1941 All-America college football team


The 1941 All-America college football team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose All-America college football teams in 1941. The nine selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1941 season are Collier's Weekly, as selected by Grantland Rice, the Associated Press, the United Press, the All-America Board, the International News Service, Liberty magazine, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, Newsweek, and the Sporting News.
Harvard center Endicott Peabody, who won the 1941 Knute Rockne Award, was the only player to be unanimously named to the first team of all nine official selectors. Dick Wildung of Minnesota and Bob Westfall of Michigan each received eight official first-team designations. Bruce Smith of Minnesota won the 1941 Heisman Trophy and received seven official first-team nominations.
The United Press made its selections based on voting from sports editors and football writers and published the point totals for each player. The players receiving the highest point totals were Virginia back Bill Dudley, Endicott Peabody, Tulane tackle Ernie Blandin, and Minnesota tackle Dick Wildung.
Liberty magazine based its selections on a poll conducted by Norman L. Sper of 2,000 varsity football players from over 100 leading colleges. Players were asked to select only players against whom they played. Georgia back Frank Sinkwich was selected by the greatest percentage, receiving votes from 96 of the 99 opponents who faced him.

Consensus All-Americans

For the year 1941, the NCAA recognizes nine published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.
NamePositionSchoolNumberOfficial selectorsOther selectors
Endicott PeabodyGuardHarvard9/9AAB, AP, CO, INS, LIB, NEA, NW, SN, UPCP, NYS, LIFE, PARA, WC
Dick WildungTackleMinnesota8/9AAB, AP, INS, LIB, NEA, NW, SN, UPCP, LIFE, PARA, WC
Bob WestfallFullbackMichigan8/9AAB, CO, INS, LIB, NEA, NW, SN, UPCP, NYS, PARA, WC
Frankie AlbertQuarterbackStanford7/9AAB, AP, CO, INS, NEA, NW, SNCP, LIFE, PARA, WC
Bruce SmithHalfbackMinnesota7/9AAB, AP, CO, INS, NW, SN, UPCP, NYS, LIFE, PARA, WC
Holt RastEndAlabama6/9AAB, INS, LIB, SN, NW, UPCP, LIFE, PARA, WC
Darold JenkinsCenterMissouri6/9AAB, AP, NEA, NW, SN, UPCP, NYS, WC
Bob DoveEndNotre Dame5/9AAB, INS, NEA, NW, UPLIFE; WC
Ernie BlandinTackleTulane5/9CO, LIB, NEA, NW, UPNYS
Bill DudleyHalfbackVirginia5/9AP, CO, LIB, NW, UPNYS
Frank SinkwichHalfbackGeorgia5/9AAB, AP, LIB, SN, UPCP, LIFE, WC
Ray FrankowskiGuardWashington4/9AAB, NEA, NW, UPLIFE, WC

All-American selections for 1941

Ends

Holt Rast, Alabama Bob Dove, Notre Dame

Tackles

Dick Wildung, Minnesota Ernie Blandin, Tulane

Guards

Endicott Peabody, Harvard Ray Frankowski, Washington

Centers

Darold Jenkins, Missouri

Quarterbacks

Frankie Albert, Stanford

Halfbacks

Bruce Smith, Minnesota Frank Sinkwich, Georgia Bill Dudley, Virginia

Fullbacks

Bob Westfall, Michigan

Key

Bold = Consensus All-American
  • -1 – First-team selection
  • -2 – Second-team selection
  • -3 – Third-team selection

Official selectors

  • AAB = All-America Board of Football, having Pop Warner as its chairman, selected by 48 football coaches on "the long-established All-America Board of Football, a group of professional selectors speaking for all states, all conferences, all sections of the football world"
  • AP = Associated Press based on "a nation-wide survey of expert opinion"
  • CO = Collier's Weekly, "the pioneer of the all-star field", selected by Grantland Rice and published in the December 13 issue of Collier's
  • INS = International News Service, selected from a ballot of INS bureaus
  • LIB = Liberty magazine, an "All-Players All-America team" based on polling of 2,000 varsity football players from over 100 leading colleges, asking them to select the best players against whom they played
  • NEA = NEA Sports Syndicate, selected "with the aid of coaches, scouts, officials and football writers"
  • NW = Newsweek
  • SN = The Sporting News
  • UP = United Press, based on voting from "sports and football writers from coast to coast"; point totals received by each player displayed in brackets

Other selectors