1939 College Football All-America Team Official list of the best college football players of 1939
The 1939 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1939. The nine selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1939 season are (1) Collier's Weekly Grantland Rice , (2) the Associated Press , (3) the United Press , (4) the All-America Board, (5) the International News Service (INS), (6) Liberty Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), (8) Newsweek Sporting News
Two players, USC guard Harry Smith and Cornell tackle Nick Drahos , were unanimously chosen by all nine official selectors. Two other players, Iowa halfback Nile Kinnick and Michigan halfback Tom Harmon were selected as first-team All-Americans by eight of the nine official selectors, with Kinnick winning the Heisman Trophy in 1939 and Harmon winning it in 1940.
Consensus All-Americans
For the year 1939, the NCAA recognizes nine published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.
Name
Position
School
Number
Official
Other
Harry Smith Guard USC 9/9
AAB, AP, CO, INS, LIB, NEA, NW, SN, UP
BL, CP, CW, LIFE, NYS, WC
Nick Drahos Tackle Cornell 9/9
AAB, AP, CO, INS, LIB, NEA, NW, SN, UP
CP, CW, LIFE, WC
Tom Harmon Halfback Michigan 8/9
AAB, AP, CO, INS, LIB, NW, SN, UP
BL, CP, CW, LIFE, NYS, WC
Nile Kinnick Halfback Iowa 8/9
AAB, AP, CO, INS, NEA, NW, SN, UP
BL, CP, CW, WC
John Kimbrough Fullback Texas A&M 7/9
AAB, AP, INS, LIB, NEA, NW, UP
BL, CP, LIFE, WC
Esco Sarkkinen End Ohio State
5/9
AAB, CO, NEA, NW, UP
CP, NYS, WC
Ken Kavanaugh End LSU
5/9
INS, LIB, NW, SN, UP
BL, CW, LIFE
Ed Molinski Guard Tennessee 5/9
AAB, AP, CO, LIB, NEA
--
George Cafego Quarterback Tennessee 4/9
INS, NW, SN, UP
CW, LIFE
John Schiechl Center Santa Clara
3/9
AAB, AP, CO, NEA
CP, WC
Paul Christman [ 1] Quarterback Missouri
4/9
AAB, CO, NEA, SN
CW, WC
Harley McCollum Tackle Tulane
3/9
AP, LIB, NEA
--
All-American selections for 1939
Ends
Esco Sarkkinen (AAB; AP-2; CO-1; NEA-1; NW-1; UP-1; CP-1; NYS-1; WC-1) Ken Kavanaugh (AP-2; INS-1; NW-1; LIB; SN; UP-1; BL; CP-2; CW-1; LIFE-1) Bud Kerr , Notre Dame (AAB; AP-1; INS-2; NEA-1; SN; UP-2; BL; CP-2; CW-1; LIFE-1; NYS-2; WC-1) Ralph Wenzel , Tulane (UP-3; CP-1; CW-2; LIFE-2; NYS-1) Paul Severin , North Carolina (AP-1; UP-3; NEA-2) Harlan Gustafson , Penn (AP-3; INS-1; CW-2; LIFE-2) Pop Ivy , Oklahoma (AP-3; CO-1) Dave Rankin , Purdue (LIB) Erwin Prasse , Iowa (UP-2; CP-3) Bob Ison , Georgia Tech (CP-3; NEA-3; NYS-2) Bob Nowaskey , George Washington (NEA-3) Hal Newman, Alabama (NEA-2)
Bill Anahu, Santa Clara (INS-2)
Tackles
Nick Drahos (AAB; AP-1; CO-1; INS-1; LIB; NEA-1; NW-1; SN; UP-1; CP-1; CW-1; LIFE-1; WC-1) Harley McCollum (AP-1; INS-2; NEA-1; LIB; CP-3) Harry Stella , Army (AP-2; INS-1; NW-1; UP-1; CW-2; LIFE-2) Joe Boyd , Texas A&M (AP-3; CO-1; NEA-2; SN; UP-2; BL; CP-2; CW-1; LIFE-2; NYS-1) Cliff Duggan , Oklahoma (INS-2; NEA-3; UP-2; BL; CP-1; LIFE-1; CW-2; NYS-1) Lee Artoe , California (AP-2) Ty Coon , North Carolina State (NEA-2; NYS-2) Win Pedersen , Minnesota (AP-3; UP-3) Mike Enich , Iowa (NEA-3) Phil Gaspar, USC (UP-3)
Bob Tierney, Princeton (CP-2)
Jim Reeder , Illinois (AAB; NYS-2; WC-1)
Guards
Harry Smith (AAB; AP-1; CO-1; INS-1; LIB; NEA-1; NW-1; SN; UP-1; BL; CP-1; CW-1; LIFE-1; NYS-1; WC-1) Ed Molinski (AAB; AP-1; CO-1; LIB; NEA-1; UP-2; CP-3; WC-1) Bob Suffridge , Tennessee (College Football Hall of Fame) (INS-1; NEA-3; NW-1; SN; UP-1; BL; CP-1; CW-1; LIFE-1; NYS-1) Marshall Robnett , Texas A&M (AP-2; UP-3) Jim Turner, Holy Cross (UP-3; CP-2; INS-2; NYS-2)
Elbie Schultz , Oregon State (AP-3; CP-3; CW-2; LIFE-2; NYS-2) Allen Johnson , Duke (INS-2; CW-2; LIFE-2) Mel Brewer , Illinois (UP-2) Warren Alfson , Nebraska (AP-2) Bob Waldorf , Missouri (NEA-2) Tommy O'Boyle , Tulane (NEA-2) Jack Sommers , UCLA (CP-2) Frank Ribar , Duke (AP-3) Joseph Enzler, Portland (NEA-3)
Carl Nery , Duquesne (CP-3)
Centers
Quarterbacks
Halfbacks
Tom Harmon (AAB; AP-1; UP-1; CO-1; CINS-1; NEA-3; NW-1; LIB; SN; BL; CP-1; CW-1; LIFE-1; NYS-1 [fb]; WC-1) Nile Kinnick (AAB; AP-1; UP-1; CO-1; INS-1; NEA-1; NW-1; SN; BL; CP-1; CW-1; LIFE-2; NYS-1; WC-1) Banks McFadden , Clemson (College Football Hall of Fame) (UP-3; CO-1 [fb]; CP-3; NEA-1) George McAfee , Duke (College and Pro Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; UP-2; CP-2; NEA-2; NYS-1; BL; LIFE-2) Kenny Washington , UCLA (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; UP-2; CP-3; INS-2; NEA-2; CW-2; NYS-2; LIB; LIFE-1) Grenny Lansdell , USC (AP-3; CP-1; CW-2) Dick Cassiano , Pitt (NEA-3; UP-3; CW-2; LIFE-2) Jim Lelanne, North Carolina (INS-2; LIFE-2)
Beryl Clark , Oklahoma (INS-2) Bob Hoffman , USC (NYS-2) Jack Crain , Texas (AP-3)
Fullbacks
John Kimbrough (AAB; AP-1; INS-1; NEA-1; NW-1; LIB; UP-1; BL; CP-1; CW-2; LIFE-1; NYS-2; WC-1) Milt Piepul , Notre Dame (UP-2) Dom Principe , Fordham (AP-3; UP-3; CP-3; NEA-3)
Key
Bold = Consensus All-American[ 2]
-1 – First-team selection
-2 – Second-team selection
-3 – Third-team selection
Official selectors
Other selectors
See also
References
^ Quarterbacks George Cafego and Paul Christman both received four official first-team honor. However, Christman is not currently recognized by the NCAA as a consensus All-American.
^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 7. Retrieved October 21, 2017 .^ a b c ESPN College Football Encyclopedia . ESPN Books. 2005. p. 1178. ISBN 1401337031 ^ "The 1939 A.P. All America". San Antonio Express . December 9, 1939. ^ "All America Is Picked By Colliers". Wisconsin State Journal . December 9, 1939. ^ "Kimbrough Named To INS All America Team". Port Arthur News . November 24, 1939. ^ Harry Grayson (November 28, 1939). "NEA Picks All America Eleven: Nile Kinnick Named Back of Season". Ironwood Daily Globe .^ "Newsweek Picks Super Eleven". Wisconsin State Journal . December 9, 1939. ^ "U.P. Team Lists Kinnick As Best". Brainerd Daily Dispatch . November 29, 1939. ^ "The 1939 All-American, All-Scout Team" . Boys' Life . February 1940. p. 25.^ Walter Johns (December 10, 1939). "South Dominates Captains' All-American". Wisconsin State Journal . ^ "Harmon Is Chosen Captain on Collegiate Writers' All-American" . Columbia Daily Spectator . December 13, 1939. p. 1.^ "Bill Stern, Top NBC Announcer, Picks His 1939 All-America Team" . Life . November 20, 1939. p. 94.^ "N.Y. Sun Picks All American". Modesto Bee And News-Herald . December 2, 1939. ^ "Walter Camp Football Foundation All-American Selections" . Walter Camp Football Foundation. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007.