1944 Fleet City Bluejackets football team

1944 Fleet City Bluejackets football
ConferenceIndependent
Record6–4–1
Head coach
  • Jack Malevich (1st season)
Home stadiumForster Field
Seasons
1945 →
1944 military service football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Randolph Field     11 0 0
No. 5 Bainbridge     10 0 0
No. 18 Fort Pierce     9 0 0
No. 13 Norman NAS     6 0 0
No. 6 Iowa Pre-Flight     10 1 0
No. 16 El Toro Marines     8 1 0
Hondo AAF     7 1 0
Bunker Hill NAS     6 1 0
Lincoln AAF     6 1 0
Blackland AAF     7 1 1
Keesler Field     8 1 2
No. 17 Great Lakes Navy     9 2 1
No. 10 March Field     7 2 2
Third Air Force     8 3 0
North Carolina Pre-Flight     6 2 1
Atlantic City NAS     5 2 0
Camp Peary     5 2 0
Tonopah AAF     5 2 0
Daniel Field     7 3 0
No. 20 Second Air Force     10 4 1
San Francisco Coast Guard     4 2 1
Ellington Field     6 3 2
Amarillo AAF     5 3 0
Alameda Coast Guard     4 2 2
Coronado Amphibious     2 1 1
Olathe NAS     4 2 2
Selman Field     4 2 2
Galveston AAF     5 3 2
Fleet City     6 4 1
Jacksonville NAS     4 3 0
San Diego NTS     4 3 1
Camp Beale     5 4 0
Lubbock AAF     5 4 0
Fort Warren     5 4 1
Fort Monroe     5 5 0
Klamath Falls Marines     2 2 1
Maxwell Field     5 5 0
Minter Field     3 3 0
No. 19 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight     4 4 0
Fourth Infantry     3 4 2
Georgia Pre-Flight     4 5 0
Third Infantry     4 5 0
Bergstrom Field     3 4 0
Ottumwa NAS     3 4 0
Camp Lee     3 5 0
Cherry Point Marines     3 6 0
Chatham Field     2 8 1
Sampton NTS     2 7 0
Miami NTC     2 8 0
Bryan AAF     1 7 0
Fairfield-Suisun AAB     1 7 0
Richmond AAB     0 10 1
Camp Ellis     0 5 0
South Plains AAF     0 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1944 Fleet City Bluejackets football team was an American football team during the 1944 season. The Bluejackets represented the United States Navy's "Fleet City" facilities located near Dublin, California, which included Camp Parks, Camp Shoemaker, the Receiving Barracks, and a Navy Hospital.[1] The team compiled a 6–4–1 record.[2]

The 1944 Fleet City team was coached by Jack Malevich, who played college football at Catholic University in the 1920s.[1][3] Tracey Kellow, who played for the 1935 TCU team that won the Sugar Bowl, was an assistant coach.[1]

The team played its home games at Forster Field, named in honor of base commander O. N. Forster, who was described as a "rabid fan" of the team.[1][2]

Key players included Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Stydahar, College Football Hall of Famer Bob Suffridge, future Baltimore Colts lineman Sisto Averno,[4] pro quarterback "Chuckin' Charlie" O'Rourke,[5] and halfback Bill Schroeder, a future NFL player.[3][2]

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, Fleet City ranked 54th among the nation's college and service teams and 12th out of 28 United States Navy teams with a rating of 85.5.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c d Ed Schoenfeld (September 2, 1944). "Fleet City Gets Ready for Grid". Oakland Tribune. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c Ed Schoenfeld (November 21, 1944). "Fleet City Lays Plans For '45 Eleven". Oakland Tribune. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Harry Borba (November 17, 1944). "Fleet City Coach Works On Hall, Davis Defense". San Francisco Examiner. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "The Inside Stuff," The Morning Call, Nov. 3, 1946, p. 19.
  5. ^ Baltimore Colts vs. New York Yankess, Sept. 5th. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Colts, 1948; p. 7.
  6. ^ Litkenhous, E. E. (December 10, 1944). "Big Ten Circuit Repeats As King of College Leagues". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City Utah. p. 8B. Retrieved April 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  7. ^ Litkenhous, E. E. (December 17, 1944). "Army, Randolph Field One-Two in Final Litkenhouse Ratings". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. 4, section 2. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.