1945 college football season

The 1945 college football season was the 77th season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Six Conference, the Southern Conference, the Southwestern Conference, and numerous smaller conferences and independent programs. The season followed the end of World War II in August 1945, though many college players remained in military service.

1945 college football season
First AP No. 1 of seasonArmy[1]
Number of bowls8
Champion(s)Army (consensus)
HeismanDoc Blanchard, (fullback, Army)
football seasons

Army was the unanimous No. 1 choice by all 116 voters in the final AP poll and was rated as national champion by all nine contemporary title selectors.[2] The undefeated 1945 Army team was one of the strongest of all time, as during World War II, loose player transfer rules allowed service academies to assemble many of the nation's best players.[3]

The year's statistical leaders included halfback Bob Fenimore of Oklahoma A&M with 1,641 yards of total offense and 1,048 rushing yards, quarterback Al Dekdebrun of Cornell with 1,227 passing yards, and end Reid Moseley of Georgia with 662 receiving yards.

Conference and program changes
School1944 Conference1945 Conference
Wichita ShockersIndependentMissouri Valley

Season timeline

September

The Associated Press did not poll the writers until the third week of the season. Among the teams that had been ranked in the top six at the end of 1944, only the two service academies (Army and Navy) as well as Ohio State, were still playing a regular schedule. Among the service teams that had ranked high in 1944, Randolph Field, Bainbridge Naval, and Iowa Pre-Flight no longer played against college teams. Some service teams still remained in place, even after the end of World War II.

On September 15, Michigan beat Great Lakes Navy, 27–2. On September 22, Michigan lost to Indiana, 13–7. Minnesota beat Missouri, 34–0. In a Friday night game in Los Angeles, USC beat UCLA 13–6. September 29 Notre Dame beat Illinois 7–0, Army beat Louisville Field, 32–0, and Navy beat Villanova 49–0. USC won at California, 13–2, and Ohio State won at Missouri 47–6.

October

On October 6, Army beat Wake Forest, 54–0 and Navy beat Duke, 21–0. Ohio State beat Iowa 42–0. Minnesota won at Nebraska 61–7. Notre Dame won at Georgia Tech, 40–7. UCLA beat St. Mary's Pre-Flight, 26–14. The year's first AP Poll was led by No. 1 Army, No. 2 Navy, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Ohio State, and No. 5 Minnesota.

October 13 At Yankee Stadium in New York, No. 1 Army beat No. 9 Michigan, 28–7. No. 2 Navy stayed unscored upon with a 28–0 win over Penn State. No. 3 Notre Dame beat Dartmouth, 34–0. No. 4 Ohio State beat Wisconsin, 12–0. No. 5 Minnesota beat Fort Warren, 14–0. The top five in the AP Poll remained the same.

October 20 No. 1 Army beat Melville PT Boats 55–13. In Baltimore, No. 2 Navy beat Georgia Tech 20–6. No. 3 Notre Dame won at Pittsburgh, 39–9. No. 4 Ohio State lost to No. 9 Purdue, 35–13. No. 5 Minnesota defeated Northwestern, 30–7. The new top five was No. 1 Army, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Navy, No. 4 Purdue, and No. 5 Minnesota.

October 27 In New York, No. 1 Army beat No. 19 Duke 48–13. No. 2 Notre Dame beat Iowa 56–0. In Philadelphia, No. 3 Navy defeated No. 7 Penn, 14–7. No. 4 Purdue lost to unranked Northwestern, 26–14. No. 5 Minnesota lost to No. 12 Ohio State, 20–7. In Birmingham, No. 6 Alabama beat Georgia 28–14. No. 8 Indiana beat No. 14 Tulsa 7–2, to reach 5–0–1 and the No. 5 ranking behind Army, Notre Dame, Navy, and Alabama.

November

November 3 No. 1 Army beat Villanova, 54–0. No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Navy, both 5–0–0, met in Cleveland, and played to a 6–6 tie. In Louisville, No. 4 Alabama defeated Kentucky, 60–19. No. 5 Indiana beat Cornell College of Iowa, 46–6, but dropped to sixth in the next poll. In Los Angeles, No. 8 St. Mary's beat No. 6 USC 26–0 and moved up to fifth place behind Army, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Navy.

November 10 No. 1 Army (6–0–0) and No. 2 Notre Dame (5–0–1) met for a showdown at Yankee Stadium, and it was no contest, with the Cadets winning 48–0. No. 3 Alabama was idle. In Baltimore, No. 4 Navy beat No. 7 Michigan 33–7. No. 5 St. Mary's beat Fresno State, 32–6. No. 6 Indiana won at No. 20 Minnesota, 49–0. The next poll was No. 1 Army, No. 2 Navy, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Indiana, and No. 5 St. Mary's.

November 17 In Philadelphia, No. 1 Army beat No. 6 Penn, 61–0. No. 2 Navy defeated Wisconsin 36–7 in Baltimore. In Nashville, No. 3 Alabama beat Vanderbilt, 71–0. No. 4 Indiana won at Pittsburgh, 19–0. No. 5 St. Mary's lost to UCLA, 13–7. No. 7 Notre Dame won at Northwestern 34–7 and moved back up to No. 5, with the top four remaining the same.

November 24 No. 1 Army (8–0–0) and No. 2 Navy (7–0–1), both unbeaten, were idle as they prepared for the Army–Navy Game. No. 3 Alabama beat the Pensacola Naval Air Station, 55–6. No. 4 Indiana closed its season at 9–0–1 with a 26–0 win over No. 18 Purdue. In New Orleans, No. 5 Notre Dame beat Tulane, 32–6. The top five remained the same.

December

December 1 In the second No. 1 and No. 2 matchup of the year, No. 1 Army (8–0–0) and No. 2 Navy (7–0–1) met at the Army–Navy Game in Philadelphia, with Army winning 32–13 to close a perfect season and a wire-to-wire No. 1 ranking. No. 3 Alabama defeated Mississippi State 55–13 and moved to No. 2 in the final poll with Navy falling to No. 3. Indiana had finished its season and remained at No. 4. No. 5 Notre Dame lost to the Great Lakes Navy team, 39–7. No. 6 Oklahoma A&M, which had finished the season 9–0–0 and accepted an invitation to the Sugar Bowl, rose to fifth in the final poll.

Bowl games
Bowl game Winning team Losing team
Rose Bowl No. 2 Alabama 34 No. 11 USC 14
Sugar Bowl No. 5 Oklahoma A&M 33 No. 7 Saint Mary's 13
Orange Bowl Miami (FL) 13 No. 16 Holy Cross 6
Cotton Bowl Classic No. 10 Texas 40 Missouri 27
Sun Bowl New Mexico Lobos 34 Denver 24
Gator Bowl No. 19 Wake Forest 26 South Carolina 14
Oil Bowl No. 18 Georgia 20 No. 17 Tulsa 6
Raisin Bowl Drake 13 Fresno State 12

Conference standings

Major conference standings
1945 Big Six Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri $ 5 –0 –06 –4 –0
Oklahoma 4 –1 –05 –5 –0
Iowa State 2 –2 –14 –3 –1
Nebraska 2 –3 –04 –5 –0
Kansas 1 –3 –14 –5 –1
Kansas State 0 –5 –01 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Indiana $ 5 –0 –19 –0 –1
No. 6 Michigan 5 –1 –07 –3 –0
No. 12 Ohio State 5 –2 –07 –2 –0
Northwestern 3 –3 –14 –4 –1
Purdue 3 –3 –07 –3 –0
Wisconsin 2 –3 –13 –4 –2
Illinois 1 –4 –12 –6 –1
Minnesota 1 –5 –04 –5 –0
Iowa 1 –5 –02 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Border Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
New Mexico 1 –0 –16 –1 –1
Texas Tech 1 –0 –13 –5 –2
West Texas State 0 –2 –02 –6 –0
Arizona 0 –0 –05 –0 –0
Arizona State–Flagstaff 0 –0 –02 –3 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Middle Three Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Rutgers $ 2 –0 –05 –2 –0
Lafayette 1 –1 –01 –7 –1
Lehigh 0 –2 –02 –4 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Oklahoma A&M $ 1 –0 –09 –0 –0
No. 17 Tulsa 2 –1 –08 –3 –0
Wichita 1 –1 –06 –4 –0
Drake 1 –2 –05 –4 –1
Saint Louis 0 –1 –05 –4 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Mountain States Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Denver $ 4 –1 –04 –5 –1
Colorado 3 –1 –05 –3 –0
Utah 3 –2 –04 –4 –0
Utah State 1 –3 –04 –3 –0
Colorado A&M 0 –4 –02 –5 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 11 USC $ 5 –1 –07 –4 –0
Washington State 6 –2 –16 –2 –1
Washington 6 –3 –06 –3 –0
Oregon State 4 –4 –04 –4 –1
UCLA 2 –3 –05 –4 –0
California 2 –4 –14 –5 –1
Oregon 3 –6 –03 –6 –0
Idaho 1 –5 –01 –7 –0
Montana 0 –1 –01 –4 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Alabama $ 6 –0 –010 –0 –0
No. 14 Tennessee 3 –1 –08 –1 –0
No. 15 LSU 5 –2 –07 –2 –0
No. 18 Georgia 4 –2 –09 –2 –0
Ole Miss 3 –3 –04 –5 –0
Georgia Tech 2 –2 –04 –6 –0
Mississippi State 2 –3 –06 –3 –0
Auburn 2 –3 –05 –5 –0
Vanderbilt 2 –4 –03 –6 –0
Florida 1 –3 –14 –5 –1
Tulane 1 –3 –12 –6 –1
Kentucky 0 –5 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 Duke $ 4 –0 –06 –2 –0
No. 19 Wake Forest 4 –1 –15 –3 –1
William & Mary 4 –2 –06 –3 –0
Clemson 2 –1 –16 –3 –1
Maryland 3 –2 –06 –2 –1
VMI 3 –2 –05 –4 –0
North Carolina 2 –2 –05 –4 –0
NC State 2 –4 –03 –6 –0
VPI 2 –5 –02 –6 –0
South Carolina 0 –3 –22 –4 –3
Richmond 0 –4 –02 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 Texas $ 5 –1 –010 –1 –0
SMU 4 –2 –05 –6 –0
TCU 3 –3 –05 –5 –0
Rice 3 –3 –05 –6 –0
Texas A&M 3 –3 –06 –4 –0
Baylor 2 –4 –05 –5 –1
Arkansas 1 –5 –03 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Independents
1945 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Army   –  9 –0 –0
Franklin & Marshall   –  4 –0 –1
No. 20 Columbia   –  8 –1 –0
Temple   –  7 –1 –0
No. 16 Holy Cross   –  8 –2 –0
Tufts   –  4 –1 –0
No. 8 Penn   –  6 –2 –0
Yale   –  6 –3 –0
Massachusetts State   –  2 –1 –1
Harvard   –  5 –3 –0
Penn State   –  5 –3 –0
Cornell   –  5 –4 –0
Villanova   –  4 –4 –0
Boston College   –  3 –4 –0
Brown   –  3 –4 –1
Colgate   –  3 –4 –1
Princeton   –  2 –3 –2
NYU   –  3 –4 –0
Pittsburgh   –  3 –7 –0
Bucknell   –  2 –5 –0
Drexel   –  2 –5 –0
Dartmouth   –  1 –6 –1
Syracuse   –  1 –6 –0
Boston University   –  0 –5 –0
CCNY   –  0 –8 –0
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Midwestern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Michigan State Normal   –  5 –0 –1
Central Michigan   –  6 –1 –0
Miami (OH)   –  7 –2 –0
No. 9 Notre Dame   –  7 –2 –1
Detroit   –  6 –3 –0
Great Lakes Navy   –  6 –4 –1
Michigan State   –  5 –3 –1
Akron   –  5 –4 –0
Marquette   –  5 –4 –1
Bowling Green   –  4 –3 –0
Western Michigan   –  4 –3 –0
Cincinnati   –  4 –4 –0
Ohio   –  3 –4 –0
Ohio Wesleyan   –  3 –4 –0
Carthage   –  2 –3 –0
Wayne   –  2 –5 –1
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Southern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Miami (FL)   –  9 –1 –1
No. 3 Navy   –  7 –1 –1
Virginia   –  7 –2 –0
Chattanooga   –  5 –3 –0
Jacksonville State   –  1 –1 –0
West Virginia   –  2 –6 –1
Tennessee Tech   –  1 –8 –0
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Western college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Saint Mary's   –  7 –2 –0
Nevada   –  7 –3 –0
Cal Poly   –  1 –5 –1
Pacific (CA)   –  0 –10 –1
San Francisco State   –  0 –2 –0
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 military service football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Army Air Forces League
Third Air Force + 4 –1 –17 –2 –1
AAF Training Command + 4 –1 –18 –3 –1
Fourth Air Force 3 –2 –16 –3 –1
First Air Force 2 –2 –23 –2 –3
Air Transport Command 2 –3 –16 –3 –2
Personnel Distribution Command 2 –4 –06 –5 –0
Second Air Force 1 –5 –03 –7 –0
Independents
Hutchinson NAS   –  8 –0 –0
Fleet City   –  11 –0 –1
Corpus Christi NAS   –  7 –1 –0
North Camp Hood   –  7 –1 –0
Selman Field   –  7 –1 –0
Jacksonville NAS   –  9 –2 –0
El Toro Marines   –  8 –2 –0
Camp Beale   –  6 –1 –2
Little Creek   –  7 –2 –0
Amarillo AAF   –  3 –1 –0
Farragut NTS   –  6 –2 –0
South Camp Hood   –  5 –2 –0
Santa Barbara Marines   –  7 –3 –1
Fort McClellan   –  4 –2 –0
San Diego NTS   –  4 –2 –0
Eastern Flying Training Command   –  6 –3 –1
Atlantic City NAS   –  4 –2 –1
Minter Field   –  4 –2 –1
Camp Lee   –  7 –4 –0
Camp Peary   –  5 –3 –0
Olathe NAS   –  3 –2 –0
Great Lakes Navy   –  6 –4 –1
Hondo AAF   –  6 –4 –1
Bainbridge   –  5 –4 –0
Fort Benning   –  5 –4 –1
Albany Navy   –  3 –3 –1
Williams Field   –  4 –4 –0
Stockton AAF   –  4 –5 –2
Camp Detrick   –  3 –4 –0
Kearney AAF   –  3 –4 –0
Fort Warren   –  5 –7 –0
Bergstrom Field   –  3 –5 –1
Barksdale Field   –  4 –7 –0
Saint Mary's Pre-Flight   –  2 –4 –1
Keesler Field   –  3 –6 –1
Camp Blanding   –  1 –2 –0
Great Bend AAF   –  2 –4 –0
Luke Field   –  1 –2 –0
Miami NAS   –  1 –2 –0
Fort Pierce   –  4 –9 –0
Gulfport AAF   –  2 –5 –0
Ellington Field   –  1 –4 –1
Miami NTC   –  1 –3 –0
Oceana NAS   –  1 –3 –0
Fort Riley   –  1 –4 –0
Lake Charles AAF   –  1 –4 –0
Pensacola NAS   –  2 –7 –1
Cherry Point Marines   –  1 –8 –0
Dalhart AAF   –  0 –3 –0
Homestead AAB   –  0 –3 –0
Fort Monroe   –  0 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions

Minor conferences
Conference Champion(s) Record
California Collegiate Athletic Association No champion —
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Virginia State College 7–0–1
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference No champion —
Far Western Conference No champion —
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference Valparaiso 4–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Central (IA) 5–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference No champion —
Lone Star Conference No champion —
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference No champion —
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Gustavus Adolphus 4–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association No champion —
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association No champion —
Nebraska College Athletic Conference Nebraska Wesleyan 2–0
New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference No champion —
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference No champion —
North Dakota College Athletic Conference No champion —
Ohio Athletic Conference Oberlin 2–0
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference No champion —
Pacific Northwest Conference No champion —
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference No champion —
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Colorado College 1–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference No champion —
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Redlands 4–0
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Florida A&M College 6–0
Southwestern Athletic Conference Wiley (TX) 6–0
State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota No champion —
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference No champion —
Washington Intercollegiate Conference No champion —
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference No champion —

Minor conference standings
1945 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
San Diego State 1 –0 –02 –5 –0
Fresno State 0 –1 –04 –6 –2
  • No champion named for the 1945 season
1945 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Virginia State $ 6 –0 –17 –0 –2
West Virginia State 4 –0 –25 –1 –2
North Carolina College 5 –1 –06 –3 –0
Johnson C. Smith 3 –3 –15 –4 –1
Morgan State 5 –2 –05 –2 –0
Howard 4 –3 –04 –4 –0
Virginia Union 4 –3 –04 –4 –0
Delaware State 3 –3 –04 –3 –0
Lincoln (PA) 2 –4 –02 –5 –0
North Carolina A&T 2 –5 –02 –5 –0
Hampton 2 –6 –02 –6 –0
Bluefield State 1 –5 –01 –6 –0
Shaw 0 –6 –00 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Illinois State Normal $ 3 –1 –04 –3 –0
Southern Illinois 2 –1 –14 –1 –2
Northern Illinois State 2 –2 –04 –3 –0
Eastern Illinois 1 –1 –22 –3 –2
Western Illinois 0 –3 –11 –5 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Valparaiso $ 4 –0 –06 –1 –0
DePauw 1 –0 –03 –2 –0
Ball State 4 –1 –14 –1 –1
Butler 3 –2 –03 –3 –0
Earlham 3 –3 –03 –3 –0
Wabash 1 –1 –12 –3 –1
Central Normal 2 –3 –02 –4 –0
Indiana State 1 –2 –02 –4 –0
Manchester 0 –2 –00 –2 –0
Franklin (IN) 0 –5 –00 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Central (IA) $ 5 –0 –07 –1 –0
Iowa Wesleyan 1 –0 –03 –2 –0
Wartburg 3 –2 –13 –2 –1
Loras 0 –0 –05 –2 –0
Dubuque 2 –2 –04 –2 –0
Simpson 1 –2 –02 –5 –0
Luther 1 –3 –02 –5 –0
Upper Iowa 1 –4 –11 –4 –1
Parsons 0 –1 –01 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Gustavus Adolphus $ 4 –0 –06 –0 –0
St. Thomas (MN) 3 –1 –05 –1 –0
Macalester 2 –1 –03 –1 –0
St. Olaf 1 –2 –02 –3 –0
Saint John's (MN) 1 –4 –01 –6 –0
Concordia (MN) 0 –1 –02 –2 –2
Augsburg 0 –1 –00 –3 –0
Saint Mary's (MN) 0 –1 –00 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 New England Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Connecticut + 2 –0 –07 –1 –0
Rhode Island State + 1 –0 –02 –1 –0
Maine 0 –3 –00 –5 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1945 North State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
High Point + 5 –0 –05 –0 –1
Catawba + 2 –0 –010 –1 –0
Appalachian State 1 –3 –01 –6 –0
Western Carolina 0 –2 –01 –3 –0
Guilford 0 –3 –00 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1945 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Oberlin $ 3 –0 –08 –0 –0
Capital 5 –1 –05 –1 –0
Baldwin–Wallace 4 –1 –06 –4 –0
Muskingum 4 –1 –16 –1 –1
Ashland 3 –1 –04 –1 –0
Otterbein 3 –1 –24 –2 –2
Wittenberg 3 –3 –03 –4 –0
Denison 2 –2 –02 –4 –0
Case 1 –3 –02 –5 –0
Heidelberg 1 –4 –11 –4 –1
Ohio Northern 0 –2 –03 –2 –0
Wooster 0 –4 –00 –6 –0
Kenyon 0 –6 –00 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1945 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Wiley $ 6 –0 –010 –0 –0
Southern 5 –1 –06 –3 –1
Texas College 3 –2 –17 –3 –1
Langston 3 –3 –05 –3 –0
Samuel Huston 1 –3 –2 ? – ? – ?
Prairie View 1 –4 –13 –5 –1
Arkansas AM&N 1 –5 –02 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion

Rankings
Main article: 1945 NCAA football rankings

The teams ranked highest in the final Associated Press poll in December 1945 were:

Rank Team Record Notes
1Army9–0Outscored opponents, 412 to 46. Unanimous No. 1 choice by all 116 voters in the AP poll. Led country in total offense (462.7 yards per game). Fullback Doc Blanchard won 1945 Heisman Trophy. Four consensus All-Americans: Blanchard; halfback Glenn Davis; tackle Tex Coulter; and guard John Green. Part of 32-game undefeated streak covering entire 1944, 1945, and 1946 seasons.
2Alabama10–0SEC champion. Defeated USC in 1946 Rose Bowll. Led nation in total defense (109.9 yards per game) and ranked second in total offense (462.7 yards per game). Harry Gilmer had 905 passing yards. Center Vaughn Mancha was a consensus All-American.
3Navy7–1–1Lost to Army on December 1 in battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2. End Dick Duden was a consensus All-American.
4Indiana9–0–1Big Ten champion. Outscored opponents, 279 to 56. Halfback George Taliaferro was first African-American Big Ten rushing leader. End Bob Ravensberg was a consensus All-American.
5Oklahoma A&M9–0Missouri Valley champion. Defeated Saint Mary's (CA) in 1946 Sugar Bowl. Consensus All-American halfback Bob Fenimore led country in total offense and rushing.
6Michigan7–3All three losses to teams ranked in top four: Army, Navy, and Indiana. Center Harold Watts team MVP.
7Saint Mary's (CA)7–2Led nation in passing offense (161.3 yards per game). Consensus All-American halfback Herman Wedemeyer second nationally with 1,040 passing yards.
8Penn6–2Tackle George Savitsky a consensus All-American. Only losses to No. 1 Army and No. 3 Navy.
9Notre Dame7–2–1Quarterback Frank Dancewicz and guard John Mastrangelo were second-team All-Americans. Losses to No. 1 Army and unranked Great Lakes Navy.
10Texas10–1Southwest Conference champion. Defeated Missouri in 1946 Cotton Bowl Classic.

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

PlayerSchoolPositionTotal
Doc BlanchardArmyFB860
Glenn DavisArmyHB638
Bob FenimoreOklahoma A&MHB187
Herman WedemeyerSt. Mary's (CA)HB152
Harry GilmerAlabamaHB132
Frank DancewiczNotre DameQB56
Warren AmlingOhio StateG/OT42
Pete PihosIndianaE/FB38

[4]

All-America team
Main article: 1946 College Football All-America Team

Statistical leaders

Total offense
Rank Team Games played Total plays Yards gained Yards per game
1Army95264164462.7
2Alabama95573795421.7
3Oklahoma A&M84963363420.4
4St. Mary's85022995374.4
5Georgia95753291365.7
6LSU95393269363.2
7Notre Dame96263180353.3
8Maryland74272433347.6
9Indiana106193254325.4
10Yale96482911323.4
11Tennessee74242260322.9
12Colorado College84622433304.1
13Mississippi State85422422302.8
14Tulsa105973021302.1
15Minnesota96092710301.1

[5]

Total defense
Rank Team Games played Total plays Yards gained Yards per game
1Alabama9452989109.9
2Temple84031005125.6
3Holy Cross83711131141.4
4Mississippi State83651191148.9
5St. Mary's83971236154.5
6Tulsa104911550155.0
7Yale94271441160.1
8Tennessee73681142163.1
9Indiana105361641164.1
10Army95151528169.8
11Washington94971535170.6
12Texas105411710171.0
13Texas A&M105441763176.3
14Georgia63091074179.0
15Colgate63101097182.8

[5]

Rushing offense
Rank Team Games Rushes Yards gained Yards per game
1Army94243238359.8
2LSU94432705300.6
3Alabama94402679297.7
4Oklahoma A&M83832293286.6
5Notre Dame94512395266.1
6Maryland73451846263.7
7Mississippi State84432028253.5
8Ohio State95052133237.0
9Colorado College83661882235.3
10Indiana104842331233.1
11Tennessee73281631233.0
12Duke83751806225.8
13Missouri94762018224.2
14Temple84051791223.9
15Tulsa104492236223.6

[5]

Rushing defense
Rank Team Games Rushes Yards gained Yards per game
1Alabama932030533.9
2Tennessee723138555.0
3Temple829652065.0
4St. Mary's824059173.9
5Penn State829563479.3
6Yale930072180.1
7Army935772880.9
8Texas1035381381.3
9Mississippi State825667083.8
10Tulsa1035385085.0
11Colgate621559198.5
12Indiana103931004100.4
13Washington9344908100.9
14California104061023102.3
15Detroit9342933103.7

[5]

Passing offense
Rank Team Games Att. Compl. Int. Pct.
Compl.		 Yards Yds/Game
1St. Mary's81507416.4931290161.3
2Cornell92079517.4591351150.1
3Georgia91597117.4471335148.3
4Oklahoma A&M81135411.4781070133.8
5Wake Forest593448.473634126.8
6Alabama9117714.6071116124.0
7SMU1126312326.4681310119.1
8TCU101908719.4581183118.3
9Colgate694468.489694115.7
10South Carolina71034414.427808115.4
11Kansas State81746220.356921115.1
12Yale91386915.5001015112.8
13Virginia677325.416682112.0
14Texas101546716.4351095109.5
15Michigan State91688912.530958106.4

[6]

Total offense
Rank Player Team Games Plays Rush Yds Pass Yds Total Yds Avg Gain
per Play
1Bob FenimoreOklahoma A&M8203104859316418.08
2Harry GilmerAlabama916755290514578.72
3Herman WedemeyerSt. Mary's8199388104014287.18
4Stan KozlowskiHoly Cross924784143812795.18
5Al DekdebrunCornell928227122712544.45
6Glenn DavisArmy9102944253119711.74
7Gene RossidesColumbia815250649711037.45
8Leon JoslinTCU102086195510164.88
9Curtis KuykendallAuburn101836163679835.37
10Linwood SextonWichita81557072469536.15
11Bobby ThomasonVMI92133595939524.47
12Ollie ClineOhio State917293109315.41
13ThompsonWisconsin91955793309094.66
14Jerry NilesIowa921768728784.05
15Walt SchlinkmanTexas Tech1014787108715.93
16Nick SacrintyNevada51532785788565.59
17Ed CodyPurdue1015784708475.39
18EllisVirginia81242905428326.71
19LundTennessee71284663608266.45
20George TaliaferroIndiana10175728968244.71

[7]

Rushing
Rank Player Team Games Rushes Yds Gained Yds Lost Net Yds Avg Gain
per Play
1Bob FenimoreOklahoma A&M814211197110487.38
2Glenn DavisArmy9829803694411.51
3Ollie ClineOhio State917193329315.44
4Walt SchlinkmanTexas Tech10145908378716.01
5Ed CodyPurdue10157868218475.39
6Stan KozlowskiHoly Cross9186916758414.52
7George TaliaferroIndiana10156801737284.67
8Doc BlanchardArmy910172687187.11
9Lowell TewAlabama988737227158.13
10Linwood SextonWichita8120762557075.89
11Ben BendrickWisconsin9142723426814.80
12Gene KnightLSU985709306797.99
13Cal RossiUCLA695700216797.15
14Dick ConnersNorthwestern9116685146715.78
15Camp WilsonTulsa10138679176624.80
16Lynn ChewningVMI9129707626455.00
17Harper DavisMississippi State9122710666445.28
18Bill CanfieldPurdue10143654256294.40
19Curtis KuykendallAuburn10132692766164.67
20Guy BrownDetroit982649396107.44

[8]

Passing
Rank Player Team Games Att. Compl. Int. Pct. Compl. Yds.
1Al DekdebrunCornell91949015.4641227
2Leon JoslinTCU101426911.486955
3Jerry NilesIowa91796315.352872
4Herman WedemeyerSt. Mary's8103595.5731040
5Jack O. PriceBaylor111255916.472708
6Harry GilmerAlabama988573.648905
7Arthur DakosYale91095610.514723
8Bob DeMossPurdue101175512.470742
9Russ ReaderMichigan State990535.589613
10HotsingerGeorgia Tech9116499.422682
11Bob ThomasonVMI91144610.404593
12GrayOregon State9924112.446359
13Nick SacrintyWake Forest581405.494578
14Doak WalkerSMU565384.585387
15Ben RaimondiIndiana1084373.440593
16Howard MaleySMU1179366.456288
17EvansPenn868356.515517
18Y. A. TittleLSU976359.461414
19HardeyTexas Tech1067337.493427
20WolffPittsburgh983339.398499

[9]

Receiving
Rank Player Team Games Receptions Receiving
Yards
1Reid MoseleyGeorgia1031662
2Gene WilsonSMU1131311
3Steve ContosMichigan State931285
4Hub BechtolTexas1025389
5O'ConnerSt. Mary's823373
6Bill CanfieldPurdue1023314
7JoinerBaylor1121319
8Paul WalkerYale921277
9JonesKentucky619369
10MasonTCU1019218
11Seymour KuppersmithNYU719207
12Neill ArmstrongOklahoma A&M818316
13SteinerAlabama918315
14PageSMU1118234
15CordeiroSt. Mary's817346
16MorrisNorthwestern916301
17PierceBaylor1116183
18R. AndersonOregon915290
19RyanSt. Mary's815276
20CashTulane915260

[7]

See also

References
  1. "October 8, 1945 AP Football Poll". CollegePollArchive.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  2. 1995 NCAA Football Records Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1995. pp. 54–58. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  3. Connelly, Bill (December 10, 2016). "What made 1945 Army the greatest college football team of all time". SBNation. Vox Media, LLC. Retrieved July 7, 2022. World War II gave the service academies competitive edges, and the Cadets took maximum advantage, producing perhaps the most dominant season of college football possible.
  4. "1945 Heisman Trophy Voting". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  5. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 30.
  6. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 31.
  7. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company.
  8. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 34.
  9. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 35.
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