1949 Portland Pilots football team
The 1949 Portland Pilots football team was an American football team that represented the University of Portland as an independent during the 1949 college football season. The team compiled a 2–5 record. The coaching staff was led by former Notre Dame star Harry "The Horse" Wright in his first year as head coach. Wright was assisted by two other Notre Dame alumni—Neil Green as line coach and Floyd Simmons as backfield coach.[1]
| 1949 Portland Pilots football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Independent |
| 1949 record | 2–5 |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Multnomah Stadium |
| 1949 Western college football independents records | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Pacific (CA) | – | 11 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Santa Clara | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Francisco | – | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho State | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hawaii | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| La Verne | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loyola (CA) | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nevada | – | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pepperdine | – | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Mary's | – | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portland | – | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly San Dimas | – | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Key players included quarterback Danny Christianson, left halback John Freeman, right halfback Larry Wissbaum, and end Joe Marshello.[2][3][4][5]
In February 1950, Rev. T. J. Mehling, president of the University of Portland, announced that the school was abandoning its football program in order to focus its efforts on its basketball program. Mehling cited the "extraordinary expenses" associated with maintaining a first-rate football program.[6]
Portland's decision to cease competition in intercollegiate football was part of a trend among west coast Catholic universities in terminating their football programs: Gonzaga (1942); Saint Mary's (1950); Loyola (1951); San Francisco (1951); and Santa Clara (1952).
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | Nevada | L 27–53 | 8,500 | [2] | |
| October 1 | at Montana State | W 40–0 | 3,000 | [3] | |
| October 9 | at Santa Clara |
| L 13–26 | [7] | |
| October 15 | Pacific |
| L 20–75 | [8] | |
| October 22 | at Pepperdine | L 13–16 | [4] | ||
| October 29 | at Idaho | L 21–49 | [9] | ||
| November 19 | Lewis & Clark |
| W 35–20 | [5] |
References
- Larry Lokey (September 19, 1949). "Pilots Have High Hopes of Gridiron Success in 1949". The Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon). p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Nevada Gallops Over Portland Pilots, 53-27". The Statesman. September 26, 1949. p. 9.
- "Pilots Plaster Cats 40-0". Great Falls Tribune. October 2, 1949. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- Jack Curnow (October 23, 1949). "Pepperdine Tops Ports by 16 to 13". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. 4. Retrieved March 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Portland Pilots Clip Lewis & Clark 35-20". Eugene Register-Guard. November 20, 1949. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Portland Pilots Quit Football". Albany Democrat-Herald. February 13, 1950. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Santa Clara Beats Portland, 26-13". Honolulu Advertiser. October 10, 1949. p. 12.
- "COP Beats Portland Pilots 75-20". Press Democrat. October 16, 1949. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
- "Idaho Romps: Vandals Roll Through Pilots". The Spokesman-Review. October 30, 1949. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.