The 1945 Ohio Athletic Conference football season was the season of

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

played by the 13 member schools of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), commonly referred to as the "Ohio Conference", as part of the

1945 college football season 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 C ...

. The Oberlin Yeomen, in their 16th season under head coach Lysle Butler, won the OAC championship with a perfect 8–0 record (3–0 against OAC opponents). Oberlin also led the conference in scoring offense with an average of 28.9 points per game. The

Capital Crusaders Capital University (Capital, Cap, or CU) is a private university in Bexley, Ohio. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio, Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830, and later was associ ...

, led by head coach Bill Bernlohr, finished in second place with a 5–1 record and led the conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of only 4.5 points per game. The Muskingum Fighting Muskies, under head coach

Ed Sherman Edgar A. Sherman (July 13, 1912 – September 29, 2009) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Muskingum College from 1945 to 1966, compiling a record of 141–43–7, a winning percentage of .757. He ...

, compiled a 6–1–1 record, finished in fourth place, and outscored opponents by a total of 199 to 44.

Conference overview

Teams

Oberlin

The 1945 Oberlin Yeomen football team represented

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

. In their 16th season under head coach Lysle Butler, the Yeomen compiled a perfect 8–0 record (3–0 against OAC opponent), won the OAC championship, shut out four of eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 231 to 40.

Capital

The 1945 Capital Crusaders football team represented

Capital University Capital University (Capital, Cap, or CU) is a private university in Bexley, Ohio. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830, and later was associated with that synod's successor, the Ame ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. Led by head coach Bill Bernlohr, the Crusaders compiled a 5–1 record (5–1 against OAC opponents), finished in second place in the OAC, shut out four of six opponents, and outscored opponents by a total of 158 to 27.

Baldwin–Wallace

The 1945 Baldwin–Wallace Yellow Jackets football team represented Baldwin–Wallace University of Berea, Ohio. In their 18th season under head coach

Ray E. Watts Raymond Ernest Watts (September 18, 1895 – June 3, 1969) was an American football, basketball and baseball coach. He served as a head coach in three different sports at Baldwin–Wallace College–now known as Baldwin Wallace University—in ...

, the Yellow Jackets compiled a 6–4 record (4–1 against OAC opponents), finished in third place in the OAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 193 to 181

Muskingum

The 1945 Muskingum Fighting Muskies football team represented Muskingum University of New Concord, Ohio. In their first season under head coach

, the Fighting Muskies compiled a 6–1–1 record (4–1–1 against OAC opponents), finished in fourth place in the OAC, and outscored all opponents by a total of 199 to 44.

Ashland

The 1945 Ashland Eagles football team represented

Ashland University Ashland University is a private university in Ashland, Ohio. The university consists of a main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. Ashland was founded in 1878 as Ashland College. It is affiliated with The ...

of Ashland, Ohio. Led by head coach George Donges, the Tigers compiled a 4–1 record (3–1 against OAC opponents), finished in fifth place in the OAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 92 to 62.

Otterbein

The 1945 Otterbein Cardinals football team represented Otterbein University. In their eighth season under head coach Harry W. Ewing, the Cardinals compiled a 4–2–2 record (3–1–2 against OAC opponent), finished in sixth place in the OAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 95 to 94.

Wittenberg

The 1945 Wittenberg Tigers football team represented the Wittenberg University of

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County, Ohio, Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approxim ...

. Led by head coach

Howard Maurer Howard Maurer (born December 30, 1935) is an American musician, performer and actor from New York City. He is known for his roles in the ''Ilsa'' series of films in addition to 30 years of producing and performing musical and comedy revues in La ...

, the Tigers compiled a 3–4 record (3–3 against OAC opponents), finished in seventh place in the OAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 119 to 111.

Denison

The 1945 Denison Big Red football team represented Denison University of Granville, Ohio. The Big Red compiled a 2–4 record (2–2 against OAC opponents), finished in eighth place in the OAC, and was outscored by a total of 156 to 45. The team played its home games at Deeds Field in Granville.

Case

The 1945 Case Rough Riders football team represented Case School of Applied Science (now part of

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

). In their 16th year under head coach Joseph J. Carlin, followed by

Ray A. Ride Ray A. Ride (March 4, 1904 – May 6, 1990) was an American football player, coach, and college athletic administrator. He served as the head football coach at Case Institute of Technology—now known as Case Western Reserve University—from 19 ...

, the Rough Riders compiled a 2–5 record (1–3 against OAC opponents), finished in ninth place in the OAC, and were outscored by a total of 140 to 91.

Heidelberg

The 1945 Heidelberg Student Princes football team represented the Heidelberg College of Tiffin, Ohio. In their 14th and final season under head coach

Ted Turney Theodore Roosevelt Turney (April 27, 1901 – February 3, 1979) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio from 1940 to 1945, compiling a record of 51– ...

, the Student Princes compiled a 1–4–1 record (1–4–1 against OAC opponents), finished in tenth place in the OAC, and were outscored by a total of 153 to 82.

Ohio Northern

The 1945 Ohio Northern Polar Bears football team represented Ohio Northern University of Ada, Ohio. Led by head coach Clyde A. Lamb, the Polar Bears compiled a 3–2 record (0–2 against OAC opponents), finished in 11th place in the OAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 70 to 52. The team included several veterans of World War II in the starting lineup, including halfback Larry Archer who participated in the first heavy bomber raid on Japan, fullback Gale Weller who flew B-24s, and tackle Jack Zeller who participated in the

Normandy invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...

and the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

Wooster

The 1945 Wooster Fighting Scots football team represented the College of Wooster of Wooster, Ohio. Led by head coach John Swigart, the Fighting Scots compiled a 0–6 record (0–4 against OAC opponents), finished in 12th place in the OAC, and were outscored opponents by a total of 231 to 37. The team ranked last in scoring defense, giving up 38.5 points per game.

Kenyon

The 1945 Kenyon Lords football team represented Kenyon College of

Gambier, Ohio Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,391 at the 2010 census. Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. A major feature is a gravel path running the length of the village, referred to as "Middle Path". This ...

. Led by head coach

Pat Pasini Humbert Francis "Pat" Pasini (April 25, 1885 – September 26, 1964) was an American football, basketball, baseball, and track coach and college athletics administrator. He was the head football coach at Iowa State Teachers College—now known as ...

, the Lords compiled a 0–6 record (0–6 against OAC opponents), finished in 13th and last place in the OAC, and were outscored by a total of 224 to 13. They had the lowest scoring offense in the conference, averaging 2.2 points per game and failing to score any points in five of their six games.

References

{{Ohio Athletic Conference football navbox Ohio Athletic Conference football