1946 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football season

The 1946 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football season was the season of college football played by the 13 member schools of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) as part of the 1946 college football season.

West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Sport	Football
Number of teams	13
Champion	West Liberty State

1946 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
West Liberty State $	4	–	0	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Potomac State	7	–	1	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
West Virginia Tech	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Fairmont State	3	–	1	–	1			4	–	3	–	1
West Virginia Wesleyan	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Davis & Elkins	2	–	3	–	1			3	–	5	–	2
Morris Harvey	2	–	3	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
Concord	1	–	3	–	2			1	–	5	–	2
Glenville State	1	–	5	–	2			1	–	5	–	2
Shepherd	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	5	–	0
Salem	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	8	–	0
Marshall *	2	–	0	–	0			2	–	7	–	1
Bethany (WV) *	0	–	2	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion * – Did not qualify for conference standings Ties did not count in conference standings.

The West Liberty State Hilltoppers won the WVIAC championship with a 7–2 record (4–0 against conference opponents) and outscored all opponents by a total of 183 to 70.

Conference overview

Conf. rank	Team	Head coach	Conf. record	Overall record	Points scored	Points against
1	West Liberty State	Joe Bartell	4–0	7–2	183	70
2	Potomac State	D. G. Lough	7–1	7–2	105	49
3	West Virginia Tech	Steve Harrick	5–1	6–2	96	66
4	Fairmont State	Squibb Wilson	3–1–1	4–3–1	55	70
5	West Virginia Wesleyan	Cecil B. Ross	4–3	6–3	134	97
6	Davis & Elkins	Harvey E. Rooker	2–3–1	3–5–2	59	121
7	Morris Harvey	Alderson Propps (first 2 games) Eddie King (final 5 games)	2–3	2–5	38	117
8	Concord	James Callaghan	1–3–2	1–5–2	34	126
9	Glenville State	Carlos Ratliff	1–5–2	1–5–2	32	63
10	Shepherd	Cleftus Lowe	1–5	1–5	21	102
11	Salem	Sam Gwosden	0–5	0–8	18	192
*	Marshall	Cam Henderson	2–0	2–7–1	190	145
*	Bethany (WV)	Don L. Phillips	0–2	1–7	45	124

Marshall and Bethany did not play enough conference game to qualify for conference standing. Ties did not count in conference standings.^[1][2][3]

Teams

West Liberty State

1946 West Liberty State Hilltoppers football
WVIAC champion
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	7–2 (4–0 WVIAC)
Head coach	Joe Bartell (11th season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 West Liberty State Hilltoppers football team represented West Liberty State College (later renamed West Liberty University of West Liberty, West Virginia. In their 11th year under head coach Joe Bartell,^[4][5] the Hilltoppers compiled a 7–2 record (4–0 against WVIAC teams), won the WVIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 183 to 70.^[6][7]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	Detroit Tech*	Wellsburg, WV	W 22–7
October 4	vs. California (PA)*	Wheeling, WV	L 0–21	3,000	[8]
October 12	at Morehead State*	Morehead, KY	L 0–26		[9]
October 19	at Waynesburg*	Waynesburg, PA	W 28–3		[10]
October 25	vs. Davis & Elkins	Dreshar Stadium Tarentum, PA	W 31–0	3,500	[11]
November 1	at Saint Vincent	Latrobe, PA	W 13–6		[12]
November 8	Concord	West Liberty, WV	W 48–7
November 16	at Potomac State	Stayman Field Keyser, WV	W 7–0	1,500	[13]
November 22	Salem	West Liberty, WV	W 34–0		[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Marshall

Main article: 1946 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

1946 Marshall Thundering Herd football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	2–7–1 (2–0 WVIAC)
Head coach	Cam Henderson (9th season)
Captain	Jack Chapman, Don Gibson
Home stadium	Fairfield Stadium
Seasons ← 1942 1947 →

The 1946 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University of Huntington, West Virginia. In its ninth season under head coach Cam Henderson, the team compiled a 2–7–1 record and was outscored by a total of 190 to 145.^[15]

Potomac State

1946 Potomac State Catamounts football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	7–2 (7–1 WVIAC)
Head coach	D.G. Lough
Home stadium	Stayman Field
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Potomac State Catamounts football team was an American football team that represented Potomac State College of Keyser, West Virginia. Led by head coach D.G. Lough, the Catamounts compiled a 7–2 record (7–1 against WVIAC teams), finished in third place in the WVIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 105 to 49.^[16]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
		West Virginia Tech		W 7–0
		Concord		W 13–6
		Morris Harvey		W 7–0
		Shepherd		W 21–0
		Davis & Elkins		W 7–0
		Salem		W 20–0
		Glenville State		W 24–6
November 9	2:00 p.m.	California State (PA)*	Stayman Field Keyser, WV	L 6–21	2,500	[17][18][19]
		West Liberty State		L 0–7
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time

West Virginia Tech

1946 West Virginia Tech Golden Bears football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	6–2 (5–1 WVIAC)
Head coach	Steve Harrick
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 West Virginia Tech Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the West Virginia University Institute of Technology of Beckley, West Virginia. Led by head coach Steve Harrick, the team compiled a 6–2 record (5–1 against WVIAC teams), finished in fourth place in the WVIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 96 to 66.^[20]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
		Potomac State		L 0–7
		Marietta*		W 21–0
		Fairmont State		W 10–0
		Glenville State		W 7–0
October 19	8:15 p.m.	at California (PA)*	Charleroi Stadium Charleroi, PA	L 2–38	5,000	[21][22]
		West Virginia Wesleyan		W 23–15
		Concord		W 26–0
		Morris Harvey		W 7–6
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time

Fairmont State

1946 Fairmont State Fighting Falcons football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	4–3–1 (3–1–1 WVIAC)
Head coach	Squibb Wilson (4th season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Fairmont State Fighting Falcons football team was an American football team that represented Fairmont State University of Fairmont, West Virginia. Led by head coach Squibb Wilson, the Fighting Falcons compiled a 4–3–1 record (3–1–1 against WVIAC teams), finished in fifth place in the WVIAC, and were outscored by a total of 70 to 55.^[23]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
	Glenville State		W 7–0
	West Virginia Tech		L 0–10
	Bethany (WV)		W 13–0
October 19	at Indiana State (PA)*	Indiana, PA	L 7–33	5,000	[24]
October 25	Slippery Rock State*	Fairmont, WV	W 7–0		[25]
	Concord		T 0–0
	Shepherd		W 21–7
November 16	California (PA)*	Fairmont, WV	L 0–20		[26]
*Non-conference game

West Virginia Wesleyan

1946 West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	6–3 (4–3 WVIAC)
Head coach	Cecil B. Ross (18th season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented West Virginia Wesleyan College of Buckhannon, West Virginia. Led by head coach Cecil B. Ross, the Bobcats compiled a 6–3 record (4–3 against WVIAC teams), finished in sixth place in the WVIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 134 to 97.^[27]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	at Marshall	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 12–29
	Glenville State		W 19–6
	Salem		W 6–0
October 18	Morris Harvey	Buckhannon, WV	L 2–6
	Waynesburg		W 13–6
	West Virginia Tech		L 15–23
	Marietta*		W 33–20
	Bethany (WV)		W 14–7
	Davis & Elkins		W 20–0
*Non-conference game

Davis & Elkins

1946 Davis & Elkins Senators football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	3–5–2 (2–3–1 WVIAC)
Head coach	Harvey E. Rooker
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Davis & Elkins Senators football team was an American football team that represented Davis & Elkins College of Elkins, West Virginia. Led by head coach Harvey E. Rooker, the Senators compiled a 3–5–2 record (2–3–1 against WVIAC teams), finished in seventh place in the WVIAC, and were outscored by a total of 121 to 59.^[28]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
	Quantico Marines		W 14–6
	Shepherd		W 19–0
	Salem		W 19–12
	Moravian		T 0–0
	Potomac State		L 0–7
	West Liberty State		L 0–31
	Alliance		L 7–13
	Glenville State		T 0–0
	St. Vincent		L 0–32
	West Virginia Wesleyan		L 0–20

Morris Harvey

1946 Morris Harvey Golden Eagles football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	2–5 (2–3 WVIAC)
Head coach	Alderson Propps (1st season; first 2 games) Eddie King (1st season, final 5 games)
Home stadium	Laidley Field
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Morris Harvey Golden Eagles football team was an American football team that represented Morris Harvey College (now part of University of Charleston) of Charleston, West Virginia. Alderson Propps began the season as head football coach and athletic director at Morris Harvey, but resigned after the team lost its first two games. He was succeeded by assistant coach Eddie King.^[29] The Eagles compiled an overall record 2–5 record with mark of 2–3 in conference play, finishing in eighth place in the WVIAC. They were outscored by a total of 117 to 38.^[30]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28		Morehead State*	Laidley Field Charleston, WV	L 6–39
October 5		Potomac State	Laidley Field Charleston, WV	L 0–7	3,500	[31]
October 18		at West Virginia Wesleyan	Buckhannon, WV	W 6–2
November 2		Marshall	Laidley Field Charleston, WV	L 0–34
November 9	2:30 p.m.	at Youngstown*	Rayen Stadium Youngstown, OH	L 14–28	4,500	[32][33]
November 16		at West Virginia Tech	Montgomery, WV	L 6–7
November 23		Glenville State	Laidley Field Charleston, WV	W 6–0
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time

Concord

1946 Concord Mountain Lions football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	1–5–2 (1–3–2 WVIAC)
Head coach	James Callaghan
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Concord Mountain Lions football team was an American football team that represented Concord State University of Athens, West Virginia. Led by head coach James Callaghan, the team compiled a 1–5–2 record (1–3–2 against WVIAC teams), finished in ninth place in the WVIAC, and were outscored by a total of 126 to 34.^[34]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
	Potomac State		L 6–13
	Shepherd		W 21–7
	VPI "B"" team		L 0–6
	Glenville State		T 0–0
	West Virginia Tech		L 0–26
	Fairmont State		T 0–0
	West Liberty State		L 7–48
	Emory & Henry		L 0–26

Glenville State

1946 Glenville State Pioneers football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	1–5–2 (1–5–2 WVIAC)
Head coach	Carlos Ratliff (1st season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Glenville State Pioneers football team was an American football team that represented Glenville State University of Glenville, West Virginia. In their first year under head coach Carlos Ratliff, the team compiled a 1–5–2 record (1–5–2 against WVIAC teams), finished in tenth place in the WVIAC, and were outscored by a total of 63 to 32.^[35]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
	Fairmont State		L 0–7
	West Virginia Wesleyan		L 6–19
	West Virginia Tech		L 0–7
	Concord		T 0–0
	Shepherd		W 20–0
	Potomac State		L 6–24
	Davis & Elkins		T 0–0
	Morris Havey		L 0–6

Shepherd

1946 Shepherd Rams football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	1–5 (1–5 WVIAC)
Head coach	Cleftus Lowe (1st season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Shepherd Rams football team was an American football team that represented Shepherd State University of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Led by first-year head coach Cleftus Lowe, the team compiled a 1–5 record (1–5 against WVIAC teams), finished in eleventh place in the WVIAC, and were outscored by a total of 102 to 21.^[36]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
	Davis & Elkins		L 0–19
	Concord		L 7–21
	Potomac State		L 0–21
	Salem		W 7–0
	Fairmont State		L 7–21
	Glenville State		L 0–20

Bethany

1946 Bethany Bison football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	1–7 (0–2 WVIAC)
Head coach	Don L. Phillips (1st season)
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Bethany Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bethany College of Bethany, West Virginia. In their first year under head coach Don L. Phillips, the team compiled a 1–7 record (0–2 against WVIAC teams), finished in twelfth place in the WVIAC, and were outscored by a total of 124 to 45.^[37]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	at Washington & Jefferson*	College Field Washington, PA	L 0–6
	Mount Union*		L 6–20
	Fairmont State		L 0–13
	Geneva		L 0–19
	Westminster		L 7–13
November 2	Buffalo*	Bethany, WV	L 6–32		[38]
November 9	Clarion State*	Bethany, WV	W 19–7
	West Virginia Wesleyan		L 7–14
*Non-conference game

Salem

1946 Salem Tigers football
Conference	West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	0–8 (0–5 WVIAC)
Head coach	Sam Gwosden
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

The 1946 Salem Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Salem University of Salem, West Virginia. Led by head coach Sam Gwosden, the team compiled a 0–8 record (0–5 against WVIAC teams), finished in 13th place in the WVIAC, and were outscored by a total of 192 to 18.^[39]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
	Alliance		L 0–7
	Davis & Elkins		L 12–19
	West Virginia Wesleyan		L 0–6
	Potomac State		L 0–20
	Shepherd		L 0–7
October 31	at California State (PA)*	Charleroi Stadium Charleroi, PA	L 0–54	3,000	[40]
	St. Vincent's		L 6–45
	West Liberty State		L 0-34
*Non-conference game

References

1. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 104.
2. "West Liberty Wins Conference Honors in West Virginia". The Cumberland News. November 25, 1946. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "2005 WVIAC Football Media Guide". West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. July 15, 2005. p. 35. Retrieved June 24, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
4. "Joseph A. Bartell". Hilltopper Sports. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
5. "Remembering Coach Joe Bartell". West Liberty University Foundation. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
6. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 231.
7. "West Liberty State Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
8. "California State Whips W. Liberty". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. October 6, 1946. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Morehead Is Winner, 26-0". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 13, 1946. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Waynesburg Bows To West Liberty". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. October 20, 1946. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "West Liberty Drubs Davis-Elkins, 31-0". Republican and Herald. October 25, 1946. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Bearcats Lose To Liberty, 13-6". Latrobe Bulletin. November 2, 1946. pp. 10, 11 – via Newspapers.com.
13. John L. Borchert (November 17, 1946). "West Liberty Shades Potomac State, 7-0". Cumberland Sunday Times. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "West Liberty Closes With 34-0 Victory: Win Over Salem Gives Bartell Team 4th Conference Title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 23, 1946. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "2008 Marshall Football Guide" (PDF). Marshall University. 2018. p. 184. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
16. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 212.
17. "Yewcie, Baisi And M'Farland In Cat Lineup". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. November 8, 1946. p. 19. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
18. "California Teachers Hand Potomac State First Loss, 21-6". Cumberland Sunday Times. Cumberland, Maryland. November 9, 1946. p. 31. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
19. "California Tchrs. Win Seventh". The Pittsburgh Press. November 10, 1946. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
20. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 231.
21. "Vulcans Eye Fourth Win". The Morning Herald. Uniontown, Pennsylvania. October 19, 1946. p. 8. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
22. "Vulcans Rout Tech Eleven". The Morning Herald. Uniontown, Pennsylvania. October 21, 1946. p. 10. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
23. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 177.
24. Bob Fisher (October 21, 1946). "College Trips Unbeaten Fairmont 33 to 7: Indians' Aerial Strategy Nets 106 Yards; Falcons Score Lone T.D. In Fourth". The Indiana Gazette. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
25. "Fairmont Tops Slippery Rock: Monessen's Joe Beck Scores All 7 Points". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 26, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
26. "Vulcans Win 8th Contest". The Morning Herald. November 18, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
27. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 232.
28. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 173.
29. "College Coach Quits". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. October 15, 1946. p. 22. Retrieved July 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
30. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 199.
31. "Catamounts Beat Morris-Harvey, 7-0". Cumberland Sunday Times. Cumberland, Maryland. Associated Press. October 6, 1946. p. 27. Retrieved July 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
32. "Youngtown Plays Tomorrow". The Scranton Times. Scranton, Pennsylvania. November 8, 1946. p. 34. Retrieved July 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
33. "Youngstown Nips Morris Harvey". The Raleigh Register. Beckley, West Virginia. November 10, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
34. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 171.
35. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 180.
36. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 180.
37. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 164.
38. "Buffalo Trims Bethany, 32 to 6". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. November 3, 1946. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
39. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 216.
40. "California Teachers Roll To Easy Win Over Salem, 54-0". The Daily Republican. Monongahela, Pennsylvania. United Press. November 1, 1946. p. 2. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .