most of the players would don military uniforms during 1942. wallace wade enlisted after the game ended and encouraged his players to follow suit. of the 31 players on the beaver express, 29 would serve in world war ii. both teams lost halfbacks in the pacific theater in 1942, walter griffith of duke and everett smith of oregon state. al hoover of duke lost his life on peleliu in 1944 after diving on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers. the blue devils' bob nanni was killed at iwo jima.