1940-Tulane v Texas A&M
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- [silence]
Description
Color footage without sound of the 1940 Sugar Bowl, in which the 8-0-1 Tulane Green Wave, coached by Lowell 'Red' Dawson, played the 10-0 Texas A&M Aggies, coached by Homer Norton, in Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 1, 1940. Texas A&M was considered the nation's top-ranked team, having outscored their opponents 198-18 during the regular season; Tulane was not far behind (181-46). For their outstanding play on the year, tackle Harley McCollum and end Ralph Wenzel earned All-America recognition, and Bobby 'Jitterbug' Kellogg and Tommy O'Boyle were named All-SEC. This was Tulane's second Sugar Bowl game; they played in, and won, the inaugural game in 1935. Shot from the vantagepoint of the stadium's west stands, the film is in good condition in the beginning but the image becomes washed out by the end of the game. The film opens with a title that identifies the Orange, Texas, High School Bengal Guards Marching Band as they spell out "Sugar Bowl," "Tulane," and form the shape of the state of Texas on the field before the game. Tulane, in dark uniforms, and Texas A&M, in light uniforms, run onto the field, the coin is tossed, and the play begins. The action goes back and forth until Tulane center Pete Mandich gets a little heated and throws Aggie halfback Derace Moser out of bounds after play had stopped. The resulting penalty brings A& M to the Tulane 1-yard line, from which "Jarring John" Kimbrough (who attended Tulane for seven weeks as a freshman before departing after being denied a 7-year scholarship to attend undergraduate and medical school) smashes through the defense to score. After the extra point, the Aggies lead 7-0 in the first quarter. Tulane's Fred Cassibry manages an interception (17:00) but Tulane is unable to capitalize on the turnover. The score remains unchanged until the third quarter, when Tulane's halfback 'Jitterbug' Kellogg, behind the great blocking of Buddy Banker, Al Bodney, and Fred Gloden, rips off a 76-yard return of a quick-kick for a touchdown. Jim Thibaut's extra point ties the game. The Greenies take the lead in the fourth quarter (30:30) after Mandich, redeeming his earlier mistake, recovers an Aggie fumble, and Monette Butler crashes through for the goal. Unfortunately, the conversion is blocked by Aggie end Herbie Smith to leave the score with Tulane leading 13-7. The final scoring of the game occurs in a fancy play (33:00) in which Aggie quarterback Walemon Price throws the ball to Smith at the 15 yard line, who then laterals the ball to Kimbrough, who pushes aside a few Greenies on his way in for the touchdown. The successful point-after kick by Price cements the victory for Texas A&M, 14-13. View the football program of this game at http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane%3A22942.