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 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	10	10	8т	6	17т	—	—	—	—

After the season

Main article: 1947 NFL draft

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

References

1. "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). 2007. p. 147. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
2. "1946 Northwestern Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
3. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 74.
4. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 15, 1946). "Rice Rated Fifth Best, Tennessee 12th by Lit". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Indiana Places Three on Big Ten All-Stars". The Milwaukee Journal (AP story). November 26, 1946. p. 6. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
6. "Michigan Gets Three Places On UP Team". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (UP story). November 30, 1946. p. 13.
7. "Army, Irish Place Two Each On Captains' All American". Wisconsin State Journal. December 3, 1946.
8. Edward Press (September 29, 1946). "N. U. Swamps Iowa State in Opener, 41 to 9". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-6 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Edward Burns (October 6, 1946). "N.U. Routs Badgers, 28-0: Wildcats Get 3 Touchdowns in Last Period; 45,000 See Surprise Power Display". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Arch Ward (October 13, 1946). "N.U. Wins, 14 to 7: 67 Yard Run on First Play Jolts Gophers; 2 Touchdowns by Aschenbrenner". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-2. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Lyall Smith (October 20, 1946). "U-M Scores on Interception to Tie Wildcats, 14-14: Last-Period Play Is Good for 90 Yards; Fumbles Lead to Both Northwestern Tallies". Detroit Free Press. pp. IV-1, IV-3 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Irving Vaughan (October 27, 1946). "52 Wildcats Parade in 26-13 Triumph Over Pacific Eleven". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Irving Vaughan (November 3, 1946). "Ohio State Upsets Northwestern, 39-27: Buckeyes Stun Wildcats With 2d Half Spurt; Schwall Scores on 81 Yard Run". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-4 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Wilfrid Smith (November 10, 1946). "Indiana Beats N. U., 7-6: Fourth Period Score Offsets Wildcat Lead; Penalty Nullifies Possible Tie". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Wilfrid Smith (November 17, 1946). "Notre Dame Whips N. U., 27 to 0: Irish Power Drives Crush Wildcat Hopes; 58,000 Defy Rain at South Bend". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-3 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Charles Bartlett (November 24, 1946). "Illinois Beats N.U., 20-0; Takes Big 9 Title; Sixth League Victory Opens Door To Bowl". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-6 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.