The 1938 TCU Horned Frogs football team was an American football team that represented Texas Christian University (TCU) in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during 1938 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Dutch Meyer, the Horned Frogs compiled a perfect 11–0 record, won the SWC championship, finished the season ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, defeated Carnegie Tech in the 1939 Sugar Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 269 to 60.[1] TCU were the consensus national football champions of 1938.
| 1938 TCU Horned Frogs football | |
|---|---|
Consensus national champion SWC champion Sugar Bowl champion | |
Sugar Bowl, W 15–7 vs. Carnegie Tech | |
| Conference | Southwest Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 11–0 (6–0 SWC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive scheme | Meyer spread |
| Home stadium | T.C.U. Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 TCU $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baylor | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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At the end of the 1938 season, TCU quarterback Davey O'Brien won both the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award as the outstanding football player in the United States.[2][3] He was the fourth player to receive the Heisman Trophy and the first from outside the Midwest or East. During the 1938 season, O'Brien completed 93 passes for 1,509 yards and 19 touchdowns.[4]
Two TCU players, O'Brien and center Ki Aldrich, were consensus first-team picks on the 1938 All-America college football team.[5] TCU tackle I. B. Hale was also selected as a first-team All-American by Liberty magazine.[6]
The Horned Frogs played their home games in T.C.U. Stadium (later renamed Amon G. Carter Stadium), which is located on campus in Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | Centenary* | W 13–0 | [7] | |||
| October 1 | Arkansas |
| W 21–14 | 12,000 | [8] | |
| October 7 | at Temple* | W 28–6 | 20,000 | [9] | ||
| October 15 | at Texas A&M | W 34–6 | 25,000 | [10] | ||
| October 22 | at Marquette* | No. 7 | W 21–0 | [11] | ||
| October 29 | Baylor | No. 4 |
| W 39–7 | 25,000 | [12] |
| November 5 | at Tulsa* | No. 2 | W 21–0 | 14,000 | [13] | |
| November 12 | Texas | No. 1 |
| W 28–6 | 12,000 | [14] |
| November 19 | at Rice | No. 2 | W 29–7 | [15] | ||
| November 26 | at SMU | No. 2 | W 20–7 | 23,000 | [16] | |
| January 2, 1939 | vs. No. 6 Carnegie Tech* | No. 1 | W 15–7 | 44,308 | [17] | |
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1939 NFL draft
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Ki Aldrich | Center | 1 | 1 | Chicago Cardinals |
| Davey O'Brien | Quarterback | 1 | 4 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| I. B. Hale | Tackle | 1 | 8 | Washington Redskins |
| Forrest Kline | Guard | 9 | 75 | Brooklyn Dodgers football club |
| Johnny Hall | Wing/half back | 9 | 79 | Green Bay Packers |
| Thomas (Allie) White | Tackle | 13 | 114 | Philadelphia Eagles |
Awards and honors
- Davey O'Brien, Heisman Trophy[19]
- Davey O'Brien, Maxwell Award[3]