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The 1946 Kentucky Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1946 college football season. In their first season under head coach Bear Bryant, the Wildcats compiled a 7–3 record (2–3 against SEC opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 233 to 90.[1]
| 1946 Kentucky Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Record | 7–3 (2–3 SEC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | Phil Cutchin |
| Home stadium | McLean Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Georgia + | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Tennessee + | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 LSU | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Georgia Tech | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bryant was hired as Kentucky's head football coach in January 1946. He had been the head coach at Maryland in 1945. At age 32, he was one of the youngest head coaches at a major university.[2] Bryant took over a program that had compiled losing records of 2–8 in 1945, 3–6 in 1944, and 3–6–1 in 1942 – while winning only one game against an SEC opponent during the three years. Bryant promptly turned the program around, eventually leading the Wildcats to SEC and Sugar Bowl championships in 1950.
Two Kentucky players received honors from the Associated Press (AP) or United Press (UP) on the 1946 All-SEC football team: Wallace Jones at end (AP-1, UP-3); and Dan Phelps at halfback (UP-2).[3][4]
Kentucky was ranked at No. 14 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System rankings for 1946.[5]
The team played its home games at McLean Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 21 | Ole Miss | W 20–7 | 19,600 | [6] | ||
| September 28 | at Cincinnati* | W 26–7 | 27,000 | [7] | ||
| October 5 | Xavier* |
| W 70–0 | 20,200 | [8] | |
| October 11 | at No. 8 Georgia | No. 19 | L 13–28 | 25,000 | [9] | |
| October 19 | Vanderbilt |
| W 10–7 | 21,000 | [10] | |
| October 26 | at No. 11 Alabama | L 7–21 | 22,500 | [11] | ||
| November 2 | Michigan State* |
| W 39–14 | 19,700 | [12] | |
| November 9 | at Marquette* | W 35–0 | 12,000 | [13] | ||
| November 16 | West Virginia* |
| W 13–0 | 20,000 | [14] | |
| November 23 | at No. 7 Tennessee | L 0–7 | 35,000 | [15] | ||
| ||||||
| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | 19т | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
The 1947 NFL Draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Wildcats were selected.[17]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 18 | Ermal Allen | Quarterback | Chicago Cardinals |
| 27 | 151 | Phil Cutchin | Back | Philadelphia Eagles |
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