1946 Nebraska College Conference football season
Sport	Football
Number of teams	9
Champion	Doane
Football seasons
← 1945 1947 →

1946 Nebraska College Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Doane $	5	–	0	–	1	6	–	2	–	1
Nebraska Wesleyan	5	–	0	–	2	7	–	1	–	3
Kearney State	5	–	2	–	1	6	–	2	–	1
Peru State	4	–	3	–	1	4	–	4	–	1
Midland	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	4	–	0
Wayne State (NE)	2	–	3	–	0	4	–	3	–	0
Hastings	1	–	4	–	1	1	–	6	–	1
Chadron State	1	–	5	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
York (NE)	0	–	6	–	0	3	–	6	–	0

$ – Conference champion

The 1946 Nebraska College Conference football season was the season of college football played by the nine member schools of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) as part of the 1946 college football season. The Doane Tigers from Crete, Nebraska were led by head coach James L. Dutcher and compiled an overall record of 6–2–1 with a mark of 5–0–1 in conference play, winning the NCC championship. The Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen were led by head coach George W. Knight. They finished second in the conference with a 5–0–2 record in conference play and a mark of 7–0–3 overall in the regular season. They then lost to Pepperdine in the Will Rogers Bowl.

None of the NCC teams was ranked in the Associated Press poll.

Conference overview

Conf. rank	Team	Head coach	Conf. record	Overall record	Points scored	Points against
1	Doane	James L. Dutcher	5–0–1	6–2–1	253	51
2	Nebraska Wesleyan	George W. Knight	4–0–2	7–1–3	169	37
3	Kearney State	Charlie Foster	5–2–1	6–2–1	116	49
4	Peru State	Alfred G. Wheeler	4–3–1	4–4–1	116	100
5	Midland	John Pfitsch	4–3	4–4	89	73
6	Wayne State (NE)	Don B. Emery	2–3	4–3	69	33
7	Hastings	Larry Owens	1–4–1	1–6–1	45	123
8	Chadron State	Ross O. Armstrong	1–5	3–7	70	230
9	York (NE)	Rolland E. Tonkin	0–6	3–6	92	138

^[1]

Teams

Doane

1946 Doane Tigers football
NCC champion
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	6–2–1 (5–0–1 NCC)
Head coach	James L. Dutcher (5th season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Doane Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Doane University as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach James L. Dutcher, the team compiled a 6–2–1 record (5–0–1 against NCC opponents), won the NCC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 136 to 78.^[2]^[3]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
September 20	at Simpson*	Indianola, IA	L 0–14	^[4]
September 28	Peru State		W 12–0	^[5]
October 4	York (NE)	Crete, NE	W 12–6	^[6]
October 12	Hastings	Crete, NE	T 19–19
October 18	at Wayne State (NE)	Wayne, NE	W 7–6	^[7]
October 25	Kearney State	Kearney, NE	W 13–7	^[8]
November 1	Dakota Wesleyan*	Crete, NE	L 7–19	^[9]
November 15	Chadron State	Crete, NE	W 21–0	^[10]
November 28	at Roswell Army Air Force*	Roswell, NM	W 45–7	^[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

v t e Doane Tigers football
Venues	Simon Field Al Papik Field
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1890–91 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897–1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Nebraska Wesleyan

1946 Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen football
Will Rogers Bowl, L 13–38 vs. Pepperdine
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	7–1–3 (4–0–2 NCC)
Head coach	George W. Knight
Home stadium	O. N. Magee Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen football team represented Nebraska Wesleyan University as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. Led by head coach George W. Knight, the Plainsmen compiled a 7–1–3 (4-0-2 against NCC opponents), outscored opponent by a total of 169 to 37, and finished second in the NCC. They were invited to play in the Will Rogers Bowl in Oklahoma City on New Year's Day, losing to Pepperdine by a 38–13 score.^[12]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	Morningside*	Sioux City, IA	W 13–6	3,500	^[13]
September 28	Simpson	O. N. Magee Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	T 6–6	4,000	^[14]
October 4	at Nebraska Central	Central City, NE	W 33–0
October 12	at Kearney State	Kearney, NE	T 6–6		^[15]
October 18	Midland	O. N. Magee Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	W 7–6		^[16]
October 25	Tarkio*	O. N. Magee Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	W 20–7		^[17]
November 1	at Peru State	Peru, NE	T 6–6
November 8	at York	York, NE	W 26–0
November 15	Hastings	O. N. Magee Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	W 19–0		^[18]
November 22	Chadron State	O. N. Magee Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	W 33–0		^[19]
January 1, 1947	vs. Pepperdine	Taft Stadium Oklahoma City, OK	L 13–38	800	^[20]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Kearney State

1946 Kearney State Antelopes football
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	6–2–1 (5–2–1 NCC)
Head coach	Charlie Foster
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Kearney State Antelopes football team represented Nebraska State Teachers College at Kearney (now known as University of Nebraska at Kearney) as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. Led by head coach Charlie Foster, the Antelopes compiled a 6–2–1 record (5-2-1 against NCC opponents), outscored opponent by a total of 116 to 49, and finished third in the NCC.^[21]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
September 20	York	Kearney, NE	W 16–0	^[22]
	Hastings		W 7–0
October 5	Chadron State	Kearney, NE	W 14–0	^[23]
October 12	Nebraska Wesleyan	Kearney, NE	T 6–6
	Sterling		W 32–0
October 25	Doane	Kearney, NE	L 7–13	^[8]
November 2	at Wayne State (NE)	Wayne, NE	W 14–12	^[24]
November 9	at Peru State	Peru, NE	W 20–12	^[25]
November 15	Midland		L 0–6

v t e Nebraska–Kearney Lopers football
Venues	Ron & Carol Cope Stadium (1939–present)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Peru State

1946 Peru State Bobcats football
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	4–4–1 (4–3–1 NCC)
Head coach	Alfred G. Wheeler
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Peru State Bobcats football team represented Peru State Teachers College (now known as Peru State College) as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. Led by head coach Alfred G. Wheeler, the Bobcats compiled a 4–4–1 record (4-3-1 against NCC opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 116 to 100, and finished fourth in the NCC.^[26]

Other coaches included Wayne Riggs. For the prior three years, Navy V-12 students comprised the majority of Peru's football team. With the 1946, the team returned to non-military status.^[27]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
September 20	at Colorado College*	Colorado Springs, CO	L 7–40	^[28]
September 28	Doane		L 0–12	^[5]
	Midland		W 19–6
	Wayne State (NE)		L 0–7
	Chadron State		W 26–6
	Hastings		W 14–0
	Nebraska Wesleyan		T 6–6
	Kearney State		W 12–20
	York		W 32–3
*Non-conference game

Midland

1946 Midland Warriors football
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	4–4 (4–3 NCC)
Head coach	John Pfitsch
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Midland Warriors football team represented Midland University of Fremont, Nebraska, as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. Led by head coach John Pfitsch, the Warriors compiled a 4–4 record (4-3 against NCC opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 89 to 73, and finished fifth in the NCC.^[29]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
September 20	Bethany (KS)	Fremont, NE	L 4–13	^[30]
	Wayne State (NE)		L 0–13
	Peru State		L 6–19
	York		W 20–14
	Nebraska Wesleyan		L 6–7
	Chadron State		W 40–6
	Hastings		W 7–0
	Kearney State		W 6–0

Wayne State

1946 Wayne State Wildcats football
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	4–3 (2–3 NCC)
Head coach	Don B. Emery
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Wayne State Wildcats football team represented Midland University of Wayne, Nebraska, as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. Led by head coach Don B. Emery, the Warriors compiled a 4–3 record (2-3 against NCC opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 69 to 33, and finished sixth in the NCC.^[31]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
	South Dakota Wesleyan*		W 13–0
	Midland		W 13–0
October 5	at South Dakota*	Inman Field Vermillion, SD	W 12–0	^[32]
	Peru State		W 7–0
October 18	Doane	Wayne, NE	L 6–7	^[7]
	Kearney State		L 12–14
	Chadron State		L 6–12
*Non-conference game

Hastings

1946 Hastings Broncos football
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	1–6–1 (1–4–1 NCC)
Head coach	Larry Owens
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Hastings Broncos football team represented Hastings College of Hastings, Nebraska, as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. Led by head coach Larry Owens, the Broncos compiled a 1–6–1 record (1–4–1 against NCC opponents), were outscored by a total of 123 to 45, and finished seventh in the NCC.

Chadron State

1946 Chadron State Eagles football
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	3–7 (1–5 NCC)
Head coach	Ross O. Armstrong
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Chadron State Eagles football team represented Chadron State College of Chadron, Nebraska, as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. Led by head coach Ross O. Armstrong, the Eagles compiled a 3–7 record (1–5 against NCC opponents), were outscored by a total of 230 to 70, and finished eighth in the NCC.

York

1946 York Panthers football
Conference	Nebraska College Conference
Record	3–6 (0–6 NCC)
Head coach	Rolland E. Tonkin
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 York Panthers football team represented York University of York, Nebraska, as a member of the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) during the 1946 college football season. Led by head coach Rolland E. Tonkin, the Eagles compiled a 3–6 record (0–6 against NCC opponents), were outscored by a total of 138 to 92, and finished last in the NCC.

All-conference team

The United Press (UP) and the NCC coaches each selected 1946 All-Nebraska College Conference football teams. NCC champion Doane did not place any players on the UP team. The all-conference picks were as follows:^[33]^[34]

Quarterback: Rex Mercer, Nebraska Wesleyan (UP)
Halfbacks: Dick Peterson, Kearney (UP, Coaches); Johnny Warwick, Hastings (Coaches); Revoe Hill, Midland (UP, Coaches)
Fullback: Al Butterfield, Chadron (UP, Coaches)
Ends: John Rumbaugh, Kearney (UP, Coaches); Rich Clough, Midland (UP); Orville Yocup, Peru (Coaches)
Tackles: Bob Westphal, Wayne (UP, Coaches); Everett Poe, Nebraska Wesleyan (UP); Don Redman, Doane (Coaches)
Guards: Wayne Linder, Peru (UP); Ralph Patterson, Kearney (UP, Coaches); Dick Uphoff, Hastings (Coaches)
Center: Cliff Squires, Nebraska Wesleyan (UP, Coaches)