1946 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
American college football season
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The 1946 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Nine Conference during the 1946 Big Nine season. In their fifth year under head coach Ray Eliot, the Fighting Illini compiled an 8–2 record (6–1 in conference games), won the Big Nine championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 217 to 105. They were ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll and concluded the season with a 45–14 victory over No. 4 UCLA in the 1947 Rose Bowl.[1][2]
| 1946 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
| |
Big Nine champion Rose Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Big Nine Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 5 |
| Record | 8–2 (6–1 Big Nine) |
| Head coach |
|
| MVP | Alex Agase |
| Captain | Mac Wenskunas |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Illinois $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Michigan | 5 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Indiana | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Guard Alex Agase was a consensus first-team selection on the 1946 All-America college football team.[3] Agase also received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Nine's most valuable player.[4] Four Illinois players received honors from the Associated Press (AP) or United Press (UP) on the 1946 All-Big Nine Conference football team: Agase (AP-1, UP-1); ends Ike Owens (UP-1) and Sam Zatkoff (UP-2); and halfback Jules Rykovich (UP-2).[5][6] Center Mac Wenskunas was the team captain.[2]
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 21 | 1:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh* | W 33–7 | 35,000 | [7] | ||
| September 28 | Notre Dame* | L 6–26 | 75,119 | [8] | |||
| October 5 | Purdue |
| W 43–7 | 38,519 | [9] | ||
| October 12 | at Indiana | No. 12 | L 7–14 | 27,000 | [10] | ||
| October 19 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 20 Wisconsin |
| W 27–21 | 62,597 | [11] | |
| October 26 | at No. 8 Michigan | W 13–9 | 86,938 | [12][13] | |||
| November 2 | at Iowa | No. 11 | W 7–0 | 52,000 | [14] | ||
| November 16 | No. 13 Ohio State | No. 9 |
| W 16–7 | 61,519 | [15] | |
| November 23 | at Northwestern | No. 5 | W 20–0 | 47,000 | [16] | ||
| January 1 | vs. No. 4 UCLA* | No. 5 | W 45–14 | 93,083 | [17] | ||
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Game summaries
Pittsburgh
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Fighting Illini | 7 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 33 |
- Date: September 21
- Location: Pitt Stadium
Pittsburgh, PA - Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Referee: Russel H. Rupp (Lebanon Valley) ; John Vilson (Ohio State) (Umpire); Herbert F. Steger (Michigan (Linesman); Loyed Larson (Wisconsin (Field judge);
- Television network: WDWS
Previous scores
| Year | Score |
|---|---|
| 1943 | ILL 33-25 |
| 1944 | ILL 39-5 |
| 1945 | ILL 23-3 |
Stats
| Illinois | Pittsburgh | |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of first downs | 10 | 9 |
| First down rushing | 7 | 3 |
| First down forward pass | 1 | 6 |
| First down penalties | 2 | 0 |
| Net yard rushing | 193 | 132 |
| Net yard forward pass | 33 | 73 |
| Net yard offensive plays | 226 | 205 |
| Forward pass thrown | 9 | 19 |
| Forward pass completed | 2 | 6 |
| Forward pass Int'ecpted | 2 | 4 |
| Number of penalties | 1 | 14 |
| Yards of penalties | 5 | 76 |
| Number of punts | 5 | 12 |
| Number of fumble | 5 | 12 |
| Number of fumble lost | 1 | 3 |
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | 12 | — | — | 11 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Roster
| Player | Position |
| Alex Agase | Offensive guard |
| Perry Moss | Quarterback |
| Ruck Steger | |
| Les Bingaman | Guard, Tackle |
| Sam Zatkoff | End |
| Joe Buscemi | |
| Bob Cunz | Tackle |
| Don Maechtle | Placekicker |
| Don Pittman | |
| Chuck Gottfried | |
| Al Martignago | |
| Lyle Button | Tackle |
| Lou Levanti | Center |
| Bob Prymuski | Guard |
| Tom Gallagher | |
| Al Mastrangeli | Center |
| Merle Schlosser | End |
| Bernie Krueger | Quarterback |
| Dike Eddleman | Punter |
| Bill Franks | Tackle |
| Chick Maggioli | Defensive back, Halfback |
| Paul Patterson | Quarterback |
| Ike Owens | End, Defensive end |
| Art Dufelmeier (Captain) | Halfback |
| Tom Stewart | |
| Bob Hinkle | |
| Lou Agase | Tight end, Tackle |
| Jim Valck | |
| Jack Pierce | |
| Burt Schmidt | |
| Denny Bassett | |
| Walt Kersulis | End |
| John Wrenn | Guard |
| Herb Siegert | Guard, Linebacker |
| Bill Heiss | End |
- Head coach: Ray Eliot (5th year at Illinois)
- Line coach: Burt Ingwersen
