US Navy Preflight: Iowa Time Machine May 11, 1944

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On May 11, 1944, the last cadets to enter the US Navy Preflight School (NPFS) at Iowa City started training. One of four World War II-era pre-flight schools hosted at colleges throughout the country, the training featured a variety of academic and athletic challenges for the cadets preparing to take to the skies.

In addition to the NPFS locations in Georgia, North Carolina, and Saint Mary’s (CA), the University of Iowa agreed to host a preflight school in February 1942. Building on the training cadets already gained in flight preparatory school and War Training Service (WTS), the program taught flight theory, gunnery, celestial navigation, aerology, and many other important topics vital to the success of active-duty pilots.

In addition to the academically rigorous curriculum, the Navy required all cadets to participate in athletics during the eleven-week-long program. Calisthenics, swimming, basketball, boxing, wrestling, gymnastics, and other opportunities awaited cadets, but the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team endures as the most notable. 

Coached by former University of Minnesota Coach Bernie Bierman (1942), University of Missouri Coach Don Faught (1943), and Auburn University Coach Jack Meagher (1944), the Seahawks went a combined 26-5 in three seasons. The teams competed as independent college teams, featuring current and former Iowa Hawkeye standouts, including Al Couppee, Red Frye, and Bus Martes. They finished ranked in the national polls each season. Other NPFS teams featured the likes of future presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford. Many other notable individuals passed through the NPFS in Iowa City, including famed astronaut John Glenn. Although Glenn did not appear on the roster of the Iowa Seahawks, the future US Senator once remarked he served as ‘scrimmage fodder’ for the nationally-ranked team. #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryCalendar