2017 is the 75th anniversary of Ohio State's first national championship season. To honor the achievement, this series will post articles from the Columbus Citizen Journal on the day they ran in 1942.

This time it was: "Praise the Lord and Pass the Adulation."

As the battling Buckeyes blew taps on Ohio State's most successful season by sinking the Navy Seahawks, 41-12, coaches, fans, alumni and other assorted well wishers flooded the Stadium's southeast tower to congratulate Coach Paul Brown and his boys.

Neatest quote of the season was Assistant Coach Fritz Mackey's:

"Today we put the ice cream on the pie."

Ohio State's President Howard L. Bevis climbed on a chair to tell the crowd: "It was a great day. I was never happier. Out there today they were all heroes. We had a great team and speed---and how!!!"

Coach Brown: "Now that it's all over I can tell you that our secret is team speed...run and run like a son-of-a-gun."

FINAL AP POLL OF 1942

RANK	TEAM	MOVEMENT
1	OHIO STATE	(+2)
2	GEORGIA	(+3)
3	WISCONSIN	(+1)
4	TULSA	(+2)
5	GEORGIA TECH	(-4)
6	NOTRE DAME	(+2)
7	TENNESSEE	(+3)
8	BOSTON COLLEGE	(-7)
9	MICHIGAN
10	ALABAMA	(-3)
11	TEXAS	(+7)
12	STANFORD	(-1)
13	UCLA	(-2)
14	WILLIAM & MARY	(+5)
15	SANTA CLARA	(-3)
16	AUBURN
17	WASH. STATE	(-2)
18	MISS. STATE	(-1)
19	HOLY CROSS	NR
T20	MINNESOTA
T20	PENN STATE	NR

Lt. Col. Bernie W. Bierman, coach of the Seahawks, said:---"Ohio State had a great team; the best we've played. The Seahawks weren't up par; in fact it was their worst exhibition this season. Ohio State's stars? Pick out any ball-carrier you wan to, and there's your star."

Jim Daniell, Ohio State tackle of recent years and now playing with the Navy's Great Lakes team, told his ex-gang:---"The Navy was disgraced today...but I'm still from Ohio."

Geogre Hauser, who once was on the Ohio State staff and succeeded Lt. Col. Bierman at Minnesota, observed:---"I want to add my congratulations. Ohio State has one of the finest teams I've ever seen."

Hugh McGranahan, assistant coach, summed up the general feeling of the dressing room with "Tonight I haven't an enemy in the world."

Coach Brown relaxed in the stadium equipment room for his final chat of the season with the newspapermen. For once he wasn't already worrying about next week. For once, he grinned and confessed that he hadn't been particularly surprised at the success of this year's team.

"We had a good on this year," he said, "As grand a bunch of boys as you'd ever want. There were no individual stars. Horvath would carry the ball and Sarringhaus would block somebody our for him. On the next play, Sarringhaus would run and Horvath would block. It was that way all year, all down the line. We had team speed....speed in the backs, speed on the line. That was our secret to success."

Most observers hadn't given Ohio State a chance against the Seahawks. After last Sunday's glorious victory, anything more seemed unimportant. Few sport followers thought that the Ohio State team could be brought back to the necessary psychological peak.

"But I noticed in mid-week that the boys were coming back," grinned Brown. "They were getting sharp in practice. We got a break in the weather since it was dry and gave us good footing. That made it possible to use our extra speed, and that's what counted."

Brown declined to single out any of his players, properly called it a team victory. But as the conversation ambled along, he did mention a few: "Can't that red-head run," he beamed when talking of Tommy James. "He's been running that way since he was in the second grade. And Horvath...he has a running style that I just sit on the bench and admire. I don't know how he does it. That Vickroy played a terrific game. Most of haven't appreciated him enough.

"Csuri did a fine job...Did you see Fekete splatter 'em on that one run?...The seniors ended up swell. I'm happy for them," continued Paul with his all-inclusive praise. If the interview had continued much longer, he probably would have covered the complete roster.

Commenting on the Seahawks' play, Brown merely said: "They just had one of those days. Bierman was fine. Congratulated us after the game, said 'Your boys can really run.'

"Well, it's all over now," finished the Buckeye boss. "I hope we'll have another season next year. This one was sure grand. Yes, it was a funny game...but funny good."

The three Buckeye seniors were carried off the field on the shoulders of their teammates following the game. They are Les Horvath, right halfback; Bill Vickroy, center, and Don McCafferty, tackle.

When an Ohio State grid victory is won the usual thing for a sport writer, is to start naming the stars. 

When the Bucks had finished drubbing Bernie Bierman's Iowa Pre-flight Seahawks 41-12 yesterday in Ohio Stadium, this correspondent shook the dust out his eyes and tried to follow the usual custom.

There was Tommy James. He sure starred. But to single him out would be unfair to Paul Sarringhaus who also starred over a longer period, to Les Horvath, who ran and blocked and passed and received in great style, to George Lynn, who did a great job of running the team, to Gene Fekete, who upped and slashed, to Vickroy, Houston, Dean, Csuri, Willis, Steinberg and Shaw on the line---in fact to the whole squad. They all played great ball---plufect (sic) ball, winning ball.

You could look over the Seahawks and say that Jim Langhurst was the outstanding star, that Swisher starred, that Fisher played great ball at times as did a few others.

But when you started trying to pick a Buckeye star you bogged down. There was just too many. It was a team triumph for a great team and a great coaching staff.

Condition and Speed

I wonder if Com. Tommy Hamilton and Lt. Col. Bernie Bierman didn't get some ideas about how youngsters can be conditioned while watching the Bucks perform yesterday. 

The Seahawks had enjoyed an easy day last Saturday while defeating Nebraska 46-0. They'd had an off Saturday the week before. The Bucks were playing their 10th consecutive Saturday and had a gruelling (sic) game the preceding Saturday in which they won the Western Conference championship by defeating Michigan 21-7.

But the Bucks were far better conditioned than their bigger, more experienced opponents.

Condition and speed told. Perhaps it was speed more than condition. For it was superior speed which made the Bucks plays click early in the game while they were piling up that lead that broke the Seahawk spirit.

Billy Southworh's St. Louis Cardinals taught a lot of veteran baseball men that lesson this summer and early fall. Paul Brown's Buckeyes have been teaching a lot of veteran football men that same lesson ever since.

Answering a Questionnaire

As most of the 27,000 fans entered Ohio Stadium Saturday they were handed questionnaires they were asked to fill out and hand to an usher or mail to Maj. John L. Griffith, of Chicago, commissioner of Western Conference athletics.

Apparently Major Griffith and conference athletic chieftains are considerably worried about whether or not there'll be football next fall if this country is still up to its next in war.  

Anyhow here is a copy of the questionnaire: 

Ohio Fans in Service Happy

Ohio State's conference championship bringing victory over Michigan last Saturday brought joy to the hearts of thousands of Buckeye followers in the armed services all over the world.

A letter from Walter Scott Coffman, VGS 12, care Fleet Post Office, San Diego, Cal., is typical.

It follows:

"Dear Lew:
"As a loyal Ohio State fan naturally I am more than happy over the football situation at Ohio State. I'm shouting the praise of Paul Brown to all who get within my range.

"It is a marvelous kick to on so far away from home to read such good notices and to hear Bill Stern praise Ohio to the sky.

"I'm enclosing a piece from Seattle's leading paper which I believe will interest you. Incidentally the writer of the piece picked Michigan before the game as did a lot of my shipmates, much to their sorrow. Last Friday was payday so the boys still could pay off Saturday and it was like a Christmas bonus to me.

"May the victory flag always wave for Ohio State the same as it surely will for the U.S.A.

"Give my best to Paul Brown and the great football team of Ohio."

COMMENT---Here's on lad in the service who doesn't feel, as do some correspondents heard from this week, that college football is not worth while in a nation engaged in a total war.

High Praise for Brown

The clipping Mr. Coffman enclosed is from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and is an excerpt from a column by Royal Brougham, sport writer of that paper.

Under the heading, "Mr. Brown Goes to Town," Mr. Brougham writes:

"Paul Brown, the small town high school man who made good in the big college, gets the nod.

"When he led Ohio State to the championship of the Big Ten yesterday before 72,000 spectators, the Massillon, O., prep school coach proved his genius. He's a fan's coach---thorough but daring in his tactics, employing spectacular forwards and open plays, not afraid to take a chance to score touchdowns.

"Brown wins the applause of high school coaches all over America...the great army of prep leaders who have as a rule been doomed to their glamorourless (sic), poorly paid jobs because colleges have been afraid to take a chance on men limited to high school experiences.

"The light of many another Paul Brown is buried under a bushel, with no chance to prove his worth. The miracle worker from Massillon has developed a new team, and with it has whipped the best ball clubs of most of the old timers, in the Big Ten Conference, winning the championship in his second season.

"Coach of the Year, with a rousing vote from the high school sports leaders all over America, is the slender, slim-faced, nervous man from the small town who made good on the big job."

Pitched Out of Bunk

Ensign Roger W. Hurlbut, USNR Reserve, at the amphibious Force Training Base, Little Creek, Va., is another Buckeye follower in the service who is rejoicing.

His letter follows:
"Dear Mr. Byrer:

"Would you help a sailor win a bet?

"There's a bull-headed ensign from Minnesota at this camp who has bet me one-half pint of ice cream that Ohio State hasn't beaten the University of Minnesota in a football game for the past 10 years.

"Would you please send some sort of proof to put this chap wise?

"I was pitched out of my bunk Sunday morning by two former University of Michigan men who were disgruntled about Saturday's football game in Columbus. It was worth it because I took them for more than a bucket of ice cream.

"Thanking you for your help,"

COMMENT---A letter has already been sent to Ensign Hurlbut with the information that Ohio State and Minnesota have met in football only twice in the last 10 years.

In 1939, at Minneapolis, Ohio State defeated Bernie Bierman's Golden Gophers  23-20 and Bernie was very unhappy about it all. The next year he squared the count with a 13-7 win over Ohio State in Columbus.

So, how did Ohio State leapfrog Boston College and Georgia Tech to take the top spot in the final AP Poll?

A great Georgia eleven, beaten a week ago by underdog Auburn, today redeemed itself magnificently by smashing Georgia Tech's previously undefeated Yellow Jackets 34-0 before a crowd of 43,000 at Sanford Field.

With the Bulldogs All-American Frankie Sinkwich playing one of the greatest games of his college career, the Georgia team marched to touchdowns almost at will, scoring in every period but the last to win the Southeastern Conference crown and virtually clinch a Bowl win.

One down, one to go.

Holy Cross staged one of the year's greatest football upsets today by smearing unbeaten Boston College 55-12 before 41,000 persons who witnessed this 40th traditional meeting at Fenway Park.

Boston College's defeat apparently sent its hopes for a Sugar Bowl bid glimmering, although it had appeared a cinch to play in the New Orleans classic on New Year's Day on the basis of its record of no defeats.

Worst Beating Yet

It was the worst beating either of these colleges ever received since they first played each other in the 1896---rivaled only by a 41-0 Holy Cross triumph in 1921.

No season ever ended in sweeter fashion for Holy Cross or for a coach. Anthony Scanlon, a high school mentor making his debut in the big time, had had a sad year. Holy Cross had won four games, lost four and tied one while Boston College was pounding through eight undefeated games toward a bowl. Only in parts of the first and last periods did Boston College even approach its accustomed form. Each time it seemed that BC was ready to click, a fumble started Holy Cross on the offensive gains.

Boston College's loss turned out to be a good thing for the football team. Yes, the national championship bid was gone, but the defeat saved the lives of the team.

In preparation of the win, Boston College rented a room at the Cocoanut (sic) Grove night club to celebrate the perfect season. After the crushing loss, the players decided not to attend the party. That decision turned out to be a life-saving act.

Fire and panic swept the Cocoanut Grove night club in the heart of the theatrical district tonight, trapping dozens of patrons, causing numerous casualties.

Apparently many of the 350 patrons met death. An attache at City Hospital reported that "about 20" bodies had been brought in there. Massachusetts General Hospital said that "quite a number" of bodies were at that place but they were too busy to give an exact figure. They said the doctors and nurses were utilizing trucks to transport injured to the hospitals.

Fire Commissioner William A. Reilly said that more than 140 persons were carried from the building. He said that the fire apparently started in a palm tree decoration but that it was controlled an hour after it started.

[...]

Dozens of persons were carried from the flaming wreckage on stretchers, many of them severely burned.

Many of the bodies brought out on stretchers were described as "Navy officers." One witness said that many of them were lieutenants or ensigns.

Unconscious persons were being carried from the building at the rate of about three every five minutes. They were being taken across a street to Smith's garage and laid on the floor where nurses and doctors were in attendance. Many of the bodies were piled into a moving van to be taken to hospitals. These were described as "probably dead."

Many of the night club patrons were football fans celebrating after the Holy Cross-Boston College game. The throng at the Cocoanut Grove was segmented by an overflow crowd from the Copley Plaza Hotel  only a few blocks away. A dance was in progress at the hotel when the fire broke out.

Sees Sister Die

Pvt. Adrian Christian, of Ft. Devens, stumbled from the front entrance and collapsed in a priest's arms crying:

"I saw my sister die."

Joesph Rizzo, a waiter, said a stampede followed the first shout of fire.

"They stampeded toward a revolving door at the head of the stairway," he said, "and many of them fell headlong down the stairs. I fell too."