1946 Western New York Little Three Conference football season

The 1946 Western New York Little Three Conference football season was the season of college football played by the three member schools of the Western New York Little Three Conference (Little Three) as part of the 1946 college football season.

1946 Western New York Little Three Conference football season
Sport	Football
Number of teams	3
Champion	St. Bonaventure

The St. Bonaventure Bonnies won the Little Three championship with a 6–2 record and outscored opponents by a total of 179 to 69.

Conference overview

Conf. rank	Team	Head coach	Conf. record	Overall record	Points scored	Points against
1	St. Bonaventure	Hugh Devore	2–0	6–1	154	43
2	Canisius	Earl Brown	1–1	4–3–1	148	58
3	Niagara	James Moran Sr.	0–2	6–2	151	55

Teams

St. Bonaventure

1946 St. Bonaventure Bonnies football
Little Three champion
Tobacco Bowl, L 25–26 vs. Muhlenberg
Conference	Western New York Little Three Conference
Record	6–2 (2–0 Little Three)
Head coach	Hugh Devore (1st season)
Home stadium	Forness Stadium
Seasons ← 1942 1947 →

The 1946 St. Bonaventure Bonnies football team, sometimes referred to as the St. Bonaventure Brown Indians, represented St. Bonaventure University. The team compiled a 6–1 record in the regular season, lost to Muhlenberg in the inaugural Tobacco Bowl, and outscored all opponents by a total of 179 to 69.^[1] The 1946 season marked St. Bonaventure's return to intercollegiate football after a three-year hiatus during World War II.

The team was led by first-year head coach Hugh Devore. Devore led the 1945 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team to a 7–2–1 record before moving on to St. Bonaventure.

St. Bonaventure was ranked at No. 88 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System rankings for 1946.^[2]

The team played its home games at the newly-constructed Forness Stadium in Olean, New York. The dedication of the new stadium was held on September 28 during a game against Youngstown.^[3]

Two St. Bonaventure players were selected in the 1947 NFL draft held on December 16, 1946. They were back Hugo Marcolini (16th round, 137th pick, by the Boston Yanks) and Steve Cipot (23rd round, 206th pick, by the Detroit Lions).^[4]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	Youngstown*	Forness Stadium Olean, NY	L 14–20		[5]
October 5	at Scranton*	Scranton Baseball Stadium Scranton, PA	W 33–7		[6]
October 13	at Niagara	Buffalo, NY	W 29–7		[7]
October 26	Saint Vincent*	Forness Stadium Olean, NY	W 26–0	8,000	[8]
November 3	at Canisius	Buffalo, NY	W 13–0	35,089	[9]
November 9	Bowling Green*	Forness Stadium Olean, NY	W 13–9		[10][11]
November 16	at Merchant Marine*	Kings Point, NY	W 26–0		[12][13]
December 14	vs. Muhlenberg*	Stoll Field Lexington, KY (Tobacco Bowl)	L 25–26	3,000	[14]
*Non-conference game

Canisius

1946 Canisius Golden Griffins football
Conference	Western New York Little Three Conference
Record	4–3–1 (1–1 Little Three)
Head coach	Earl Brown (1st season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Canisius Golden Griffins football team represented Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. In their first year under head coach Earl Brown, the Golden Griffins compiled a 4–3–1 record, finished in second place in the Little Three, and outscored opponents by a total of 148 to 58.^[15]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20	Western Ontario	Buffalo, NY	W 34–3		[16]
September 28	at Brown	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	L 7–14	12,716	[17]
	St. Mary's		W 31–0
	Alliance		W 42–0
	Niagara		W 14–2
October 25	Bowling Green	Civic Stadium Buffalo, NY	L 7–13
November 3	St. Bonaventure	Buffalo, NY	L 0–13	35,089	[18]
	Scranton		T 13–13

Niagara

1946 Niagara Purple Eagles football
Conference	Western New York Little Three Conference
Record	6–2 (0–2 Little Three)
Head coach	James Moran Sr. (1st season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Niagara Purple Eagles football team represented Niagara University in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. In their first year under head coach James Moran Sr., the Purple Eagles compiled a 6–2 record, finished in third place in the Little Three, and outscored opponents by a total of 151 to 55.^[19]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
	Valparaiso		W 31–0
	Ithaca		W 41–0
October 13	St. Bonaventure	Buffalo, NY	L 7–29		[20]
	Canisius		L 2–14
	John Carroll*		W 14–6
	Waynesburg		W 19–6
	Hobart		W 25–0
	Scranton		W 12–0
*Non-conference game

References

1. "1946 - Saint Bonaventure (NY)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
2. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 15, 1946). "Rice Rated Fifth Best, Tennessee 12th by Lit". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "U.B., Niagara, Bona's Tee Off". The Evening Observer. September 27, 1946. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
5. "Bonnies Bow To Youngstown". The Post-Standard. September 29, 1946. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bonnies Rout Scranton, 33 to 7". The Scrantonian. October 6, 1946. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Bonnies Bury Niagara, 29-7". The Post-Standard. October 14, 1946. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Bonnies Romp To Easy Win". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. October 27, 1946. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.
9. "35,089 See Bonaventure Topple Canisius, 13-0". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. November 4, 1946. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Bowling Green's Aerial Offense Worries Bonnies". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. November 8, 1946. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Bonnies 13-9 Victors In Final Home Game". The Scrantonian. November 10, 1946. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Bob Zellner (November 18, 1946). "St. Bonaventure Pounds Mariners, Colella Stars". Newsday. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Bonas Ends Season With 26-0 Decision Over Marine Eleven". The Era (Bradford, PA). November 18, 1946. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Muhlenberg Tips Bonnies 26-25: Mules Score First In Winning Inaugural Tobacco Bowl Tilt". The Courier-Journal. December 15, 1946. p. IV-1 – via Newspapers.com.
15. 1947 NCAA Football Guide, p. 167.
16. "Canisius of Buffalo Laces Mustangs, by 34 to 3: Line Is Pierced By "T" Formation; Bob MacFarlane Scores Field Goal For Johnny Metras' Squad". The Windsor Star. September 21, 1946. p. Sports 3 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Brown Overcomes Canisius, 14 to 7". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. United Press. September 29, 1946. p. S3.
18. "35,089 See Bonaventure Topple Canisius, 13-0". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. November 4, 1946. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
19. 1947 NCAA Football Guide, p. 167.
20. "Bonnies Bury Niagara, 29-7". The Post-Standard. October 14, 1946. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.