North Carolina Pre-Flight Cloudbusters football

1942 season

The 1942 Cloudbusters squad was led by former Fordham head coach Jim Crowley. Members of Crowley's staff included: Charles R. Soleau as backs coach, Ed Sosky as ends coach, and George McGaughey, N. J. Pierce and Johnny Vaught as line coaches. The squad finished the season with an overall record of eight wins, two losses and one tie (8–2–1).

After the Cloudbusters opened the season with a 13–2 victory over , they traveled to Boston and shutout Harvard, 13–0, before 7,000 fans. After a tie against Georgia Pre-Flight and a victory against NC State, the Cloudbusters lost their first game of the season against Boston College 7–6. Following their loss against the Eagles, they ran for 272 yards in a 34–0 victory over Temple before 20,000 fans in Philadelphia. The Cloudbusters would then only allow seven points over the next four games leading to their season finale against Crowley's former school, Fordham. Before 24,500 fans at Yankee Stadium, the Cadets were upset 6–0 in a defensive struggle with the only points of the game coming on a Steve Filipowicz touchdown run in the first half.

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Games against both Colgate and Iowa Pre-Flight included in the original schedule were canceled by the end of the season.

1943 season

The 1943 Cloudbusters squad was led by former Baylor head coach Frank Kimbrough. The squad finished the season with an overall record of two wins, four losses and one tie (2–4–1). The Cadets opened their 1943 season with a pair of shutout losses. The first was a 31–0 loss to Navy before 12,231 at Thompson Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, and the second was a 42–0 loss to Duke in Durham. The Cloudbusters rebounded with a victory over Camp Davis only to lose their next two contests. The squad then finished the season with a tie against Camp Lejeune and a 21–7 victory over NC State.

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, North Carolina Pre-Flight ranked 79th among the nation's college and service teams with a rating of 73.9.

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The game against Virginia Tech at Victory Stadium in Roanoke, Virginia included in the original schedule was canceled by the end of the season.

1944 season

The 1944 Cloudbusters squad was led by head coach Glenn Killinger. Members of Killinger's staff included: Glenn Presnell as backs coach, John Roning as ends coach, and Bear Bryant as line coach. The squad finished the season with an overall record of six wins, two losses and one tie (6–2–1).

The cadets opened the season with a 27–14 victory over Cherry Point Marines, and the next week upset national championship favorite Navy before 10,000 fans at Annapolis, Maryland. In the victory over the Midshipmen, Otto Graham threw a lateral pass to Frank Aschenbrenner who ran it 55-yards for the game-winning score. The next week, the squad defeated Duke, 13–6, for a second consecutive upset. As a result of these upsets, the Cloudbusters earned the No. 2 ranking in the first AP Poll of the 1944 season.

After being held to a tie against Virginia, the Cloudbusters rebounded with a 3–0 victory over Georgia Pre-Flight after Buell St. John connected on a short field goal with only seven seconds remaining in the game. After a victory over Jacksonville NAS, the cadets suffered their first loss of the season in a 49–20 loss against Bainbridge NTS. The Cloudbusters responded the following week with a 33–18 victory over Georgia Pre-Flight, with Graham throwing for three touchdowns and running for one in the contest. The cadets then finished the season with a loss against Camp Peary.

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, North Carolina Pre-Flight ranked 40th among the nation's college and service teams and seventh out of 28 United States Navy teams with a rating of 93.3.

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Rankings

1945 season

The 1945 Cloudbusters squad was to have been led by head coach Bear Bryant. However, Bryant never served as the head coach at Carolina after the Navy dropped the football program there in August 1945. Bryant took the head coaching position with Maryland, and 14 players he coached at the Pre-Flight School enrolled to play for him at Maryland after they were discharged from the service.

References

References

1. "This Month in Naval Aviation- February 1, 1942". Naval Aviation Museum Foundation.
2. (2009). ""Football! Navy! War!": How Military "Lend-Lease" Players Saved the College Game and Helped Win World War II". McFarland & Company.
3. {{College Football HoF
4. {{College Football HoF
5. (July 12, 1942). "Ten grid games for Navy school". The News and Courier.
6. (July 12, 1942). "Chapel Hill cadets whip Harvard, 13–0". The News and Courier.
7. (October 21, 1942). "Boston moves in". The Vancouver Sun.
8. (October 24, 1942). "Cadets maul Owls, 34–0". Reading Eagle.
9. Rennie, Rud. (November 29, 1942). "Rams upset naval eleven". The Miami News.
10. Danzig, Allison. (September 27, 1942). "Navy Cadets Beat Harvard; Crimson Bows, 13-0". [[The New York Times]].
11. (October 3, 1942). "Two Pre-Flight Foes Tie". The Des Moines Register.
12. (October 11, 1942). "N.C. Pre-Flight eleven trims Wolfpack, 19–7". Asheville Citizen-Times.
13. (November 8, 1942). "Georgetown Beaten: North Carolina Pre-Flighters Beat Hilltoppers, 23 to 7". The Sunday Star.
14. (November 22, 1942). "William and Mary finally conquered". The Los Angeles Times.
15. Daye, John. (2014). "Encyclopedia of Armed Forces Football". St. Johann Press.
16. (July 12, 1943). "Navy football plans given". The Tuscaloosa News.
17. Abramson, Jesse. (September 26, 1943). "Bruce Smith's passes feature Navy romp". The Miami News.
18. (October 3, 1943). "Duke steam-roller flattens N.C. Navy Pre-flight, 42–0". The News and Courier.
19. (November 26, 1943). "N.C. Pre-flight whips N.C. State". The News and Courier.
20. Litkenhous, E. E.. (December 17, 1943). "Litkenhouse Selects U. S. Grid Leaders". [[The Salt Lake Tribune]].
21. (October 3, 1943). "Duke does usual, Blue Devils roll for six counters". The News and Observer.
22. . (October 16, 1943). ["Both Squads Set For Opening Gun"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-wilmington-morning-star/123116198/). *[[Star-News*.
23. . (October 17, 1943). ["Busters Top Camp Davis In 23-18 Scoring Spree"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record/123116397/). *[[News & Record*.
24. (October 24, 1943). "Georgia Sailors Rip Cloudbusters". The Greenville News.
25. (November 7, 1943). "Demon Deacs spill Pre-Flight, 20–12". The Charlotte Observer.
26. . (November 13, 1943). ["Camp Lejeune Meets Cloudbusters Today"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer/123188364/). *[[The News & Observer]]*.
27. . (November 14, 1943). ["Lejeune Balked By Pre-Flight With 14-14 Tie"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun/123188242/). *[[The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)*.
28. (November 26, 1943). "Carolina Pre-Flight turns back stubborn Wolfpack, 21–7". Greensboro Daily News.
29. Daye, John. (2014). "Encyclopedia of Armed Forces Football". St. Johann Press.
30. (February 27, 1944). "Killinger football head". The New York Times.
31. Tomberlin, Jason. (October 21, 2009). "Bear Bryant in Chapel Hill". UNC University Libraries.
32. (September 25, 1944). "Cloudbusters clip Cherry Point". The News and Courier.
33. (October 1, 1944). "N.C. Pre-flight upsets Navy". The Pittsburgh Press.
34. (October 8, 1944). "N.C. Pre-flight upsets Duke". The St. Petersburg Times.
35. Claassen, Spike. (October 10, 1944). "North Carolina Pre-flight is second". San Jose Evening News.
36. (October 15, 1944). "N.C. Pre-flight ties Virginians". The News and Courier.
37. (October 22, 1944). "Cloudbusters trip Skycrackers 3–0 in last 7 seconds". The News and Courier.
38. (November 6, 1944). "Bainbridge whips Pre-flight to hop into limelight". The News and Courier.
39. (November 12, 1944). "N.C. Pre-flight winners 33–18". The News and Courier.
40. Litkenhous, E. E.. (December 10, 1944). "Big Ten Circuit Repeats As King of College Leagues". [[The Salt Lake Tribune]].
41. Litkenhous, E. E.. (December 17, 1944). "Army, Randolph Field One-Two in Final Litkenhouse Ratings". [[Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph]].
42. . (September 24, 1944). ["Cloudbusters To Meet Cherry Point Marines This Afternoon At 2:30 On Chapel Hill Field"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun/122558539/). *[[The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)*.
43. . (September 24, 1944). ["Busters To Play Marines At Hill"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer/122558465/). *[[The News & Observer]]*.
44. Herbert, Dick. (September 25, 1944). "Buster Top Marines". [[The News & Observer]].
45. . (September 30, 1944). ["Navy To Open Grid Season With Cloudbusters Today"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/122739095/). *[[The Baltimore Sun]]*.
46. (October 8, 1944). "Preflight defeats Duke, 13–6". Winston-Salem Journal.
47. (October 15, 1944). "Navy Cadets held to tie by Virginia". Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel.
48. . (October 21, 1944). ["Busters Face Crackers"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun/122554908/). *[[The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)*.
49. Horner, Jack. (October 22, 1944). "Field Goal Brings Cloudbusters 3 To 0 Triumph". [[The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina).
50. . (October 28, 1944). ["Jacksonville Take On N. C. Pre-Flight"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/122578961/). *[[The Tampa Tribune*.
51. . (October 29, 1944). ["Cloudbusters Squeeze Out 14-13 Win Over Fliers"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun/122578784/). *[[The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)*.
52. . (November 5, 1944). ["'Busters Buck Bainbridge"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100856510/the-charlotte-observer/). *[[The Charlotte Observer]]*.
53. (November 6, 1944). "Bainbridge Wins, 49 to 20: Commodores Humble North Carolina Pre-Flight Eleven". The Baltimore Sun.
54. Hanes, O. P.. (November 12, 1944). "Graham Gets Hot In Athens Battle". [[The News & Observer]].
55. . (November 18, 1944). ["Cloudbusters Host To Strong Camp Peary In Final Tilt"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun/122574179/). *[[The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)*.
56. (November 19, 1944). "Camp Peary Nips N. C. Pre-Flight". The Greenville News.
57. (September 6, 1945). "Bear Bryant is Terp coach". The Spokesman-Review.
58. (February 2, 1945). "Sports items rationed". The Los Angeles Times.
59. Perry, Lawrence. (September 28, 1945). "New Maryland coach scoffs at fears of football purists". The Spokesman-Review.