With only four returning letterman, the 1943 football team looked toward a potential winless season, but under the direction of coach O. Floyd Johnson and captain Charlie Davis, the gridiron boys finished the campaign 3-4. The season was punctuated by victories over perennial rivals, the first of which came against Poly Prep in the season opener on October 9th.

Stony Brook had not scored a point against Poly in the last eight match-ups and the boys from Brooklyn strode onto Fitch Field with palpable confidence. The game remained deadlocked at 0-0 until the Brook made a charge late in the fourth quarter. A 50-yard drive began with a pass from Lyman Taft to freshman John Swanson. Bernard Reilly followed with a run that set up a two-yard plunge into the end zone for the winning scrore by Caleb Sniffen. The defensive play of the game came courtesy of Charlie Medd, who intercepted a Poly pass in the end zone to snuff out a rare scoring opportunity.

The second rival subdued was St. Paul’s on October 30th. With the all-time series between the two squads knotted at 7-7, the Brook enjoyed a rain-soaked 32-0 drubbing of the Saints.