The 1946 Kansas Collegiate 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 seven member schools of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) as part of the

1946 college football season The 1946 college football season was the 78th 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

Bethany Swedes The Bethany Swedes (historically the Bethany Terrible Swedes) are the athletic teams that represent Bethany College, located in Lindsborg, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (N ...

compiled a 6–2 record and won the KCAC championship. The

Ottawa Braves The Ottawa Braves are the athletic teams that represent Ottawa University, located in Ottawa, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Kansas Collegi ...

finished in second place and led the conference in both scoring offense (25.9 points per game) and scoring defense (3.7 points per game). None of the KCAC teams was ranked in the Associated Press poll or played in a bowl game.

Conference overview

Teams

Bethany

The 1946 Bethany Swedes football team was an American football team that represented Bethany College as a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) during the

. In their sixth, non-consecutive season under head coach

Ray D. Hahn Ray Dreyer Hahn (November 19, 1897 – November 8, 1989) was an American football and basketball player and coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the South Dakota School of Mines—now known as South Dak ...

, the team compiled a 6–2 record (5–1 against KCAC opponents) and won the KCAC championship. The team played its home games at Bethany Field in Lindsborg, Kansas.

Ottawa

The 1946 Ottawa Braves football team was an American football team that represented

Ottawa University Ottawa University (OU) is a private Baptist university with its main campus in Ottawa, Kansas, a second residential campus in Surprise, Arizona, and adult campuses in the Kansas City, Phoenix and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. It was founded in ...

in Ottawa, Kansas, as a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) during the

. Led by head coach

Wally A. Forsberg Wally A. Forsberg (February 15, 1909 – April 5, 1999) was an American football and basketball coach. Coaching career Ottawa Forsberg was the 15th head football coach at the Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas an ...

, the team compiled a 7–1–1 record (4–1–1 against KCAC opponents), tied for second place in the KCAC, shut out seven of nine opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 233 to 33.

Baker

The 1946 Baker Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Baker University in

Baldwin City, Kansas Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States, about south of Lawrence. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,826. The city is home to Baker University, the state's oldest four-year university. History ...

, as a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) during the

. Led by head coach

Karl Spear Karl E. Spear (December 15, 1910 – March 11, 1981) was an American football coach and college athletic administrator. He served as the head football coach at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas for 17 seasons, from 1946 to 1962, compiling ...

, the team compiled a 5–3–1 record (4–1–1 against KCAC opponents), tied for second place in the KCAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 154 to 71.

McPherson

The 1946 McPherson Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented

McPherson College McPherson College is a private college associated with the Church of the Brethren and located in McPherson, Kansas. It was chartered in 1887 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History During their 1887 Annual Meeting, the Ch ...

McPherson, Kansas McPherson () is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 14,082. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general. It i ...

, as a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) during the

. Led by head coach Thomas C. Hayden, the team compiled a 4–3–1 record (3–2–1 against KCAC opponents), finished in fourth place in the KCAC, and was outscored by a total of 114 to 107.

Kansas Wesleyan

The 1946 Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented

Kansas Wesleyan University Kansas Wesleyan University is a private Christian university in Salina, Kansas. Founded in 1886, it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. About 800 students attend KWU, with approximately 700 of them studying on the 28-acre campus. Th ...

in Salina, Kansas, as a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) during the

. Led by head coach

Virgil Baer Virgil Baer (December 5, 1912 – July 14, 1993) was an American football and basketball coach. He was the 11th head football coach at Kansas Wesleyan University Kansas Wesleyan University is a private Christi ...

, the team compiled a 3–4–2 record (2–3–1 against KCAC opponents), finished in fifth place in the KCAC, and was outscored by a total of 72 to 54.

Bethel

The 1946 Bethel Graymaroons football team was an American football team that represented Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, as a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) during the

. Led by head coach

Bob Tully Robert Warren Tully (August 2, 1909 – June 12, 1981) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach, college athletics administrator, parks and recreation director, and university professor. He was the head football coach at Bethel Col ...

, the team compiled a 2–6 record (1–5 against KCAC opponents), finished in sixth place in the KCAC, and was outscored by a total of 113 to 51.

College of Emporia

The 1946 College of Emporia Fighting Presbies football team was an American football team that represented the College of Emporia in

Emporia, Kansas Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 ...

, as a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) during the

. Led by head coach

Walt Newland Walt Newland was an American football coach. He was the head football coach at the College of Emporia for the 1946 season. The school had ceased football competition at the conclusion of the 1942 season due to World War II World War&n ...

, the team compiled a 1–8 record (0–6 against KCAC opponents), finished in last place in the KCAC, and was outscored by a total of 195 to 38.

All-conference team

At the end of the season, the Associated Press (AP) selected a 1946 Kansas Conference all-star team. Ottawa, which finished second in the conference standings, placed four players on the first team. Conference champion Bethany placed three on the first team. The first-team picks by position were: * Backs: Bill Olson, Bethany; Roy Carlson, Bethany; John Wassmer, Ottawa; Howard Knight, Baker * Ends: Jim Irick, Baker; James Cahoon, Bethany * Tackles: Warren Smith, Kansas Wesleyan; Buck Reinicker, McPherson * Guards: Harry Trigg, Ottawa; Tom Trigg, Ottawa * Center: Bill Erickson, Ottawa

References

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