1946 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 1946 Northwestern Wildcats team was an American football team that represented Northwestern University during the 1946 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 12th and final year under head coach Pappy Waldorf, the Wildcats compiled a 4–4–1 record (2–3–1 against conference opponents), finished in seventh place in the Big Nine Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 156 to 136.^[2]

1946 Northwestern Wildcats football
Conference	Big Nine Conference
Record	4–4–1 (2–3–1 Big Nine)
Head coach	Pappy Waldorf (12th season)
MVP	Ed Hirsch
Captain	Bill Ivy[1]
Home stadium	Dyche Stadium
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

1946 Big Nine Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Illinois $	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
No. 6 Michigan	5	–	1	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
No. 20 Indiana	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Iowa	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Minnesota	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Ohio State	2	–	3	–	1			4	–	3	–	2
Northwestern	2	–	3	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
Wisconsin	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Purdue	0	–	5	–	1			2	–	6	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team ranked first in the Big Nine, and ninth nationally, in rushing offense with an average of 217.6 rushing yards per game.^[3] It was ranked at No. 17 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System rankings.^[4]

Halfback Vic Schwall was selected by both the Associated Press and United Press as a first-team player on the 1946 All-Big Nine Conference football team.^[5][6] Guard Ed Hirsch was selected by the Central Press Association as a first-team player on the 1946 All-America college football team.^[7]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	Iowa State*		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 41–9	41,000	[8]
October 5	Wisconsin		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 28–0	45,000	[9]
October 12	Minnesota	No. 10	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 14–7	40,000	[10]
October 19	at No. 5 Michigan	No. 10	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	T 14–14	74,500	[11]
October 26	Pacific (CA)*	No. 8	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 26–13	35,000	[12]
November 2	Ohio State	No. 6	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	L 27–39	46,000	[13]
November 9	Indiana	No. 17	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	L 6–7		[14]
November 16	at No. 2 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	L 0–27	58,000	[15]
November 23	No. 5 Illinois		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry)	L 0–20	47,000	[16]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1946 college 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	10	10	8т	6	17т	—	—	—	—

After the season

The 1947 NFL draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Wildcats were selected.^[17]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
1	10	Vic Schwall	Halfback	New York Giants
6	38	Frank Aschenbrenner	Running back	Pittsburgh Steelers
7	52	Dick Connors	Back	Green Bay Packers
8	60	George Maddock	Tackle	Chicago Cardinals
11	91	Alex Sarkisian	Center	Philadelphia Eagles
26	245	Max Morris	End	Chicago Bears
30	280	Jerry Carle	Back	Green Bay Packers
31	287	Vince DiFrancesca	Guard	Pittsburgh Steelers