1943 Del Monte Pre-Flight Seahawks football team represented the United States Navy's Del Monte Pre-Flight School during the 1943 college football season. The school was located at the Hotel Del Monte in Del Monte, California (annexed in 1948 into Monterey, California), The team compiled a 7–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 252 to 65, and was ranked No. 8 in the final AP Poll.^[1]

1943 Del Monte Pre-Flight Navyators football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 8
Record	7–1
Head coach	Bill Kern (1st season)
Home stadium	Kezar Stadium
Seasons ← 1942 1944 →

1943 military service football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 17 Bainbridge			–					7	–	0	–	0
Bunker Hill NAS			–					6	–	0	–	0
Greensboro			–					4	–	0	–	0
Memphis NATTC			–					2	–	0	–	0
No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 10 March Field			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 8 Del Monte Pre-Flight			–					7	–	1	–	0
Randolph Field			–					9	–	1	–	1
Georgia Pre-Flight			–					5	–	1	–	0
No. 6 Great Lakes Navy			–					10	–	2	–	0
Lubbock AAF			–					5	–	1	–	0
Ottumwa NAS			–					5	–	1	–	0
Camp Davis			–					8	–	2	–	0
Sampson NTS			–					7	–	2	–	0
San Diego NTS			–					7	–	2	–	0
Keesler Field			–					3	–	1	–	0
Wright Field			–					1	–	0	–	1
Camp Lejeune			–					6	–	2	–	1
Fort Riley			–					6	–	2	–	1
Kearns Field			–					5	–	2	–	0
Fort Knox			–					4	–	2	–	0
Cherry Point Marines			–					4	–	2	–	1
Alameda Coast Guard			–					4	–	2	–	1
Fort Douglas			–					4	–	2	–	1
300th Infantry			–					5	–	3	–	0
176th Infantry			–					4	–	3	–	0
Blackland AAF			–					4	–	3	–	0
Fort Sheridan			–					4	–	3	–	0
Fort Warren			–					4	–	3	–	0
Norman NAS			–					4	–	3	–	0
Charleston Coast Guard			–					5	–	4	–	0
Salt Lake AAB			–					4	–	3	–	2
124th Infantry			–					2	–	2	–	0
Camp Kilmer			–					2	–	2	–	0
Camp Lee			–					5	–	5	–	0
Logan Navy			–					2	–	2	–	0
Spokane Air Service			–					2	–	2	–	0
Camp Edwards			–					4	–	5	–	0
Curtis Bay Coast Guard			–					4	–	5	–	0
Saint Mary's Pre-Flight			–					3	–	4	–	1
Jacksonville NATTC			–					3	–	4	–	0
Richmond AAB			–					4	–	6	–	1
Atlantic City NAS			–					2	–	3	–	0
North Carolina Pre-Flight			–					2	–	4	–	1
Patterson Field			–					2	–	4	–	1
Bowman Field			–					2	–	4	–	0
Kirtland Field			–					1	–	2	–	0
Lakehurst NAS			–					2	–	4	–	0
Camp Grant			–					2	–	6	–	2
Lowry Field			–					1	–	3	–	0
Fort Monroe			–					3	–	7	–	0
Daniel Field			–					2	–	7	–	0
Camp Gordon			–					1	–	4	–	0
South Plains AAF			–					1	–	4	–	0
Greenville AAB			–					1	–	5	–	0
Ward Island Marines			–					1	–	5	–	0
Bryan AAF			–					1	–	6	–	0
Pocatello AAB			–					0	–	3	–	0
Norfolk Fleet Marines			–					0	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Bill Kern, who had been the head coach at Carnegie Tech and West Virginia prior to the war, was the team's head coach. The team included a number of athletes who were then serving in the Navy. Notable players include: Paul Christman, an All-American quarterback at Missouri; Parker Hall, an All-American back out of Ole Miss who played in the NFL from 1939 to 1942; Len Eshmont, a back who played in the NFL in 1941; Ed Cifers, an end who played in the NFL from 1941 to 1942; Bowden Wyatt, an end out of Tennessee; and Jim McDonald, a back who played in the NFL from 1938 to 1939.^[2]

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, Del Monte Pre-Flight ranked 20th among the nation's college and service teams with a rating of 96.8.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	Alameda Coast Guard		Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 34–7	10,000	^[4]
October 3	Saint Mary's		Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 33–7	25,000	^[5]
October 10	Pleasanton Naval Distribution Center	No. 15	Del Monte, CA	W 34–6	6,000	^[6]
October 16	at No. 10 Pacific (CA)	No. 11	Baxter Field Stockton, CA	L 7–16	10,000	^[7]
October 24	at San Francisco	No. 15	Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 34–0	10,000	^[8]
November 6	at UCLA	No. 14	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles CA	W 26–7	15,000	^[9]
November 21	at St. Mary's Pre-Flight	No. 14	Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 37–14	45,000	^[10]
November 27	at California	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	W 47–8	10,000–12,000	^[11]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

References

1. "1943 Del Monte Pre-Flight Navyators Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
2. "Bill Kern Has Powerful Team at Del Monte". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 29, 1943. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Litkenhous, E. E. (December 17, 1943). "Litkenhouse Selects U. S. Grid Leaders". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 18. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
4. "Del Monte in 34-7 Victory Over Lions". Oakland Tribune. September 27, 1943. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Bob Blake (October 4, 1943). "Del Monte Officers Trounce Game St. Mary's, 33-7". Oakland Tribune. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Del Monte in 34 to 6 Rout". Oakland Tribune. October 11, 1943. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Pacific 16, Del Monte 7: Podesto & Co. Stop Touted Officer Play". Oakland Tribune. October 17, 1943. pp. 17–18 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Dons Victims of Del Monte". San Mateo Times. October 25, 1943. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Al Wolf (November 7, 1943). "Bruins Bow, 26-7: Del Monte Offices Run Wild". Los Angeles Times. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Bob Blake (November 22, 1943). "Bears Next For Del Monte". Oakland Tribune. pp. 22–23 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Lee Dunbar (November 28, 1943). "Del Monte Pre-Flight Beats Bears 47-8: Officers Make 5 Touchdowns". Oakland Tribune. pp. 15–16 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Daye, John (2014). Encyclopedia of Armed Forces Football. Haworth, New Jersey: St. Johann Press. pp. 141–142. ISBN 978-1-937943-21-9.