1945 college football season

Last updated

The 1945 college football season was the 77th season of intercollegiate football in the United States. Competition included schools from the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Six Conference, the Southern Conference, the Southwest Conference, and numerous smaller conferences and independent programs. The season followed the end of World War II in August 1945, though many college players remained in military service.

Contents

Army was the unanimous No. 1 choice by all 116 voters in the final AP poll and was rated as national champion by all nine contemporary title selectors. [2] The undefeated 1945 Army team was one of the strongest of all time, as during World War II, loose player transfer rules allowed service academies to assemble many of the nation's best players. [3]

In 2016 a committee of former Baylor coach Grant Teaff, Georgia's Vince Dooley, and Texas A&M's R. C. Slocum awarded Oklahoma A&M an American Football Coaches Association championship title for 1945, upon OSU's application for the recognition. [4] [5] [6]

The year's statistical leaders included halfback Bob Fenimore of Oklahoma A&M with 1,641 yards of total offense and 1,048 rushing yards, quarterback Al Dekdebrun of Cornell with 1,227 passing yards, and end Reid Moseley of Georgia with 662 receiving yards.

Conference and program changes

School1944 Conference1945 Conference
Wichita Shockers Independent Missouri Valley

Season timeline

September

The Associated Press did not poll the writers until the third week of the season. Among the teams that had been ranked in the top six at the end of 1944, only the two service academies (Army and Navy) as well as Ohio State, were still playing a regular schedule. Among the service teams that had ranked high in 1944, Randolph Field, Bainbridge Naval, and Iowa Pre-Flight no longer played against college teams. Some service teams still remained in place, even after the end of World War II.

On September 15, Michigan beat Great Lakes Navy, 27–2. On September 22, Michigan lost to Indiana, 13–7. Minnesota beat Missouri, 34–0. In a Friday night game in Los Angeles, USC beat UCLA 13–6. September 29 Notre Dame beat Illinois 7–0, Army beat Louisville Field, 32–0, and Navy beat Villanova 49–0. USC won at California, 13–2, and Ohio State won at Missouri 47–6.

October

On October 6, Army beat Wake Forest, 54–0 and Navy beat Duke, 21–0. Ohio State beat Iowa 42–0. Minnesota won at Nebraska 61–7. Notre Dame won at Georgia Tech, 40–7. UCLA beat St. Mary's Pre-Flight, 26–14. The year's first AP Poll was led by No. 1 Army, No. 2 Navy, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Ohio State, and No. 5 Minnesota.

October 13 At Yankee Stadium in New York, No. 1 Army beat No. 9 Michigan, 28–7. No. 2 Navy stayed unscored upon with a 28–0 win over Penn State. No. 3 Notre Dame beat Dartmouth, 34–0. No. 4 Ohio State beat Wisconsin, 12–0. No. 5 Minnesota beat Fort Warren, 14–0. The top five in the AP Poll remained the same.

October 20 No. 1 Army beat Melville PT Boats 55–13. In Baltimore, No. 2 Navy beat Georgia Tech 20–6. No. 3 Notre Dame won at Pittsburgh, 39–9. No. 4 Ohio State lost to No. 9 Purdue, 35–13. No. 5 Minnesota defeated Northwestern, 30–7. The new top five was No. 1 Army, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Navy, No. 4 Purdue, and No. 5 Minnesota.

October 27 In New York, No. 1 Army beat No. 19 Duke 48–13. No. 2 Notre Dame beat Iowa 56–0. In Philadelphia, No. 3 Navy defeated No. 7 Penn, 14–7. No. 4 Purdue lost to unranked Northwestern, 26–14. No. 5 Minnesota lost to No. 12 Ohio State, 20–7. In Birmingham, No. 6 Alabama beat Georgia 28–14. No. 8 Indiana beat No. 14 Tulsa 7–2, to reach 5–0–1 and the No. 5 ranking behind Army, Notre Dame, Navy, and Alabama.

November

November 3 No. 1 Army beat Villanova, 54–0. No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Navy, both 5–0–0, met in Cleveland, and played to a 6–6 tie. In Louisville, No. 4 Alabama defeated Kentucky, 60–19. No. 5 Indiana beat Cornell College of Iowa, 46–6, but dropped to sixth in the next poll. In Los Angeles, No. 8 St. Mary's beat No. 6 USC 26–0 and moved up to fifth place behind Army, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Navy.

November 10 No. 1 Army (6–0–0) and No. 2 Notre Dame (5–0–1) met for a showdown at Yankee Stadium, and it was no contest, with the Cadets winning 48–0. No. 3 Alabama was idle. In Baltimore, No. 4 Navy beat No. 7 Michigan 33–7. No. 5 St. Mary's beat Fresno State, 32–6. No. 6 Indiana won at No. 20 Minnesota, 49–0. The next poll was No. 1 Army, No. 2 Navy, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Indiana, and No. 5 St. Mary's.

November 17 In Philadelphia, No. 1 Army beat No. 6 Penn, 61–0. No. 2 Navy defeated Wisconsin 36–7 in Baltimore. In Nashville, No. 3 Alabama beat Vanderbilt, 71–0. No. 4 Indiana won at Pittsburgh, 19–0. No. 5 St. Mary's lost to UCLA, 13–7. No. 7 Notre Dame won at Northwestern 34–7 and moved back up to No. 5, with the top four remaining the same.

November 24 No. 1 Army (8–0–0) and No. 2 Navy (7–0–1), both unbeaten, were idle as they prepared for the Army–Navy Game. No. 3 Alabama beat the Pensacola Naval Air Station, 55–6. No. 4 Indiana closed its season at 9–0–1 with a 26–0 win over No. 18 Purdue. In New Orleans, No. 5 Notre Dame beat Tulane, 32–6. The top five remained the same.

December

December 1 In the second No. 1 and No. 2 matchup of the year, No. 1 Army (8–0–0) and No. 2 Navy (7–0–1) met at the Army–Navy Game in Philadelphia, with Army winning 32–13 to close a perfect season and a wire-to-wire No. 1 ranking. No. 3 Alabama defeated Mississippi State 55–13 and moved to No. 2 in the final poll with Navy falling to No. 3. Indiana had finished its season and remained at No. 4. No. 5 Notre Dame lost to the Great Lakes Navy team, 39–7. No. 6 Oklahoma A&M, which had finished the season 9–0–0 and accepted an invitation to the Sugar Bowl, rose to fifth in the final poll.

Bowl games

Bowl gameWinning teamLosing team
Rose Bowl No. 2 Alabama 34No. 11 USC 14
Sugar Bowl No. 5 Oklahoma A&M 33No. 7 Saint Mary's 13
Orange Bowl Miami (FL) 13No. 16 Holy Cross 6
Cotton Bowl Classic No. 10 Texas 40 Missouri 27
Sun Bowl New Mexico 34 Denver 24
Gator Bowl No. 19 Wake Forest 26 South Carolina 14
Oil Bowl No. 18 Georgia 20No. 17 Tulsa 6
Raisin Bowl Drake 13 Fresno State 12
Vulcan Bowl Tennessee A&I 33 Texas College 6
Coconut Bowl Bethune–Cookman 32 Albany State 0
Azelea Bowl Knoxville 18 Florida N&I 0
Flower Bowl Louisiana Normal (Grambling) 19 Lane 6

Conference standings

Major conference standings

1945 Big Six Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri $ 5 0 06 4 0
Oklahoma 4 1 05 5 0
Iowa State 2 2 14 3 1
Nebraska 2 3 04 5 0
Kansas 1 3 14 5 1
Kansas State 0 5 01 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Indiana $ 5 0 19 0 1
No. 6 Michigan 5 1 07 3 0
No. 12 Ohio State 5 2 07 2 0
Northwestern 3 3 14 4 1
Purdue 3 3 07 3 0
Wisconsin 2 3 13 4 2
Illinois 1 4 12 6 1
Minnesota 1 5 04 5 0
Iowa 1 5 02 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Border Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
New Mexico 1 0 16 1 1
Texas Tech 1 0 13 5 2
West Texas State 0 2 02 6 0
Arizona 0 0 05 0 0
Arizona State–Flagstaff 0 0 02 3 0
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Middle Three Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Rutgers $ 2 0 05 2 0
Lafayette 1 1 01 7 1
Lehigh 0 2 02 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Oklahoma A&M $ 1 0 09 0 0
No. 17 Tulsa 2 1 08 3 0
Wichita 1 1 06 4 0
Drake 1 2 05 4 1
Saint Louis 0 1 05 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Mountain States Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Denver $ 4 1 04 5 1
Colorado 3 1 05 3 0
Utah 3 2 04 4 0
Utah State 1 3 04 3 0
Colorado A&M 0 4 02 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 11 USC $ 5 1 07 4 0
Washington State 6 2 16 2 1
Washington 6 3 06 3 0
Oregon State 4 4 04 4 1
UCLA 2 3 05 4 0
California 2 4 14 5 1
Oregon 3 6 03 6 0
Idaho 1 5 01 7 0
Montana 0 1 01 4 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Alabama $ 6 0 010 0 0
No. 14 Tennessee 3 1 08 1 0
No. 15 LSU 5 2 07 2 0
No. 18 Georgia 4 2 09 2 0
Ole Miss 3 3 04 5 0
Georgia Tech 2 2 04 6 0
Mississippi State 2 3 06 3 0
Auburn 2 3 05 5 0
Vanderbilt 2 4 03 6 0
Florida 1 3 14 5 1
Tulane 1 3 12 6 1
Kentucky 0 5 02 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Southern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 13 Duke $ 4 0 06 2 0
No. 19 Wake Forest 4 1 15 3 1
William & Mary 4 2 06 3 0
Clemson 2 1 16 3 1
Maryland 3 2 06 2 1
VMI 3 2 05 4 0
North Carolina 2 2 05 4 0
NC State 2 4 03 6 0
VPI 2 5 02 6 0
South Carolina 0 3 22 4 3
Richmond 0 4 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 Texas $ 5 1 010 1 0
SMU 4 2 05 6 0
TCU 3 3 05 5 0
Rice 3 3 05 6 0
Texas A&M 3 3 06 4 0
Baylor 2 4 05 5 1
Arkansas 1 5 03 7 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Independents

1945 Eastern college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Army   9 0 0
Franklin & Marshall   4 0 1
No. 20 Columbia   8 1 0
Temple   7 1 0
No. 16 Holy Cross   8 2 0
Tufts   4 1 0
No. 8 Penn   6 2 0
Yale   6 3 0
Massachusetts State   2 1 1
Harvard   5 3 0
Penn State   5 3 0
Cornell   5 4 0
Villanova   4 4 0
Boston College   3 4 0
Brown   3 4 1
Colgate   3 4 1
Princeton   2 3 2
NYU   3 4 0
Pittsburgh   3 7 0
Bucknell   2 5 0
Drexel   2 5 0
Dartmouth   1 6 1
Syracuse   1 6 0
Boston University   0 5 0
CCNY   0 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Michigan State Normal   5 0 1
Central Michigan   6 1 0
Miami (OH)   7 2 0
No. 9 Notre Dame   7 2 1
Detroit   6 3 0
Great Lakes Navy   6 4 1
Michigan State   5 3 1
Akron   5 4 0
Marquette   5 4 1
Bowling Green   4 3 0
Western Michigan   4 3 0
Cincinnati   4 4 0
Ohio   3 4 0
Ohio Wesleyan   3 4 0
Carthage   2 3 0
Wayne   2 5 1
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Southern college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Miami (FL)   9 1 1
No. 3 Navy   7 1 1
Louisiana Normal (Grambling)   9 2 0
Virginia   7 2 0
Chattanooga   5 3 0
Jacksonville State   1 1 0
West Virginia   2 6 1
Tennessee Tech   1 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 Western college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Saint Mary's   7 2 0
Nevada   7 3 0
Fresno State   4 6 2
San Diego State   2 5 0
Cal Poly   1 5 1
Pacific (CA)   0 10 1
San Francisco State   0 2 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1945 military service football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Army Air Forces League
Third Air Force + 4 1 17 2 1
AAF Training Command + 4 1 18 3 1
Fourth Air Force 3 2 16 3 1
First Air Force 2 2 23 2 3
Air Transport Command 2 3 16 3 2
Personnel Distribution Command 2 4 06 5 0
Second Air Force 1 5 03 7 0
Independents
Fleet City   11 0 1
Jacksonville NAS   9 2 0
Hutchinson NAS   8 0 0
Selman Field   8 1 0
El Toro Marines   8 2 0
Corpus Christi NAS   7 1 0
North Camp Hood   7 1 0
Little Creek   7 2 0
Santa Barbara Marines   7 3 1
Camp Lee   7 4 0
Camp Beale   6 1 2
Farragut NTS   6 2 0
Eastern Flying Training Command   6 3 1
Great Lakes Navy   6 4 1
Hondo AAF   6 4 1
South Camp Hood   5 2 0
Camp Peary   5 3 0
Bainbridge   5 4 0
Fort Benning   5 4 1
Fort Warren   5 7 0
Fort McClellan   4 2 0
San Diego NTS   4 2 0
Atlantic City NAS   4 2 1
Minter Field   4 2 1
Williams Field   4 4 0
Stockton AAF   4 5 2
Barksdale Field   4 7 0
Fort Pierce   4 9 0
Amarillo AAF   3 1 0
Olathe NAS   3 2 0
Albany Navy   3 3 1
Camp Detrick   3 4 0
Kearney AAF   3 4 0
Bergstrom Field   3 5 1
Keesler Field   3 6 1
Melville PT Boats   2 1 0
Great Bend AAF   2 4 0
Saint Mary's Pre-Flight   2 4 1
Gulfport AAF   2 5 0
Pensacola NAS   2 7 1
Squantum NAS   1 1 0
Camp Blanding   1 2 0
Luke Field   1 2 0
Miami NAS   1 2 0
Miami NTC   1 3 0
NSB New London   1 3 0
Oceana NAS   1 3 0
Fort Riley   1 4 0
Lake Charles AAF   1 4 0
Ellington Field   1 4 1
Cherry Point Marines   1 8 0
Dalhart AAF   0 3 0
Homestead AAB   0 3 0
Fort Monroe   0 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions

Minor conferences

ConferenceChampion(s)Record
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Virginia State College 7–0–1
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference No champion
Far Western Conference No champion
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference Valparaiso 4–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Central (IA) 5–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference No champion
Lone Star Conference No champion
Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference No champion
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Gustavus Adolphus 4–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association No champion
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association No champion
Nebraska College Athletic Conference Nebraska Wesleyan 2–0
New Mexico Intercollegiate Conference No champion
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference No champion
North Dakota College Athletic Conference No champion
Ohio Athletic Conference Oberlin 2–0
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference No champion
Pacific Northwest Conference No champion
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference No champion
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Colorado College 1–0
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference No champion
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Redlands 4–0
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Florida A&M College 6–0
Southwestern Athletic Conference Wiley (TX) 6–0
State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota No champion
Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference No champion
Washington Intercollegiate Conference No champion
Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference No champion

Minor conference standings

1945 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Virginia State $ 6 0 17 0 2
West Virginia State 4 0 25 1 2
North Carolina College 5 1 06 3 0
Johnson C. Smith 3 3 15 4 1
Morgan State 5 2 05 2 0
Howard 4 3 04 4 0
Virginia Union 4 3 04 4 0
Delaware State 3 3 04 3 0
Lincoln (PA) 2 4 02 5 0
North Carolina A&T 2 5 02 5 0
Hampton 2 6 02 6 0
Bluefield State 1 5 01 6 0
Shaw 0 6 00 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Illinois State Normal $ 3 1 04 3 0
Southern Illinois 2 1 14 1 2
Northern Illinois State 2 2 04 3 0
Eastern Illinois 1 1 22 3 2
Western Illinois 0 3 11 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Valparaiso $ 4 0 06 1 0
DePauw 1 0 03 2 0
Ball State 4 1 14 1 1
Butler 3 2 03 3 0
Earlham 3 3 03 3 0
Wabash 1 1 12 3 1
Central Normal 2 3 02 4 0
Indiana State 1 2 02 4 0
Manchester 0 2 00 2 0
Franklin (IN) 0 5 00 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Iowa Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Central (IA) $ 5 0 07 1 0
Iowa Wesleyan 1 0 03 2 0
Wartburg 3 2 13 2 1
Loras 0 0 05 2 0
Dubuque 2 2 04 2 0
Simpson (IA) 1 2 02 5 0
Luther 1 3 02 5 0
Upper Iowa 1 4 11 4 1
Parsons 0 1 01 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Gustavus Adolphus $ 4 0 06 0 0
St. Thomas (MN) 3 1 05 1 0
Macalester 2 1 03 1 0
St. Olaf 1 2 02 3 0
Saint John's (MN) 1 4 01 6 0
Concordia (MN) 0 1 02 2 2
Augsburg 0 1 00 3 0
Saint Mary's (MN) 0 1 00 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
1945 New England Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Connecticut + 2 0 07 1 0
Rhode Island State + 1 0 02 1 0
Maine 0 3 00 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1945 North State Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
High Point + 5 0 05 0 1
Catawba + 2 0 010 1 0
Appalachian State 1 3 01 6 0
Western Carolina 0 2 01 3 0
Guilford 0 3 00 7 0
  • + Conference co-champions
1945 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Oberlin $ 3 0 08 0 0
Capital 5 1 05 1 0
Baldwin–Wallace 4 1 06 4 0
Muskingum 4 1 16 1 1
Ashland 3 1 04 1 0
Otterbein 3 1 24 2 2
Wittenberg 3 3 03 4 0
Denison 2 2 02 4 0
Case 1 3 02 5 0
Heidelberg 1 4 11 4 1
Ohio Northern 0 2 03 2 0
Wooster 0 4 00 6 0
Kenyon 0 6 00 6 0
  • $ Conference champion
1945 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Wiley $ 6 0 010 0 0
Southern 5 1 06 3 1
Texas College 3 2 17 3 1
Langston 3 3 05 3 0
Samuel Huston 1 3 2 ?  ?  ?
Prairie View 1 4 13 5 1
Arkansas AM&N 1 5 02 6 0
  • $ Conference champion

Rankings

The teams ranked highest in the final Associated Press poll in December 1945 were:

RankTeamRecordNotes
1 Army 9–0Outscored opponents, 412 to 46. Unanimous No. 1 choice by all 116 voters in the AP poll. Led country in total offense (462.7 yards per game). Fullback Doc Blanchard won 1945 Heisman Trophy. Four consensus All-Americans: Blanchard; halfback Glenn Davis; tackle Tex Coulter; and guard John Green. Part of 32-game undefeated streak covering entire 1944, 1945, and 1946 seasons.
2 Alabama 10–0SEC champion. Defeated USC in 1946 Rose Bowll. Led nation in total defense (109.9 yards per game) and ranked second in total offense (462.7 yards per game). Harry Gilmer had 905 passing yards. Center Vaughn Mancha was a consensus All-American.
3 Navy 7–1–1Lost to Army on December 1 in battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2. End Dick Duden was a consensus All-American.
4 Indiana 9–0–1Big Ten champion. Outscored opponents, 279 to 56. Halfback George Taliaferro was first African-American Big Ten rushing leader. End Bob Ravensberg was a consensus All-American.
5 Oklahoma A&M 9–0 Missouri Valley champion. Defeated Saint Mary's (CA) in 1946 Sugar Bowl. Consensus All-American halfback Bob Fenimore led country in total offense and rushing.
6 Michigan 7–3All three losses to teams ranked in top four: Army, Navy, and Indiana. Center Harold Watts team MVP.
7 Saint Mary's (CA) 7–2Led nation in passing offense (161.3 yards per game). Consensus All-American halfback Herman Wedemeyer second nationally with 1,040 passing yards.
8 Penn 6–2Tackle George Savitsky a consensus All-American. Only losses to No. 1 Army and No. 3 Navy.
9 Notre Dame 7–2–1Quarterback Frank Dancewicz and guard John Mastrangelo were second-team All-Americans. Losses to No. 1 Army and unranked Great Lakes Navy.
10 Texas 10–1Southwest Conference champion. Defeated Missouri in 1946 Cotton Bowl Classic.

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

PlayerSchoolPositionTotal
Doc Blanchard Army FB860
Glenn Davis ArmyHB638
Bob Fenimore Oklahoma A&M HB187
Herman Wedemeyer St. Mary's (CA) HB152
Harry Gilmer Alabama HB132
Frank Dancewicz Notre Dame QB56
Warren Amling Ohio State G/OT42
Pete Pihos Indiana E/FB38

[7]

All-America team

Statistical leaders

Team leaders

Total offense

RankTeamGames playedTotal playsYards gainedYards per game
1Army95264164462.7
2Alabama95573795421.7
3Oklahoma A&M84963363420.4
4St. Mary's85022995374.4
5Georgia95753291365.7
6LSU95393269363.2
7Notre Dame96263180353.3
8Maryland74272433347.6
9Indiana106193254325.4
10Yale96482911323.4
11Tennessee74242260322.9
12Colorado College84622433304.1
13Mississippi State85422422302.8
14Tulsa105973021302.1
15Minnesota96092710301.1

[8]

Total defense

RankTeamGames playedTotal playsYards gainedYards per game
1Alabama9452989109.9
2Temple84031005125.6
3Holy Cross83711131141.4
4Mississippi State83651191148.9
5St. Mary's83971236154.5
6Tulsa104911550155.0
7Yale94271441160.1
8Tennessee73681142163.1
9Indiana105361641164.1
10Army95151528169.8
11Washington94971535170.6
12Texas105411710171.0
13Texas A&M105441763176.3
14Georgia63091074179.0
15Colgate63101097182.8

[8]

Rushing offense

RankTeamGamesRushesYards gainedYards per game
1Army94243238359.8
2LSU94432705300.6
3Alabama94402679297.7
4Oklahoma A&M83832293286.6
5Notre Dame94512395266.1
6Maryland73451846263.7
7Mississippi State84432028253.5
8Ohio State95052133237.0
9Colorado College83661882235.3
10Indiana104842331233.1
11Tennessee73281631233.0
12Duke83751806225.8
13Missouri94762018224.2
14Temple84051791223.9
15Tulsa104492236223.6

[8]

Rushing defense

RankTeamGamesRushesYards gainedYards per game
1Alabama932030533.9
2Tennessee723138555.0
3Temple829652065.0
4St. Mary's824059173.9
5Penn State829563479.3
6Yale930072180.1
7Army935772880.9
8Texas1035381381.3
9Mississippi State825667083.8
10Tulsa1035385085.0
11Colgate621559198.5
12Indiana103931004100.4
13Washington9344908100.9
14California104061023102.3
15Detroit9342933103.7

[8]

Passing offense

RankTeamGamesAtt.Compl.Int.Pct.
Compl.
YardsYds/Game
1St. Mary's81507416.4931290161.3
2Cornell92079517.4591351150.1
3Georgia91597117.4471335148.3
4 Oklahoma A&M 81135411.4781070133.8
5Wake Forest593448.473634126.8
6Alabama9117714.6071116124.0
7SMU1126312326.4681310119.1
8TCU101908719.4581183118.3
9Colgate694468.489694115.7
10South Carolina71034414.427808115.4
11Kansas State81746220.356921115.1
12Yale91386915.5001015112.8
13Virginia677325.416682112.0
14Texas101546716.4351095109.5
15Michigan State91688912.530958106.4

[9]

Individual leaders

Total offense

RankPlayerTeamGamesPlaysRush YdsPass YdsTotal YdsAvg Gain
per Play
1 Bob Fenimore Oklahoma A&M8203104859316418.08
2 Harry Gilmer Alabama916755290514578.72
3 Herman Wedemeyer St. Mary's8199388104014287.18
4 Stan Kozlowski Holy Cross924784143812795.18
5 Al Dekdebrun Cornell928227122712544.45
6 Glenn Davis Army9102944253119711.74
7 Gene Rossides Columbia815250649711037.45
8Leon JoslinTCU102086195510164.88
9Curtis KuykendallAuburn101836163679835.37
10 Linwood Sexton Wichita81557072469536.15
11 Bobby Thomason VMI92133595939524.47
12 Ollie Cline Ohio State917293109315.41
13ThompsonWisconsin91955793309094.66
14Jerry NilesIowa921768728784.05
15 Walt Schlinkman Texas Tech1014787108715.93
16 Nick Sacrinty Nevada51532785788565.59
17 Ed Cody Purdue1015784708475.39
18EllisVirginia81242905428326.71
19LundTennessee71284663608266.45
20 George Taliaferro Indiana10175728968244.71

[10]

Rushing

RankPlayerTeamGamesRushesYds GainedYds LostNet YdsAvg Gain
per Play
1 Bob Fenimore Oklahoma A&M814211197110487.38
2 Glenn Davis Army9829803694411.51
3 Ollie Cline Ohio State917193329315.44
4 Walt Schlinkman Texas Tech10145908378716.01
5 Ed Cody Purdue10157868218475.39
6 Stan Kozlowski Holy Cross9186916758414.52
7 George Taliaferro Indiana10156801737284.67
8 Doc Blanchard Army910172687187.11
9 Lowell Tew Alabama988737227158.13
10 Linwood Sexton Wichita8120762557075.89
11Ben BendrickWisconsin9142723426814.80
12Gene KnightLSU985709306797.99
13 Cal Rossi UCLA695700216797.15
14Dick ConnersNorthwestern9116685146715.78
15 Camp Wilson Tulsa10138679176624.80
16Lynn ChewningVMI9129707626455.00
17 Harper Davis Mississippi State9122710666445.28
18Bill CanfieldPurdue10143654256294.40
19Curtis KuykendallAuburn10132692766164.67
20Guy BrownDetroit982649396107.44

[11]

Passing

RankPlayerTeamGamesAtt.Compl.Int.Pct. Compl.Yds.
1 Al Dekdebrun Cornell91949015.4641227
2Leon JoslinTCU101426911.486955
3Jerry NilesIowa91796315.352872
4 Herman Wedemeyer St. Mary's8103595.5731040
5Jack O. PriceBaylor111255916.472708
6 Harry Gilmer Alabama988573.648905
7Arthur DakosYale91095610.514723
8 Bob DeMoss Purdue101175512.470742
9 Russ Reader Michigan State990535.589613
10HotsingerGeorgia Tech9116499.422682
11Bob ThomasonVMI91144610.404593
12GrayOregon State9924112.446359
13 Nick Sacrinty Wake Forest581405.494578
14 Doak Walker SMU565384.585387
15 Ben Raimondi Indiana1084373.440593
16 Howard Maley SMU1179366.456288
17EvansPenn868356.515517
18 Y. A. Tittle LSU976359.461414
19HardeyTexas Tech1067337.493427
20WolffPittsburgh983339.398499

[12]

Receiving

RankPlayerTeamGamesReceptionsReceiving
Yards
1 Reid Moseley Georgia1031662
2Gene WilsonSMU1131311
3Steve ContosMichigan State931285
4 Hub Bechtol Texas1025389
5O'ConnerSt. Mary's823373
6Bill CanfieldPurdue1023314
7JoinerBaylor1121319
8Paul WalkerYale921277
9JonesKentucky619369
10MasonTCU1019218
11Seymour KuppersmithNYU719207
12 Neill Armstrong Oklahoma A&M818316
13SteinerAlabama918315
14PageSMU1118234
15CordeiroSt. Mary's817346
16MorrisNorthwestern916301
17PierceBaylor1116183
18R. AndersonOregon915290
19RyanSt. Mary's815276
20CashTulane915260

[10]

Scoring

RankPlayerTeamPointsTDPATFG
1Walt TrojanowskiConnecticut1322200
2FowlerArkansas Tech1292090
3 Doc Blanchard Army1151910
4RossWiley1141900
5 Glenn Davis Army1081800
6Harry GhaulMiami (FL)10013220
7BassTennessee A&I9614120
8 Lou Kusserow Columbia901500
9 Stan Koslowski Holy Cross8712150
10GreeneCatawba841400
11 Bob Pfohl Merchant Marine831350
12JonesVirginia State7711110
13 Bob Fenimore Oklahoma A&M721200
13Ed CodyPurdue721200
13RaganRedlands721200
13MontgomeryFlorida A&M721200
17 Herman Wedemeyer St. Mary's719170
17CromerColorado State7110110
19 Fred Grant Alabama661100
19 Lowell Tew Alabama661100
19 Gene Rossides Columbia661100
19GoodeTexas A&M661100
19BrownVirginia661100
19BoswellOberlin661100
19PerryCompton661100

[13]

Longest plays

Longest punts (including roll)
1. Witherspoon, Florida N&I vs. Knoxville - 82 yards
2. Stabler, Charleston Teachers vs. Macomb Teachers - 80 yards
3. Lewis, Texas College vs. Wiley - 76 yards
4. Pattee, Kansas vs. Marquette - 75 yards
4. Perry, Southern vs. Langston - 75 yards
4. Pass, Johnson C. Smith vs. North Carolina College - 75 yards

Longest rushing plays
1. Fleming, Montana State vs. Faragut Navy - 95 yards
1. Engraham, Florida A&M vs. Tuskegee - 95 yards
3. Montgomery, Florida A&M vs. Moorhouse - 92 yards
4. Aschenbrenner, Great Lakes vs. Michigan State - 90 yards
4. Faunce, Minot Teachers vs. Winnipeg Bombers - 90 yards

Longest forward-pass plays
1. Green to Robinson, West Virginia State vs. Virginia State - 100 yards
2. Gray to Fuqua, Vanderbilt vs. LSU - 87 yards
3. Corlett to Fisher, Johnson C. Smith vs. Shaw - 85 yards
4. Powell to Edmonston, California vs. St. Mary's - 83 yards
5. Wieche to Hoover, Miami (OH) vs. Bowling Green - 82 yards

Longest interception runbacks
1. Needs, Oklahoma vs. Kansas State - 100 yards
1. Joiner, Baylor vs. TCU - 100 yards
1. Howard, Iowa State vs. Kansas State - 100 yards
1. Turner, NC State vs. Duke - 100 yards
1. Pfohl, Merchant Marine vs. Ursinus - 100 yards

Longest punt runbacks
1. Goode, Texas A&M vs. Ellington Field - 98 yards
2. Morris, Colorado vs. Utah - 95 yards
3. Robinson, Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State - 87 yards
4. Welch, SMU vs. Blackland AFB - 85 yards
5. Robinson, Pittsburgh vs. Penn State - 84 yards

Longest kickoff runbacks
1. McCandless, Marin JC vs. Santa Rosa - 100 yards
2. Howard, Iowa State vs. Kansas State - 96 yards
3. Talliaferro, Indiana vs. Minnesota - 95 yards
4. Miller, Indiana vs. Nebraska - 94 yards
5. Kishbaugh, Bloomsburg Teachers vs. East Stroudsburg Teachers - 92 yards
[14]

See also

References

  1. "October 8, 1945 AP Football Poll". CollegePollArchive.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  2. 1995 NCAA Football Records Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 1995. pp. 54–58. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  3. Connelly, Bill (December 10, 2016). "What made 1945 Army the greatest college football team of all time". SBNation. Vox Media, LLC. Retrieved July 7, 2022. World War II gave the service academies competitive edges, and the Cadets took maximum advantage, producing perhaps the most dominant season of college football possible.
  4. Marshall, Kendrick (October 18, 2016). Written at Stillwater, Oklahoma. "AFCA member explains why OSU awarded 1945 national championship". Tulsa World. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  5. Fornelli, Tom (October 13, 2016). "Why Oklahoma State has been named college football's 1945 national champion". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 4, 2018. After gathering all the pertinent information and doing our due diligence, it is the pleasure of our Blue Ribbon Commission of coaches to officially recognize Oklahoma State's 1945 championship season with the AFCA Coaches' Trophy.
  6. Tramel, Berry (August 23, 2017). "Why is Oklahoma State on an island with the retroactive titles?". Daily Oklahoman . Retrieved December 4, 2018. The AFCA did not convene a panel of historians ... Instead, the AFCA opened the process up for proposals. It invited schools to nominate teams they felt were deserving. Then a committee would vote yea or nay on said team – the AFCA acknowledged it could hand out multiple awards for the same season [from 1922 to 1949].
  7. "1945 Heisman Trophy Voting". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 30.
  9. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 31.
  10. 1 2 W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company.
  11. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 34.
  12. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 35.
  13. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 39.
  14. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. pp. 39-40.