The 1946 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the season of

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

played by the six member schools of the

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) is an List of NCAA conferences, intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's Division III (NCAA), Division III. There are nine ...

(MIAA) 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 ...

. The Hilllsdale Dales, in their first season under head coach David M. Nelson, tied for the MIAC championship with a 7–1 record (4–1 against MIAA opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 193 to 50. The Kalamazoo Hornets, in their second season under head coach

Bob Nulf Robert W. Nulf (May 13, 1906 – June 1985) was an American [college_football.html" ;"title="[college football">[college football and college basketball coach. He was the head football coach at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan for four s ...

, tied with Hillsdale for the conference championship with a 6–2 record (4–1 against MIAA opponents). Three players were unanimous picks to the 1946 All-Star M.I.A.A. football team: quarterback Nick Yonker of Hope; halfback Billy Young of Hillsdale; and end Don Schreiner of Hope.

Conference overview

Teams

Hillsdale

The 1946 Hillsdale Dales football team was an American football team that represented Hillsdale College in the

(MIAA) during the

. In their first year under head coach David M. Nelson, the Dales compiled a 7–1 record (4–1 against MIAA opponents), tied for the MIAA championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 193 to 50. Although recognized as co-champions with

Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by American Baptist Churches USA, Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, K ...

, Hillsdale defeated Kalamazoo, 20-0. Asked about a possible playoff game at the end of the season, coach Nelson said: "No playoff is needed. We beat Kalamazoo, 20 to 0, during the season. That shows which is the better ball club." Nelson, who had played in the

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

backfield with

Tom Harmon Thomas Dudley Harmon (September 28, 1919 – March 15, 1990), nicknamed "Old 98", was an American football player, military pilot, actor, and sports broadcaster. Harmon played college football as a halfback for the Michigan Wolverines from ...

Forest Evashevski Forest "Evy" Evashevski (February 19, 1918 – October 30, 2009) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight ...

, and

Bob Westfall Robert Barton "Bullet Bob" Westfall (May 5, 1919 – October 23, 1980) was an American football Fullback (American football), fullback who played for the University of Michigan (1939–1941) and the Detroit Lions (1944–1947). He was a consen ...

, was hired as Hillsdale's athletic director in February 1946. He had served 41 months in the Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His hiring raised Hillsdale's profile, and he assembled a team of 50 players, 47 of whome were former service men. At least 15 of them were out-of-state men who Nelson had met while serving in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. In August 1946, Nelson noted: "I have so many ex-marines coming out for the team . . . that we should have the situation well in hand." Nelson was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1987. Hillsdale backs Tom Ward and Bill Young were known as the Dales' "touchdown twins". The pair led the state in scoring with 12 touchdowns and 72 points each. Young also tallied 997 rushing yards in just eight games. Young was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player. Four Hillsdale players received first-team honors from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(AP) on the 1946 All-Star M.I.A.A. football team: Young and Ward at back; Alex Clelland at center; and John Masterson at tackle. In addition, back George Albright received second-team honors.'

Kalamazoo

The 1946 Kalamazoo Hornets football team represented

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

. In their second non-consecutive year under head coach

, the Hornets compiled a 6–2 record (4–1 against MIAA opponents), tied for the MIAA championship, shut out four of eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 145 to 45. Kalamazoo's football team included 11 players from the South Bend, Indiana, area. The leading scorers were Tom Shopoff (42 points) and Bob Reed (41 points). Shopoff and guard V. Marandino were first-team picks on the 1946 All-Star M.I.A.A. football team.

Hope

The 1946 Hope Flying Dutchmen football team represented

Hope College Hope College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, United States. It was originally opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman coll ...

of Hope, Michigan. In their first year under head coach Al Vanderbush, the Dutchmen compiled a 6–2 record (3–2 against MIAA opponents), finished in third place in the MIAA, shut out five of eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 160 to 40. Two Hope players, quarterback Nick Yonker and end Dan Schriemer, were selected as first-team players on the 1946 All-Star M.I.A.A. football team. Yoner was a unanimous pick.

Albion

The 1946 Albion Britons football team represented

Albion College Albion College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students as of Fall 2021 ...

Albion, Michigan Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,700 at the 2020 census. Albion is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest ...

. In their ninth and final year under head coach Dale R. Sprankle, the Britons compiled a 3–5 record (2–3 against MIAA opponents), finished in a tie for fourth place in the MIAA, and were outscored by a total of 130 to 67.1947 NCAA Football Guide, p. 159. Two Albion players, end Ben Fies and guard Charles Clark, were selected as first-team players on the 1946 All-Star M.I.A.A. football team. Back Robert Mohr was named to the second team.

Alma

The 1946 Alma Scots football team represented

Alma College Alma College is a Private college, private Presbyterian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Alma, Michigan. It enrolls approximately 1,200 students and is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accre ...

Alma, Michigan Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,488 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905. Alma hosts the annual Highland Festival on Memo ...

. In their first year under head coach

Steve Sebo Stephen Sebo (July 15, 1914 – December 10, 1989) was an American football and baseball player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played baseball and football at Michigan State University, from which ...

, the Scots compiled a 2–5 record (2–3 against MIAA opponents), finished in a tie for fourth place in the MIAA, and were outscored by a total of 117 to 59. Alma back Max Tullis was selected as a first-team player on the 1946 All-Star M.I.A.A. football team. Tackle Kenneth Swanson and guard Gayle Sexton were named to the second team.

Adrian

The 1946 Adrian Bulldogs football team represented

Adrian College Adrian College is a Private college, private United Methodist Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Adrian, Michigan. The college offers bachelor's degrees in 92 academic majors and programs. The 100 acre (0.40&nbs ...

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 5th congressional district. The c ...

. Led by first-year head coach Lyman E. Abbott, the Bulldogs compiled a 0–8 record (0–5 against MIAA opponents), finished in last place in the MIAA, and were outscored by a total of 159 to 12.1947 NCAA Football Guide, p. 158. Adrian tackle James Staup was selected as a first-team player on the 1946 All-Star M.I.A.A. football team.

All-conference team

The

(AP) polled the MIAA coaches and selected the following players to the 1946 All-Star M.I.A.A. football team. Three players were unanimous picks: quarterback Nick Yonker of Hope; halfback Billy Young of Hillsdale; and end Don Schreiner of Hope. First team * Quarterback: Nick Yonker, Hope * Backs: William Young, Hillsdale; Max Tullis, Alma; Thomas Ward, Hillsdale * Fullback: Tom Shopoff, Kalamazoo * Ends: Dan Schriemer, Hope; Ben Fies, Albion * Tackles: James Staup, Adrian; John Masterson, Hillsdale * Guards: V. Marandino, Kalamazoo Charles Clark, Albion * Center: Alex Clelland, Hillsdale Second team * Quarterback: Jack Hart, Kalamazoo * Backs: Robert Mohr, Albion; Bob Emery, Hope; George Abright, Hillsdale * Fullback: Robert Reed, Kalamazoo * Ends: Milt Christen, Kalamazoo; Clair DeMull, Hope * Tackles: Rip Collins, Hope; Kenneth Swanson, Alma * Guards: Gayle Saxton, Alma; Jack Trump, Kalamazoo * Center: H. Southworth, Kalamazoo

References

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