Treasury Bond Bowl
1944
Randolph Field 13
2nd Air Force 6
In 1943, America was facing the reality of WWII abroad. Young men’s
lives were interrupted by this reality. The colleges and work places
were emptied of able-bodied youth who headed off to war. This resulted
in a depletion of talent from, not only the college football ranks, but
the NFL, as well. Against this backdrop, American military bases and
training centers were the recipients of this displaced talent. Service
teams sprang up to fill the talent void. In 1943, a post-season
tradition was started that would carry forward until 1966. It was the
era of military service team bowl games. All over the world, from the
Mid East to Hawaii, service teams met in late season clashes. In 1944,
there were 14 of these games played from Thanksgiving to early January,
1945. The greatest game of the greatest year of military bowls was
probably the 1944 Treasury Bond Bowl game held in New York between the
Ramblers of Randolph Field, Texas and the 2nd Air Force Superbombers
stationed at Colorado Springs, CO. It was regarded as the Army Air Force
championship game, and each team consisted of an incredible number of
college and professional players.
Randolph Field was heavily favored heading into the game held at the New
York City Polo Grounds. Fortified with nine former professional players
and a host of collegiate superstars, they had scored 495 points to their
opponent’s 13 in going undefeated at 10-0 in 1944. The Ramblers had
sparkled during the season, adding to their 1943 season which included a
7-7 tie with Texas in the Cotton Bowl. In 1944, they avenged their
Cotton Bowl tie with a 42-6 pasting of Texas in the season’s second
game. The Second Air Force had defeated Hardin-Simmons in the 9th Sun
Bowl on January 1, 1943. During the 1944 season, they had played an
amazing 14 games, posting a record of 10-3-1. The Bombers were powerful
with wins over New Mexico, Colorado and Washington with a combined score
of 169-18. These two teams were the only service teams in history to
ever appear in a New Year’s Day bowl game.
Much pre-game publicity went to the Ramblers' Bill Dudley of Virginia
and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Superbombers’ Glenn Dobbs of Tulsa.
Dobbs had been an all-service player at Randolph the year before and was
probably the top performer in the country. Along with Dobbs, the Bombers
were led by Ray Evans of Kansas and Johnny Stryzkalski of Marquette.
Coming from the pro ranks, Dudley had a great season for Randolph in
‘44. Other notables for Randolph were Pete Layden of Texas and Jake
Leicht of Oregon in the backfield and Jack Russell of Baylor at end.
Both teams were loaded with talent, but Randolph had more former pro
players. Coaches for the two programs were Frank Tritico for Randolph
and Bill Reece for the Superbombers.
Tickets for the game were purchased through local businesses who agreed
to assist in the fundraising. If an individual purchased a Sixth War
Loan bond through the vendor, they were issued an exchange slip. They
could purchase their ticket at Madison Square Garden for $2.40 plus the
exchange slip. Proceeds went to the Army Relief Fund.
The country was fascinated as game time approached as the two great
service programs set to slug it out in New York. Snow was falling at the
start of the game and the field had become sloppy. Late in the first
quarter, Randolph’s Jack Russell blocked a punt by Dobbs to set up the
initial touchdown in the game. The Ramblers scored on a 47-yard pass
from Layden to Harry Burrus of Hardin-Simmons. Layden's pass sailed 50
yards in the air with Burrus making the catch at the Bomber five-yard
line behind the defenders and carrying it over.
In the second quarter, Evans, the first draft choice of the Chicago
Bears in 1944, took over for Dobbs and directed a 63-yard drive to the
Rambler 14, but the drive was halted by a Leyden interception. The
Bombers then put together another drive of 50 yards to the Randolph two
yard line when time expired in the half. The score stood a 6-0 at the
half.
The Superbombers continued to roll to open the second half. Dobbs
returned the second half kickoff 40 yards and Strzykalski broke away on
a 27 yard carry, but the attack stalled at the Randolph 17. Starting
from there, Randolph marched 80 yards to the 2nd Air Force’s three.
Dudley passed to John Goodyear of Marquette for the touchdown and kicked
the extra point. The Ramblers led 13-0 entering the final period.
At the start of the 4th period and starting at their own 33, the 2nd Air
Force began driving on the ground. They drove 67 yards in 9 minutes with
Don Fauble of Oklahoma carrying four times in a row at one point to set
up Illinois’ Steve Sucic for a touchdown from inside the one-yard line.
The drive of 20 straight running plays was only the third touchdown
scored against the Ramblers on the season and the first through the
line. The Bombers weren’t through, driving to the Randolph two as time
expired.
The bad weather limited the Treasury Bowl attendance to 8,356.
Fortunately, the game quota for war bonds had been underwritten. In
retrospect, Randolph Field in 1944 may have been the finest of all
service teams assembled during World War II. But the question on this
afternoon in the minds of football fans was, did they deserve the
accolades as one of the top teams in the nation. The New York Times
reported that the Ramblers were outplayed for most of the game. The
statistics back up the claim as the Superbombers outgained the Ramblers
302 to 134 yards in the rushing category and tallied 19 first downs to 8
for the Ramblers. But, with all the yardage, the 2nd Air Force just
couldn’t punch the ball into the endzone. With an 11-0 final mark, the
Randolph Field Ramblers finished #3 in the AP final poll of 1944. They
finished behind only #1 Army and #2 Ohio State, both undefeated. They
may not have dominated in this game, but their statistical dominance
throughout the season cannot be questioned. The 2nd Air Force finished
the season at 10-4-1 and were ranked 20th by the AP. The final AP Poll
of 1944 saw 10 service teams numbered among the top 20 teams in the
nation.
Roger Smith carries for Randolph Field
Attendance: 8,356
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
RF- Burrus 47 yard pass from Layden (kick failed)
Third Quarter
RF- Goodyear 3 yard pass from Dudley (Dudley kick)
Fourth Quarter
SAF- Sucic 1 run (kick failed)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
RF- Goodyear 8-44, Dudley 12-37
SAF- Sucic 14-85, Fauble 18-74, Evans 16-68
