1946 Army Cadets football
National champion (6 selectors)
Eastern champion
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 2
Record9–0–1
Head coach
CaptainDoc Blanchard, Glenn Davis
Home stadiumMichie Stadium
Seasons
← 1945
1947 →
1946 Eastern major college football independents records
Conf Overall
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

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 21Villanova
W 35–016,500[7]
September 28Oklahoma
  • Michie Stadium
  • West Point, NY
W 21–720,000[8]
October 5Cornell
  • Michie Stadium
  • West Point, NY
W 46–2125,000–26,000[9][10]
October 12at No. 4 MichiganNo. 2
W 20–1385,938[11]
October 19No. 11 ColumbiaNo. 1
  • Michie Stadium
  • West Point, NY
W 48–1425,500[12]
October 26vs. No. 13 DukeNo. 1
W 19–059,031[13]
November 2West VirginiaNo. 1
  • Michie Stadium
  • West Point, NY
W 19–025,000[14]
November 9vs. No. 2 Notre DameNo. 1
T 0–074,121[15]
November 16at No. 5 PennNo. 1
W 34–778,000[16]
November 30vs. NavyNo. 1
W 21–18102,000[17]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[18]

Rankings

See also: 1946 NCAA football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP2 (21⅓)1 (63)1 (112¼)1 (104)1 (64)1 (75)1 (58)1 (72)2 (52½)

Personnel

Players

Coaches

Awards and honors

NFL Draft

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

  1. ^ "1946 Army Black Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Army Voted Lambert Memorial Trophy Third Straight Grid Year". The Whittier News. December 6, 1946. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 8. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  7. ^ Gene Ward (September 22, 1946). "Army Rolls, 35-0, Over Villanova for 19 in Row". New York Daily News. p. 97 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Gene Ward (September 29, 1946). "Army Rallies to Beat Okla., 21-7". New York Daily News. p. C47 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Gene Ward (October 6, 1946). "Army Humbles Cornell, 46-21; Davis Scores 4". New York Daily News. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Danzig, Allison (October 6, 1946). "Davis Scores Four Times as Army Defeats Cornell". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Ward, Gene (October 20, 1946). "Army Cracks Lions, 48-14; Doc Scores 4". Sunday News. New York, N.Y. p. 46C – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Dick Young (October 27, 1946). "Cadets Take to Air To Down Duke, 19-0". New York Daily News. p. 92 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Jim McCulley (November 3, 1946). "Army Rips Mountaineers, 19-0". New York Daily News. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Gene Ward (November 10, 1946). "Army, Irish Battle To Scoreless Tie". New York Daily News. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ DeLassus, David. "Army Yearly Results: 1945–1949". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  19. ^ "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.


Categories