1946 NC State Wolfpack football team

The 1946 NC State Wolfpack football team was an American football team that represented North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later renamed North Carolina State University) as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1946 college football season. In its third season under head coach Beattie Feathers, the team compiled an 8–3 record (6–1 against SoCon opponents), was ranked No. 18 in the final AP Poll, lost to Oklahoma in the 1947 Gator Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 226 to 101.^[1][2]

1946 NC State Wolfpack football
Gator Bowl, L 13–34 vs. Oklahoma
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 18
Record	8–3 (6–1 SoCon)
Head coach	Beattie Feathers (3rd season)
Home stadium	Riddick Stadium
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

1946 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 9 North Carolina $	4	–	0	–	1			8	–	2	–	1
William & Mary	7	–	1	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
No. 18 NC State	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
South Carolina	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Duke	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Richmond	3	–	2	–	2			6	–	2	–	2
VPI	3	–	3	–	2			3	–	4	–	3
VMI	2	–	3	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
George Washington	1	–	1	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Clemson	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Wake Forest	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Maryland	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Furman	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Washington and Lee	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
The Citadel	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Davidson	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

NC State was ranked at No. 35 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System rankings for 1946.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28		Duke		Riddick Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	W 13–6	22,000	[4]
October 5		at Clemson		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	W 14–7	15,000	[5]
October 12		Davidson	No. 19	Riddick Stadium Raleigh, NC	W 25–0	18,000	[6]
October 19		at Wake Forest		Groves Stadium Wake Forest, NC	W 14–6	22,000	[7]
October 26	2:30 p.m.	at VPI	No. 12	Miles Stadium Blacksburg, VA	L 6–14	13,000	[8][9]
November 2		vs. VMI		Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA	W 49–7	6,000	[10]
November 9		at Vanderbilt*	No. 20	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 0–7	17,500	[11]
November 16		Virginia*		Riddick Stadium Raleigh, NC	W 27–7	18,000	[12]
November 23		at Florida*		Phillips Field Tampa, FL	W 37–6	14,500	[13]
November 30		Maryland		Riddick Stadium Raleigh, NC	W 28–7	16,000	[14]
January 1, 1947		vs. No. 14 Oklahoma*	No. 18	Fairfield Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	L 13–34	17,000	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1946 NCAA football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
AP	19т	—	12	—	20	—	—	—	18

After the season

Main article: 1947 NFL draft

The 1947 NFL Draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Wolfpack players were selected.^[16]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
7	50	Howard Turner	Back	Chicago Cardinals
10	78	Paul Gibson	End	Pittsburgh Steelers
22	200	George Blomquist	End	Philadelphia Eagles

References

1. "1946 North Carolina State Wolfpack Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
2. "Wolfpack Football 2019 NC State Media Guide" (PDF). North Carolina State University. 2019. p. 150. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
3. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 15, 1946). "Rice Rated Fifth Best, Tennessee 12th by Lit". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Jack Horner (September 29, 1946). "State Turns Back Duke For First Time Since 1932 In Grid Upset By 13-6 Score: Wolfpack Scores Twice In Second Half To Overcome Early Duke Lead Before 22,000". Durham Morning Herald. pp. I-1, II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "State Beats Clemson, 14-7: Turner Features in State Victory; Flashy Tailback Returns Kickoff 98 Yards -- Also Scores on 10-Yard Run". The News and Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. October 6, 1946. pp. II-1, II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Fred Dixon (October 13, 1946). "Wolfpack Scores, 25-0, Over Stubborn Davidson: Wildcats Give State Hard Game for First Half but Locals Stay Unbeaten". The News and Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Dick Herbert (October 20, 1946). "State Checks Deacs, 14-6: Wolfpack Takes Fourth Triumph; State Gets Both Touchdowns On Passes to Remain in Undefeated Ranks". The News and Observer. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Gobblers Primed To Upset Favored Pack". The Technician. North Carolina State University. October 25, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
9. "The Bugle 1947" (PDF). Virginia Tech Bugle. 1947. p. 183. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
10. "State beats VMI. 49–7, with powerful offensive". The News and Observer. November 3, 1946. Retrieved January 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Raymond Johnson (November 10, 1946). "Vandy Defeats Wolfpack 7-0 On Allen's Score: Gold Holds Feathers' Team to Minus 4 Yards; Line Play Gives Sanders' Crew Big Advantage". The Nashville Tennessean. pp. Sports 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Herman Blackman (November 17, 1946). "State Wins, 27-7: State Defeats Cavaliers At Riddick Stadium, 27-7; Fletcher Sets Pace for Alert Wolfpack before Homecoming Throng". The News and Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. pp. II-1, II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Pete Norton (November 24, 1946). "Wolfpack Crushes Gators, 37 to 6: 14,500 Watch Florida Lose 8th Straight; Turner, Griffin Star for Rival Teams". The Tampa Times. pp. 1B, 2B.
14. Herman Blackman (December 1, 1946). "Wolfpack Posts Win Over Terps: Howard Turner Scores Three Times as Wolfpack Tops Maryland, 28-7". The News and Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. pp. II-1, II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Sooners Cop Gator". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. January 2, 1947. p. 4. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.