1946 Army Cadets football team
1946 Army Cadets football | |
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National champion (6 selectors) Eastern champion | |
Conference | Independent |
Ranking | |
AP | No. 2 |
Record | 9–0–1 |
Head coach |
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Captain | Doc Blanchard, Glenn Davis |
Home stadium | Michie Stadium |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 2 Army | – | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penn State | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boston College | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Holy Cross | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYU | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Villanova | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colgate | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Syracuse | – | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pittsburgh | – | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Temple | – | 2 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Merchant Marine | – | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bucknell | – | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fordham | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll |
The 1946 Army Cadets football team was an American football team that represented the United States Military Academy as an independent during the 1946 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Earl "Red" Blaik, the Cadets compiled a 9–0–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 263 to 80.[1] Army's 1946 season was part of a 32-game undefeated streak that included the entire 1944, 1945, and 1946 seasons.
Army was ranked No. 1 for most of the season in the AP Poll. However, in the final poll issued on December 2, Notre Dame jumped to No. 1 with 1,730 points, and Army was bumped to No. 2 with 1,659 points.[2] Army was recognized as the 1946 national champion by the Billingsley Report, College Football Researchers Association, and Houlgate System, and as co-national champion with Notre Dame by the Boand System, Helms Athletic Foundation, and Poling System.[3] For the third consecutive year, Army also won the 1946 Lambert Trophy as the best football team in the east.[4]
The 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football game at Yankee Stadium, a matchup of the top two in the rankings, is regarded as one of college football's Games of the Century; it ended in a scoreless tie.[5]
Halfback Glenn Davis won the Heisman Trophy, and three Army players were selected as consensus first-team players on the 1946 All-America college football team: Davis; fullback Doc Blanchard; and end Hank Foldberg.[6]
Schedule
[edit]Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 21 | Villanova | W 35–0 | 16,500 | [7] | ||
September 28 | Oklahoma |
| W 21–7 | 20,000 | [8] | |
October 5 | Cornell |
| W 46–21 | 25,000–26,000 | [9][10] | |
October 12 | at No. 4 Michigan | No. 2 | W 20–13 | 85,938 | [11] | |
October 19 | No. 11 Columbia | No. 1 |
| W 48–14 | 25,500 | [12] |
October 26 | vs. No. 13 Duke | No. 1 | W 19–0 | 59,031 | [13] | |
November 2 | West Virginia | No. 1 |
| W 19–0 | 25,000 | [14] |
November 9 | vs. No. 2 Notre Dame | No. 1 | T 0–0 | 74,121 | [15] | |
November 16 | at No. 5 Penn | No. 1 | W 34–7 | 78,000 | [16] | |
November 30 | vs. Navy | No. 1 |
| W 21–18 | 102,000 | [17] |
|
Rankings
[edit]Week | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
AP | 2 (21⅓) | 1 (63) | 1 (112¼) | 1 (104) | 1 (64) | 1 (75) | 1 (58) | 1 (72) | 2 (52½) |
Personnel
[edit]Players
[edit]- Shelton Biles, tackle
- Doc Blanchard (College Football Hall of Fame), fullback, Bishopville, South Carolina, 6', 208 pounds
- Glenn Davis (College Football Hall of Fame), Claremont, California, 5'9", 170 pounds
- Hank Foldberg, end, Dallas, Texas, 6'1", 195 pounds
- Herschel E. Fuson, Middlesburg, Kentucky, 6'1", 215 pounds
- Arthur L. Gerometta, guard, Gary, Indiana, 5'10", 190 pounds
- Dick Pitzer, end, Connellsville, Pennsylvania, 6'1", 195 pounds
- Barney Poole (College Football Hall of Fame), end, Gloster, Mississippi
- Arnold Tucker (College Football Hall of Fame), quarterback, Miami, Florida, 5'9", 175 pounds
- Bill Yeoman (College Football Hall of Fame), center, Elnora, Indiana, 6'2", 200 pounds
Coaches
[edit]- Earl Blaik (College Football Hall of Fame), head coach
- Paul Amen, assistant coach
- Andy Gustafson (College Football Hall of Fame), backfield coach
- Herman Hickman (College Football Hall of Fame), line coach
- Stu Holcomb, assistant coach
- Harvey Jablonsky (College Football Hall of Fame), assistant coach
- Bill Bevan, trainer
Awards and honors
[edit]- Glenn Davis, Heisman Trophy
- Y. Arnold Tucker, James E. Sullivan Award
NFL Draft
[edit]The 1947 NFL draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Cadets were selected.[19]
Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
Glenn Davis | Halfback | 1 | 2 | Detroit Lions |
Hank Foldberg | End | 5 | 28 | Washington Redskins |
Arnold Tucker | Quarterback | 10 | 85 | Chicago Bears |
Herschel "UG" Fuson | Fullback | 14 | 124 | New York Giants |
Dick Pitzer | Wide receiver | 29 | 269 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
References
[edit]- ^ "1946 Army Black Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ "Notre Dame Replaces Army as Football 'Team of Year': Irish End Ahead of Cadets in AP's Poll". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 3, 1945. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2020. pp. 112–114. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Army Voted Lambert Memorial Trophy Third Straight Grid Year". The Whittier News. December 6, 1946. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Whittingham, Richard (2001). "6". Rites of Autumn: The Story of College Football. New York: The Free Press. pp. 148–183. ISBN 0-7432-2219-9.
It was surely the game of the year, and many have said it was the college football game of the century
- ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 8. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ Gene Ward (September 22, 1946). "Army Rolls, 35-0, Over Villanova for 19 in Row". New York Daily News. p. 97 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gene Ward (September 29, 1946). "Army Rallies to Beat Okla., 21-7". New York Daily News. p. C47 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gene Ward (October 6, 1946). "Army Humbles Cornell, 46-21; Davis Scores 4". New York Daily News. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Danzig, Allison (October 6, 1946). "Davis Scores Four Times as Army Defeats Cornell". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
- ^ Lyall Smith (October 13, 1946). "U-M Shares Glory Despite 20-13 Defeat by Army: Blanchard, Davis Bring Cadets Edge". Detroit Free Press. p. IV-2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ward, Gene (October 20, 1946). "Army Cracks Lions, 48-14; Doc Scores 4". Sunday News. New York, N.Y. p. 46C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dick Young (October 27, 1946). "Cadets Take to Air To Down Duke, 19-0". New York Daily News. p. 92 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jim McCulley (November 3, 1946). "Army Rips Mountaineers, 19-0". New York Daily News. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gene Ward (November 10, 1946). "Army, Irish Battle To Scoreless Tie". New York Daily News. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ward, Gene (November 17, 1946). "Army Rips Penn, 34-7; Davis Scores 2 TDs". Sunday News. New York, N.Y. p. C46 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gene Ward (December 1, 1946). "Army Halts Navy Rally to Win, 21-18: Clock Stops Middies on 5; Ray's Kicks Bring Victory". New York Daily News. p. C49 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ DeLassus, David. "Army Yearly Results: 1945–1949". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.