Wikipedia

1946 Georgia Bulldogs football team

The 1946 Georgia Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented the University of Georgia in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1946 college football season. In their eighth year under head coach Wally Butts, the Bulldogs compiled a perfect 11–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 392 to 110, and tied for the SEC championship.[1]

1946 Georgia Bulldogs football
National champion (Williamson)
SEC co-champion
Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 20–10 vs. North Carolina
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 3
Record11–0 (5–0 SEC)
Head coach
Home stadiumSanford Stadium
Seasons
← 1945
1947 →
1946 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Georgia + 5 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 0
No. 7 Tennessee + 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
No. 8 LSU 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 1
No. 11 Georgia Tech 4 – 2 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Mississippi State 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Alabama 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Vanderbilt 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Kentucky 2 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Tulane 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Auburn 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Ole Miss 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Florida 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The Bulldogs ranked second nationally in total offense with an average of 394.6 yards per game.[2] They also ranked second nationally in passing offense with an average of 173.7 passing yards per game.[3]

The team played its home games at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

Claim to national championship

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In the final AP Poll released in early December, Georgia was ranked No. 3 with 1,294 points, behind No. 1 Notre Dame with 1,730-1/2 points and No. 2 Army with 1,659-1/2 points.[4] After the final AP Poll was issued, the Bulldogs defeated No. 9 North Carolina, 20–10, in the 1947 Sugar Bowl.[5] Neither Army nor Notre Dame played in a bowl game, and Georgia was the only one of the top three teams with an unblemished record. In later analyses, Georgia was recognized as the 1946 national champion under the Williamson System.[6]

Key players and awards

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At the end of the season, Georgia halfback Charley Trippi won the Maxwell Award as the best player in college football.[7] He was also selected as the SEC Player of the Year,[8] finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy,[9] and was a consensus first-team selection on the 1946 All-America college football team.[10] Trippi ranked fourth nationally in total offense with 1,366 yards and eighth nationally in rushing with 744 yards.[11]

Guard Herbert St. John was selected by the United Press (UP) and Associated Press (AP) as a first-team player on the 1946 All-SEC football team. Quarterback John Rauch received third-team All-SEC honors from the UP.[12][13] Trippi and Rauch were both inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[14][15]

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27Clemson*
W 35–1235,000[16][17]
October 4at Temple*
W 35–735,000[18]
October 11No. 19 KentuckyNo. 8
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
W 28–1325,000[19]
October 19Oklahoma A&M*No. 8
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA
W 33–1335,000[20]
October 26at Furman*No. 8
W 70–712,000[21]
November 2at No. 15 AlabamaNo. 5
  • Sanford Stadium
  • Athens, GA (rivalry)
W 14–052,000[22]
November 9vs. FloridaNo. 3
W 33–1423,000[23]
November 16vs. AuburnNo. 3
W 41–022,000[24]
November 23at Chattanooga*No. 3
W 48–2710,000[25]
November 30No. 7 Georgia Tech No. 3
W 35–755,000[26]
January 1, 1947vs. No. 9 North Carolina*No. 3
W 20–1073,300[5]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[27]

Rankings

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See also: 1946 NCAA football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP8т875 (1)3 (6)3 (12)3 (8)3 (5)3 (23)

1947 NFL draft

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Main article: 1947 NFL draft

The 1947 NFL Draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Bulldogs were selected.[28]

Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
7 55 Reid Moseley End Chicago Bears
16 142 Charles Smith Halfback Chicago Cardinals
24 220 Herbert St. John Guard Green Bay Packers
29 271 Ray Sellers End Green Bay Packers
30 284 John Wright Back New York Giants

References

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  1. ^ "1946 Georgia Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  2. ^ W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 73.
  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. 75.
  4. ^ "Irish Grab Mythical Title From Cadets: Army Takes Second Place, Georgia Third". Poughkeepsie Journal. December 3, 1946. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Hugo Germino (January 2, 1947). "Georgia's Win Over UNC Called One Of History's Great Games: Brilliant Teams Asked No Quarter". The Durham Sun. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ 2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2017. p. 112. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  7. ^ "Trippi Wins Grid Award: Presented Maxwell Trophy As Outstanding Player of '46". The Baltimore Sun. December 11, 1946. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "SEC Player of the Year Winners". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  9. ^ "1946 Heisman Trophy Voting". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  10. ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 8. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  11. ^ W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. pp. 79–80.
  12. ^ "Eight Teams Place Men On AP All-Southeastern Conference Eleven". Freeport Journal-Standard. November 30, 1946. p. 8. Retrieved June 6, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  13. ^ William Tucker (November 21, 1946). "Travis Tidwell, Auburn Back, On 2nd Team". The Anniston Star. p. 16. Retrieved May 30, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  14. ^ "John Rauch". National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  15. ^ "Charley Trippi". National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  16. ^ F. M. Williams (September 28, 1946). "Georgia Trounces Clemson, 35-12: Johnny Rauch Tosses Four Scoring Passes In Rout of Tigers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Georgia Routs Clemson, 35-12". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press. September 28, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Bradberry, Johnny (October 5, 1946). "Bulldogs Roll Over Temple, 35 to 7; Georgia Takes to Air to Ice Game in 3rd as Trippi, Rauch Shine". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Ga. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Roy Steinfort (October 12, 1946). "Georgia Topples Kentucky 28-13: Cats Score 1st But Bulldogs Tally 7 In Each Quarter". The Courier-Journal. p. Sports 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ F.M. Williams (October 20, 1946). "Bulldogs Beat Aggies, 33-13, as Trippi Stars". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Georgia smothers Furman, 70 to 7". The Atlanta Constitution. October 27, 1946. Retrieved August 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Johnny Bradberry (November 3, 1946). "Trippi Overshadows Gilmer as Bulldogs Stop Tide, 14-0: Georgia Draws Near Bowl Bid". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Pete Norton (November 10, 1946). "Georgia Rallies To Trim Florida, 33-14: Gators Unable To Keep Lead Held at Half". The Tampa Tribune. pp. B1, B3 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Georgia Bulldogs Whip Auburn 41-0". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. November 17, 1946. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Georgia wins, 48–27; reserves given run". The Atlanta Constitution. November 24, 1946. Retrieved September 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Chick Hosch (December 1, 1946). "Bulldogs Smash Tech With Trippi Rambling". The Nashville Tennessean. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "1946 Football Schedule". GeorgiaDogs.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  28. ^ "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.


 

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