1946 Army Cadets football team
American college football season
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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 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.
| 1946 Army Cadets football | |
|---|---|
National champion (6 selectors) Eastern champion | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 2 |
| Record | 9–0–1 |
| Head coach |
|
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Michie Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Army | – | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holy Cross | – | 5 | – | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lafayette | – | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fordham | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 American Football Coaches Association,[3] 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.[4] For the third consecutive year, Army also won the 1946 Lambert Trophy as the best football team in the east.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 21 | Villanova | W 35–0 | 16,500 | [8] | ||
| September 28 | Oklahoma |
| W 21–7 | 20,000 | [9] | |
| October 5 | Cornell |
| W 46–21 | 25,000–26,000 | [10][11] | |
| October 12 | at No. 4 Michigan | No. 2 | W 20–13 | 85,938 | [12] | |
| October 19 | No. 11 Columbia | No. 1 |
| W 48–14 | 25,500 | [13] |
| October 26 | vs. No. 13 Duke | No. 1 | W 19–0 | 59,031 | [14] | |
| November 2 | West Virginia | No. 1 |
| W 19–0 | 25,000 | [15] |
| November 9 | vs. No. 2 Notre Dame | No. 1 | T 0–0 | 74,121 | [16] | |
| November 16 | at No. 5 Penn | No. 1 | W 34–7 | 78,000 | [17] | |
| November 30 | vs. Navy | No. 1 |
| W 21–18 | 102,000 | [18] |
Rankings
| 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
Players
- 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
- 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
- Glenn Davis, Heisman Trophy
- Y. Arnold Tucker, James E. Sullivan Award
NFL draft
The 1947 NFL draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Cadets were selected.[20]
| 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 |