1946 Missouri Valley Vikings football team

The 1946 Missouri Valley Vikings football team was an American football team that represented Missouri Valley College as a member of the Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU) during the 1946 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Volney Ashford, the Vikings compiled a perfect 10–0 record (4–0 against MCAU teams), won the MCAU championship, shut out five of ten opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 387 to 33.[1][2]

1946 Missouri Valley Vikings football
MCAU champion
ConferenceMissouri College Athletic Union
Record10–0 (4–0 MCAU)
Head coach
1946 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $ 4 –0 –010 –0 –0
Central (MO) 2 –1 –14 –3 –1
William Jewell 2 –2 –04 –5 –0
Culver–Stockton 1 –3 –04 –4 –0
Tarkio 0 –3 –10 –7 –1
  • $ – Conference champion

The season was part of a 41-game winning streak (1941–1942, 1946–1948) that still ranks as the fifth longest in college football history.[note 1] Coach Ashford, who led the team during the streak, was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[3]

Missouri Valley halfback Alva Baker ranked seventh nationally in scoring among small-college players with 84 points scored.[4] Eleven Missouri Valley players received honors from the Associated Press (AP) on the All-MCAU football team, six on the first team and five on the second team. The honorees included Alva Baker at halfback (AP-1); Ted Chittwood at end (AP-1); Jim Nelson (AP-1) and Verlie Harris (AP-1) at the guard position; Bill Klein at center (AP-2).[5]

Missouri Valley's roster also included back Hugh C. Dunn, who lost his left hand due to injuries suffered in a German mortar attack during World War II.[6]

During the fall of 1946, Missouri Valley College had only 513 students, 322 of which were freshmen.[2]

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 20Sterling*Marshall, MOW 37–0[7]
September 26Chillicothe Business College*Marshall, MOW 65–0[8][9]
October 4Simpson*W 34–6
October 11at TarkioTarkio, MOW 27–0[10]
October 18at William JewellLiberty, MOW 47–7[11]
October 25Shurtleff*Marshall, MOW 39–0[12]
November 1Central (MO)Marshall, MOW 25–7[13]
November 8Culver–StocktonCanton, MOW 47–0[14]
November 15McPherson*Marshall, MOW 32–6[15]
November 22Rockhurst*Marshall, MOW 34–72,500[16]
  • *Non-conference game

Notes
  1. The United States Navy took over the Missouri Valley College during World War II. While the Navy fielded V-12 Navy College Training Program football teams under the Missouri Valley name in 1943 and 1944, the V-12 teams played with different coaches and players, and are not counted as part of the Missouri Valley Vikings football program's record.

References
  1. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 198.
  2. "There's Bowl Talk at Marshall And Praise for Volney Ashford". The Kansas City Star. November 25, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Volney Ashford". National Football Foundation. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  4. 1947 NCAA Official Football Guide, p. 89.
  5. "Missouri Valley Dominates MIAA All-Star Teams". Moberly Monitor-Index. December 3, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "One-Handed War Hero Big Cog in M.V. Gridiron Sweep". The Parsons Sun. November 16, 1946. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Vikings Defeat Sterling, 37-0". St. Joseph Gazette. September 21, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Ducks Open Season at Marshall Tonight". The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. September 26, 1946. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "C.B.C., Out of Its Class, Is Drubbed". The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. September 27, 1946. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Vikings Thump Tarkio, 27-0". St. Joseph Gazette. October 12, 1946. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "May Decide Race: Clash Between William Jewell and Missouri Valley Today Is Top Game of Season". The Kansas City Times. October 18, 1946. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Shurtleff Drops Game To Missouri Valley, 39-0". Alton Evening Telegraph. October 26, 1946. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Vikings Thump Central, 25-7". St. Joseph Gazette. November 2, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "On Unbeaten List: Missouri Valley Vikings Make It Nine in a Row by Downing Culver–Stockton". The Kansas City Star. November 9, 1946. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Vikings In Top Form: McPherson Is Missouri Valley's Foe Tonight". The Kansas City Star. November 15, 1946. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Ed Garich (November 23, 1946). "Mo. Valley 34, Rockhurst 7: The String to 20". The Kansas City Times. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
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