The 1946 Iowa 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

Iowa Conference The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference. From 1927 until August 9, 2018, it was known officially as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) and commonly as the Iowa Conference. History The ...

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 Central Dutch and Upper Iowa Peacocks were co-champions of the conference, each compiling perfect 6–0 records against conference opponents. None of the Iowa Conference teams was ranked in the Associated Press poll or played in a bowl game.

Conference overview

Teams

Central

The 1946 Central Dutch football team was an American football team that represented Central College of Pella, Iowa, as a member of the

during the

. Led by eight-year head coach Richard Tysseling, the Dutch compiled a 7–1 record, shared the Iowa Conference championship with Upper Iowa, and outscored opponents by a total of 223 to 38.

Upper Iowa

The 1946 Upper Iowa Peacocks football team was an American football team that represented Upper Iowa University as a member of the

during the

. In their 37th season under head coach John "Doc" Dorman, the Peacocks compiled a 6–0 record, shared the Iowa Conference championship with Central Central (IA), and outscored opponents by a total of 139 to 31. Upper Iowa end Melvin Harms was a unanimous choice by the United Press for the 1946 All-Iowa Conference football team. Quarterback Sam Turner and guard Ralph Bartlett also received first-team honors. The university had an enrollment of 500 students in the fall of 1946, at least 300 of whom were freshmen.

St. Ambrose

The 1946 St. Ambrose Bees football team was an American football team that represented

St. Ambrose University St. Ambrose University is a private Catholic university in Davenport, Iowa. It was founded as a school of commerce for young men in 1882. History Foundation St. Ambrose was founded as a seminary and school of commerce for young men in 1882, know ...

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

, as a member of the

during the

. Led by Ennio Arboit in his first and only season as head coach, the Bees compiled a 5–3 record, finished in third place in the Iowa Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 101 to 77.

Parsons

The 1946 Parsons Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Parsons College of Fairfield, Iowa, as a member of the

during the

. Led by first-year head coach Phillip E. Young, the Wildcats compiled a 4–4 record, finished in fourth place in the Iowa Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 116 to 104.

Dubuque

The 1946 Dubuque Spartans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Dubuque of Dubuque, Iowa, as a member of the

during the

. Led by head coach Kenneth E. Mercer, the Spartans compiled a 5–4 record, finished in fifth place in the Iowa Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 92 to 76.

Luther

The 1946 Luther Norse football team was an American football team that represented the Luther College of Decorah, Iowa, as a member of the

during the

. Led by first-year head coach Robert Bungum, the Spartans compiled a 3–6 record, finished in sixth place in the Iowa Conference, and were outscored by a total of 136 to 81.

Simpson

The 1946 Simpson Redmen football team was an American football team that represented the Simpson College of Indianola, Iowa, as a member of the

during the

. Led by fifth-year head coach Frank Casey, the Redmen compiled a 3–5 record, finished in seventh place in the Iowa Conference, and were outscored by a total of 135 to 79.

Iowa Wesleyan

The 1946 Iowa Wesleyan Tigers football team was an American football team that represented the Iowa Wesleyan University of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, as a member of the

during the

. Led by fourth-year head coach Olan Ruble, the Tigers compiled a 3–6 record, tied for eighth place in the Iowa Conference, and were outscored by a total of 159 to 75.

Buena Vista

The 1946 Buena Vista Beavers football team was an American football team that represented the Buena Vista University of Storm Lake, Iowa, as a member of the

during the

. Led by Harland Riebe in his first and only season as head coach, the Beavers compiled a 1–6 record, tied for eighth place in the Iowa Conference, and were outscored by a total of 103 to 38.

Wartburg

The 1946 Wartburg Knights football team was an American football team that represented the Wartburg College of Waverly, Iowa, as a member of the

during the

. Led by

Stanley Hall Granville Stanley Hall (February 1, 1846 – April 24, 1924) was a pioneering American psychologist and educator. His interests focused on human life span development and evolutionary theory. Hall was the first president of the American P ...

in his first and only season as head coach, the Knights compiled a 2–5 record, finished in tenth place in the Iowa Conference, and were outscored by a total of 124 to 85.

Western Union

The 1946 Western Union Eagles football team was an American football team that represented Western Union College of LeMars, Iowa (later renamed

Westmar University Westmar University was a private four-year liberal arts college in Le Mars, Iowa, United States. It permanently closed on November 21, 1997. Westmar University was founded in 1887 as the Northwestern Normal School and Business College by Jaco ...

), as a member of the

during the

. Led by fifth-year head coach

Dick Crayne Richard Cherry Crayne (April 24, 1913 – August 14, 1985) was an American football fullback for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the first round with the fourth overall pick in the 1936 NFL Draft. ...

, the Eagles compiled a 5–2 record, finished in a tie for 11th place in the Iowa Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 117 to 70.

Loras

The 1946 Loras Duhawks football team was an American football team that represented Loras College of Dubuque, Iowa as a member of the

during the

. Led by Vince Dowd in his fourth and final season as head coach, the Duhawks compiled a 1–7 record, finished in a tie for 11th place in the Iowa Conference, and were outscored opponents by a total of 181 to 43.

William Penn

The 1946 William Penn Quakers football team was an American football team that represented William Penn University of Oskaloosa, Iowa as a member of the

during the

. Led by first-year head coach Roland Ortmayer, the Quakers compiled a 0–6 record, finished in last place in the Iowa Conference, and were outscored opponents by a total of 174 to 12.

All-conference team

The following players were selected by the United Press to the 1946 All-Iowa Conference football team: * Quarterback: Sam Turner, Upper Iowa * Halfbacks: Bill Schumaker, Parsons; Galen Cheuvront, Central * Fullback: Bob Sellgren, Dubuque * Ends: Melvin Harms, Upper Iowa; Howard Lowe, Central * Tackles: Floyd Lundquist, Parsons; Chet Cross, Central * Guards: Bob Berg, Parsons; Ralph Bartlett, Upper Iowa * Center: Bob Kuefler, Dubuque

References

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