A celebration of 100 years of Augustana Football: The 1940s

Every Thursday throughout the season, GoAugie.com will take a dive into a new decade of Augustana football in honor of the 100th season. The 100th season of Augustana football is presented by CorTrust Bank.

After a successful run through the 1930s, the momentum carried into the 1940s. Augustana won the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference in 1941 with a 7-2 overall record. That gave the Vikings eight SDIC Championships in a 10-season span. 

The 1942 season saw Augustana join the North Central Conference, now competing yearly with the likes of Northern Iowa, North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota and South Dakota State. Augustana simply did what it had done for the past decade, win. 

Behind an 8-0 record including a 4-0 mark in NCC competition, Augustana saw four members earn First Team All-NCC honors. Ray Sandvig, Orville Jenter, Don Allen and Don Halvorson were the four members to earn All-NCC honors. 

The season started with a 7-6 win over Gustavus Adolphus on Sept. 18 and followed with a 31-0 thumping of Hastings. In NCC action, the Vikings prevailed 19-0 over South Dakota. A side-step out of conference action, Augustana topped Yankton 27-6 with a final nonconference game vs. Dakota Wesleyan, another shutout, this time 52-0. 

The NCC slate closed with Augustana topping Omaha 32-0 and North Dakota 19-0, setting up the final game of the year at home against Morningside. We’ll let the Augustana Edda describe the finale. 

“A sunny Armistice afternoon at the Augie Field was the setting for the final victorious battle with Morningside. Fans will long remember how Olson’s overjoyed charges carried him high on their shoulders off the arena after a hard-fought 27-13 win. For the second time within six years, Augustana had gone through a football schedule unbeaten and untied.” 

In the win over Morningside, Allen returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, ran for another touchdown and passed for a third touchdown. 

Following the season, L.A. Olson’s squad saw an abrupt halt to action as World War II consumed the next two seasons. The two years were the first break in action since Augustana began play in 1920. 

When Augustana fielded a team in 1945, Harry Lackey was the new head coach but did not see the same success as Augustana recorded a 1-3 mark in a truncated season. 

From the 1946 version of the Edda: “The end of the war brought the return of a full-scale athletic program to the Augustana campus. With the influx of veterans, Biking stock rose and sports-starved fans eagerly watched the progress of the Blue and Gold. Football games were no longer wishful thinking but a reality. Enthusiastic rooters again flocked to the college gymnasium and the Coliseum to see teams in action.” 

Sandvig, a back on the 1942 championship squad, found himself as the lone All-America honoree during the 1940s as he earned a Second Team honor to the Associated Press Little All-America squad. He entered the Augustana Athletics Hall of Fame in 1971 after graduating from Augustana in 1947. He was a member of the football and basketball squads, earning all-conference honors in each sport. 

Throughout the 100th season, alumni, friends, and family of Augustana Football are asked to make a gift to the Augustana Football Excellence Fund. These dollars will help fund a championship-level program and student-athlete experience. Our goal is to raise $100,000 during the 100th season. To donate, click here or head to augielink.com/100in100.