Today's Tidbit... When It Rains, It Punts, 65 Times

Football fans who enjoy oddball stories from the game's history are familiar with the 1939 Texas Tech-Centenary game played in Shreveport, Louisiana. Played in a torrential downpour, the rain-soaked field made it difficult to run or pass, so the teams repeatedly punted the ball to one another until they did so 77 times, setting a still-standing record for combined punts in a game. Game records were set for most punts by a player, most punting yards by a player, most punt returns by a player, and most punt return yards by a player, as were eight other records. Today, the game holds the NCAA record for most records set in one game.

Another game played the same afternoon, two hours north by the interstate in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, is less well-known or largely unknown. Ouachita Baptist hosted Arkansas State Teachers, now known as Central Arkansas, and faced similar weather and field conditions. The teams struggled to move the ball, so they punted too, just not as much as the guys in Shreveport, whose game ended in a 0-0 tie, meaning they played the game for nothing.

An action shot from the Ouachita Baptist-Arkansas State Teachers game. (1940 Arkansas State Teachers yearbook)

Like Texas Tech-Centenary, the Ouachita Baptist-Arkansas Teachers' score was 0-0 at the half, but the rain-soaked fans enjoyed a treat in the second half.