1946 Penn Quakers football team

The 1946 Penn Quakers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pennsylvania in the Ivy League during the 1946 college football season. In its ninth season under head coach George Munger, the team compiled a 6–2 record, was ranked No. 13 in the final AP Poll, and outscored opponents by a total of 265 to 102.[1]

1946 Penn Quakers football
ConferenceIvy League
Ranking
APNo. 13
Record6–2 (3–1 Ivy)
Head coach
Home stadiumFranklin Field
Seasons
← 1945
1947 →
1946 Ivy Group football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 12 Yale 4 1 1 7 1 1
Harvard 3 1 0 7 2 0
No. 13 Penn 3 1 0 6 2 0
Cornell 3 1 1 5 3 1
Columbia 2 2 0 6 3 0
Princeton 2 4 0 3 5 0
Brown 1 3 0 3 5 1
Dartmouth 1 6 0 3 6 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The Quakers ranked third nationally in total defense, giving up an average of only 158.9 yards per game.[2] They also ranked fourth in scoring offense (33.1 points per game),[1] 10th nationally in total offense (340.0 yards per game),[2] and ninth in rushing offense (233.1 rushing yards per game).[3] They were ranked at No. 8 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System rankings.[4]

Four Penn players received honors from the Associated Press (AP) or International News Service (INS) on the 1946 All-Eastern football team: center Chuck Bednarik (AP-1, INS-1); tackle B. Gallagher (AP-1); guard Robert Rutkowski; and halfback Maderak (INS-2).[5]

Chuck Bednarik and George Munger were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969 and 1976, respectively.[6][7]

The team played its home games at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 5LafayetteW 66–0 63,000 [8]
October 12DartmouthNo. 7
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
W 39–6 69,000 [9]
October 19VirginiaNo. 6
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
W 40–0 64,000 [10]
October 26NavyNo. 6
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
W 32–19 78,000 [11]
November 2PrincetonNo. 3
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)
L 14–17 72,000 [12]
November 9at ColumbiaNo. 9W 41–6 35,000 [13]
November 16 No. 1 ArmyNo. 5
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA
L 7–34 78,000 [14]
November 28CornellNo. 14
  • Franklin Field
  • Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)
W 26–20 78,000 [15]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP7 (1)6 (2)6 (¼)3 (4)95131413

After the season

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

Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
5 30 George Savitsky Tackle Philadelphia Eagles
6 36 Bernie Gallagher Guard Detroit Lions
7 46 Ed Grain Guard Detroit Lions
14 118 Red Moore Guard Pittsburgh Steelers
29 275 Jerry McCarthy End Chicago Bears

References

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  1. ^ a b "1946 Pennsylvania Quakers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  2. ^ a b 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. 74.
  4. ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 15, 1946). "Rice Rated Fifth Best, Tennessee 12th by Lit". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Army Places Four Players On A-P All-Eastern Team". Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. November 26, 1946. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Chuck Bednarik". National Football Foundation. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "George Munger". National Football Foundation. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Altschull, Herb (October 6, 1946). "Eddie Allen Scores Five Touchdowns to Lead Penn to 66-0 Win over Leopards". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ McGowen, Roscoe (October 13, 1946). "Penn 39-6 Victor over Dartmouth". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  10. ^ Rolfe, Shelley (October 20, 1946). "Cavaliers Are Dropped to Beaten". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Va. p. 6B – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Morrow, Art (October 27, 1946). "Penn's Early Surge Beats Navy, 32-19, Before 78,000; Minisi Ace in Quakers' 4th Victory". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. S1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Talbot, Gayle (November 3, 1946). "Princeton Beats Penn in Major Upset of Season, 17-14; 30-Yard Field Goal in Last Minute of Play Gives Tiger Eleven Real Surprise Victory". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Trimble, Joe (November 10, 1946). "Penn Whips Lions, 41-6; Allen Romps to 3 TD". Sunday News. New York, N.Y. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Ward, Gene (November 17, 1946). "Army Rips Penn, 34-7; Davis Scores 2 TDs". Sunday News. New York, N.Y. p. C46 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Danzig, Allison (November 29, 1946). "78,000 See Penn Beat Cornell, Tying Yale and Harvard for Ivy League Title". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. 39.
  16. ^ "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.