The 1945 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented Ohio State University in the Big Ten Conference during the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Carroll Widdoes, the Buckeyes compiled a 7–2 record (5–2 against Big Ten opponents), finished in third place in the Big Ten, outscored opponents by a total of 194 to 71, and was ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll.[1]
| 1945 Ohio State Buckeyes football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 12 |
| Record | 7–2 (5–2 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| MVP | Ollie Cline |
| Home stadium | Ohio Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Indiana $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Michigan | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Ohio State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Buckeyes ranked ninth nationally in rushing offense with an average of 237 yards per game.[2] The ground attack was led by fullback Ollie Cline who ranked third in the nation with 931 rushing yards, an average of 5.44 yards per carry.[3]
Three Ohio State players received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) or United Press (UP) on the 1945 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Ollie Cline at fullback (AP-1, UP-1); Russ Thomas at tackle (AP-1, UP-1); and Warren Amling at guard (AP-1, UP-1).[4][5]
The 1944 Ohio State team had compiled an undefeated 9–0 record and won the Big Ten championship. Between the 1944 and 1945 seasons, the Buckeyes had a winning streak of 12 games that ended with a loss to Purdue on October 20, 1945.
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 29 | Missouri* | W 47–6 | 41,299 | |||
| October 6 | Iowa |
| W 42–0 | 49,342 | ||
| October 13 | Wisconsin | No. 4 |
| W 12–0 | 69,235 | |
| October 20 | No. 9 Purdue | No. 4 |
| L 13–35 | 73,585 | |
| October 27 | at Minnesota | No. 12 | W 20–7 | 56,040 | ||
| November 3 | No. 20 Northwestern | No. 6 |
| W 16–14 | 74,079 | |
| November 10 | at Pittsburgh* | No. 8 | W 14–0 | 18,000–20,000 | [6] | |
| November 17 | Illinois | No. 9 |
| W 27–2 | 70,287 | |
| November 24 | at No. 8 Michigan | No. 7 | L 3–7 | 85,200 | ||
| ||||||
Rankings
edit| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | 4 (3) | 4 (1) | 12 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 12 |
Game summaries
editPittsburgh
editStatistics
- Rushing: Oliver Cline 229 yards [7]
Coaching staff
edit- Carroll Widdoes, head coach, second year
- Sam T. Selby, assistant
1946 NFL draftees
edit| Player | Round | Pick | Position | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russ Thomas | 3 | 22 | Tackle | Detroit Lions |
| Joe Whisler | 8 | 70 | Back | Los Angeles Rams |
| Thornton Dixon | 10 | 87 | Tackle | Detroit Lions |
| Warren Amling | 11 | 95 | Guard | New York Giants |
| Tom Phillips | 11 | 100 | Back | Los Angeles Rams |
| George Slusser | 30 | 288 | Back | Philadelphia Eagles |
References
edit- ^ "1945 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "All-Big Ten Grid Team Selected". The Decatur Herald. Associated Press. November 27, 1945. p. 9. Retrieved April 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Walter Byers (November 26, 1945). "Indiana and Ohio State Each Get Three Men on United Press All Star Big Ten Team". The Daily Register (Harrisburg,Illinois). p. 5.
- ^ Smith, Chester L. (November 11, 1945). "Panthers Hold Staters Scoreless for Three Periods". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 32. Retrieved September 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 2012 Ohio State football record book.