1940 Idaho Vandals football team

1940 Idaho Vandals football
ConferencePacific Coast Conference
Record1–7–1 (0–4 PCC)
Head coach
Home stadiumNeale Stadium
Seasons
← 1939
1941 →
1940 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Stanford $ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0
No. 10 Washington 7 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Oregon State 4 – 3 – 1 5 – 3 – 1
Washington State 3 – 4 – 2 4 – 4 – 2
Oregon 3 – 4 – 1 4 – 4 – 1
California 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
USC 2 – 3 – 2 3 – 4 – 2
Montana 1 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 1
UCLA 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Idaho 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1940 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1940 college football season. The Vandals were led by sixth-year head coach Ted Bank, and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference.

Idaho was ranked at No. 186 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[1]

Home games were played on campus in Moscow at Neale Stadium, with one game in Boise at Public School Field.

The Vandals were 1–7–1 overall and lost all four conference games. They did not play any of the four teams from California or the Oregon Webfoots. In the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State, the Vandals suffered a thirteenth straight loss, falling 26–0 at homecoming in Moscow on November 2.[2] Idaho's most recent win in the series was a fifteen years earlier in 1925 and the next was fourteen years away in 1954.

A week later, Idaho continued its rare three-year losing streak to Montana in the Little Brown Stein rivalry with a ten-point loss at Missoula.[3] It improved the Grizzlies' record against the Vandals to 7–19–1 (.278).[4] While Montana was in the PCC (through 1949), the loser of the game was frequently last in the conference standings. This was the seventh game of the season, and the first in which Idaho scored.

Bank was relieved of his coaching duties in January 1941,[5][6][7][8] succeeded by Francis Schmidt of Ohio State.[9]

  1. ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 19, 1940). "Final 1940 Litkenhous Ratings". The Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Camera catches Billy Sewell ringing up four yards for W.S.C." Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). (photo). November 4, 1940. p. 11.
  3. ^ "Montana hard pushed for victory over revivified Idaho team, 28-18". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). November 10, 1940. p. 3, sports.
  4. ^ "Odds favor Montana in Vandal skirmish". November 8, 1940. p. 13.
  5. ^ Ashlock, Herb (January 17, 1941). "Report has Idaho gridiron coach and aide on say out". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 11.
  6. ^ "President Dale denies rumors Bank be fired". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 18, 1940. p. 8.
  7. ^ "Ted Bank and Bob Tessier out of Idaho University gridiron picture". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). January 19, 1941. p. 1, sports.
  8. ^ Ashlock, Herb (January 20, 1941). "Two big universities eye Ted Bank for coaching position". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 13.
  9. ^ "Francis Schmidt, formerly of Ohio State, is chosen head football coach at Idaho". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. March 17, 1941. p. 6.