The 1945 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team was an American football team that represented Wake Forest University during the 1945 college football season. In its ninth season under head coach Peahead Walker, the team compiled a 5–3–1 record, finished in second place in the Southern Conference, defeated South Carolina in the first Gator Bowl game, and was ranked No. 19 in the final AP Poll.[1]
| 1945 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football | |
|---|---|
Gator Bowl, W 26–14 vs. South Carolina | |
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 19 |
| Record | 5–3–1 (4–1–1 SoCon) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | Nick Sacrinty |
| Home stadium | Groves Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Duke $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Wake Forest | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William & Mary | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VMI | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VPI | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 0 | – | 3 | – | 2 | 2 | – | 4 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richmond | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team defeated No. 16 Clemson in the final game of the regular season, and its three losses were to teams that were ranked in the final AP Poll: No. 1 Army, No. 13 Duke, and No. 14 Tennessee.
Five Wake Forest players were recognized the Associated Press on the 1946 All-Southern Conference football team: backs Nick Sacrinty (first team), Richard Brinkley (second team), and Nick Ognivich (third team); end John O'Quinn (third team); and guard Robert Leonetti (third team).[2]
The team played its home games at Groves Stadium in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 29 | at Tennessee* | L 6–7 | 15,000 | [3] | ||||
| October 6 | at Army* | L 0–54 | 10,000 | [4] | ||||
| October 13 | No. 13 Duke | L 19–26 | 20,000 | [5] | ||||
| October 20 | at NC State | W 19–18 | 17,000 | [6] | ||||
| November 3 | Presbyterian* |
| W 53–0 | 1,500 | [7] | |||
| November 17 | at North Carolina | W 14–13 | 20,000 | [8] | ||||
| November 22 | South Carolina | T 13–13 | 16,000 | [9] | ||||
| December 1 | at No. 18 Clemson | W 13–6 | 15,000 | [10] | ||||
| January 1, 1946 | South Carolina | No. 19 | W 26–14 | 12,000 | [11] | |||
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Rankings
edit| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 |
References
edit- ^ "1945 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
- ^ "All-Southern Conference". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. December 1, 1946. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Deacs look good in Knoxville tilt". The News and Observer. September 30, 1945. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dick Young (October 7, 1945). "Army Eleven Levels Wake Forest by 54-0". New York Daily News. p. 25C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Duke beats Deacs, 26–19". The News and Observer. October 14, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "N.C. State bows to Wake Forest". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 21, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wake Forest scores easily to top Presyterian, 53–0". Durham Morning Herald. November 4, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wake Forest edges out North Carolina in 14–13 thriller". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. November 18, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wake Forest held to 13–13 tie by inspired Gamecock eleven". The News and Observer. November 23, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wake Forest rally flips Clemson 13–6". The Courier-Journal. December 2, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wake Forest In 26-14 Victory In Gator Bowl: 12,000 See Deacons Win Over Gamecocks". Tampa Morning Tribune. January 2, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.