 Under coach G. Donald Starn, who coached Kent State from 1935–1942, the Flashes would begin to taste success, posting winning seasons in 1938 (6–2), 1940 (8–1), and 1942 (5–3).During their time in the OAC, the Flashes never won a conference title, but did finish second in 1940 with a 4–0 conference record.The team finished third in both 1948 and 1949, going 3–0 and 2–0 respectively in conference play.