1939 College Football All-America Team facts for kids
The 1939 College Football All-America team was a special group of college football players. These players were chosen as the best in the country during the 1939 season. Different sports groups and writers picked their own "All-America" teams.
The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) recognized nine main groups that chose these teams in 1939. These groups included well-known names like Collier's Weekly, the Associated Press, and the United Press.
Two players were picked by all nine of these official groups. They were Harry Smith, a guard from USC, and Nick Drahos, a tackle from Cornell. Two other amazing players, Nile Kinnick from Iowa and Tom Harmon from Michigan, were chosen by eight of the nine groups. Nile Kinnick won the famous Heisman Trophy in 1939. Tom Harmon won it the next year, in 1940.
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Top All-Americans of 1939
The NCAA keeps track of which players were chosen by many different groups. Players picked by most of the official groups are called "Consensus All-Americans." This means almost everyone agreed they were among the best.
Here are some of the top players chosen in 1939:
| Player's Name | Position | School | Groups Who Picked Them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Smith | Guard | USC | 9 out of 9 |
| Nick Drahos | Tackle | Cornell | 9 out of 9 |
| Tom Harmon | Halfback | Michigan | 8 out of 9 |
| Nile Kinnick | Halfback | Iowa | 8 out of 9 |
| John Kimbrough | Fullback | Texas A&M | 7 out of 9 |
| Esco Sarkkinen | End | Ohio State | 5 out of 9 |
| Ken Kavanaugh | End | LSU | 5 out of 9 |
| Ed Molinski | Guard | Tennessee | 5 out of 9 |
| George Cafego | Quarterback | Tennessee | 4 out of 9 |
| John Schiechl | Center | Santa Clara | 3 out of 9 |
| Paul Christman | Quarterback | Missouri | 4 out of 9 |
| Harley McCollum | Tackle | Tulane | 3 out of 9 |
All-American Players by Position
Here are some of the standout players chosen for the All-America teams in 1939, listed by their positions.
Ends
- Esco Sarkkinen, Ohio State
- Ken Kavanaugh, LSU (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- Bud Kerr, Notre Dame
- Paul Severin, North Carolina
- Pop Ivy, Oklahoma
Tackles
- Nick Drahos, Cornell (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- Harley McCollum, Tulane
- Harry Stella, Army
- Joe Boyd, Texas A&M
- Cliff Duggan, Oklahoma
Guards
- Harry Smith, USC (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- Ed Molinski, Tennessee (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- Bob Suffridge, Tennessee (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- Marshall Robnett, Texas A&M
- Jim Turner, Holy Cross
Centers
- John Schiechl, Santa Clara
- Jack Haman, Northwestern
- Cary Cox, Alabama
- Archie Kodros, Michigan
Quarterbacks
- George Cafego, Tennessee
- Paul Christman, Missouri
- Jimmy McFadden, Clemson
- Don Scott, Ohio State
Halfbacks
- Tom Harmon, Michigan (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- Nile Kinnick, Iowa (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- Banks McFadden, Clemson (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- George McAfee, Duke (He's in the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame!)
- Kenny Washington, UCLA (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
Fullbacks
- John Kimbrough, Texas A&M (He's in the College Football Hall of Fame!)
- Milt Piepul, Notre Dame
- Dom Principe, Fordham
Who Picked the Teams?
Many different groups, like newspapers and sports magazines, chose their own All-America teams. The players listed in bold above were chosen by most of the main groups.
Official Selectors
These were the nine main groups recognized by the NCAA:
- AAB = All-America Board
- AP = Associated Press (a big news agency)
- CO = Collier's Weekly magazine, with choices made by Grantland Rice
- INS = International News Service (another news agency)
- LIB = Liberty magazine
- NEA = Newspaper Enterprise Association
- NW = Newsweek magazine
- SN = The Sporting News
- UP = United Press (another news agency)
Other Selectors
Other groups also picked All-America teams:
- BL = Boys' Life magazine
- CP = Central Press Association
- CW = Collegiate Writers (sports writers from colleges)
- LIFE = Life magazine, with choices made by NBC announcer Bill Stern
- NYS = New York Sun newspaper
- WC = Walter Camp Football Foundation
See also
- 1939 All-Big Six Conference football team
- 1939 All-Big Ten Conference football team
- 1939 All-Pacific Coast Conference football team
- 1939 All-SEC football team
- 1939 All-Southwest Conference football team
