The 1946 Rocky Mountain 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 five member schools of the

Rocky Mountain Conference The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NC ...

(RMC) 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

Montana State Bobcats The Montana State Bobcats are the varsity athletic teams representing Montana State University in Bozeman in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors thirteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, skiing, tennis, a ...

won the RMC championship with a 5–3–2 record (2–0–1 against conference opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 198 to 156.

Conference overview

Teams

Montana State

The 1946 Montana State Bobcats football team represented Montana State College (now known as

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

) of

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

. In their first season under head coach

Clyde Carpenter Clyde Fitch Carpenter (April 17, 1908 – December 5, 1971) was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Montana in 1942 and Montana State University from 1946 to 1949, compiling a career college foo ...

, the Bobcats compiled a 5–3–2 record (2–0–1 against RMC opponents), won the RMC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 198 to 156. Players receiving all-conference honors were end Mike McCormick, tackle Len Larson, guard Dick Ball, and backs Bill Nelson and Neil Brooks. Tackle John McLellan was selected by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in the 19th round (175th pick) of the

1947 NFL Draft The 1947 National Football League Draft was held on December 16, 1946, at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, New York. The National Football League in this draft made the first overall pick, a bonus pick determined by lottery. The Chicago B ...

Colorado State–Greeley

The 1946 Colorado State–Greeley Bears football team represented Colorado State College at

Greeley, Colorado Greeley is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,795 at the 2020 United States Census, an increase of 17.12% since the 2010 ...

(now known as the

University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially changed ...

). In their 13th season under head coach John W. Hancock, the Bears compiled a 6–3 record (3–1 against RMC opponents), finished in second place in the RMC, and outscored opponents by a total of 218 to 101.

Western State

The 1946 Western State Mountaineers football team represented Western State College of Colorado at

Gunnison, Colorado Gunnison is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Gunnison County, Colorado. The city population was 6,560 at the 2020 United States Census. Gunnison was named in honor of John W. Gunnison, a Uni ...

(now known as the

Western Colorado University Western Colorado University (Western) is a public university in Gunnison, Colorado. It enrolls approximately 2,600 undergraduate and 400 graduate students, with 25 percent coming from out of state. Western offers more than 100 undergraduate areas ...

). Led by head coach Paul W. Wright, the Bears compiled a 5–4–1 record (1–1 against RMC opponents), finished in third place in the RMC, and outscored opponents by a total of 142 to 96. The 1946 season was the first for the Western State football program since 1941. The sport was abandoned after the 1941 season due to World War II.

Colorado College

The 1946 Colorado College Tigers football team represented

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. Led by head coach Harold A. White, the Tigers compiled a 4–4–1 record (0–1–1 against RMC opponents), finished in fourth place in the RMC, and outscored opponents by a total of 131 to 106.

Colorado Mines

The 1946 Colorado Mines Orediggers football team represented the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

Golden, Colorado Golden is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Censu ...

. In their eighth year under head coach John Mason, the Orediggers compiled a 1–4–1 record (0–3 against RMC opponents), finished in last place in the RMC, and were outscored by a total of 132 to 62.1947 NCAA Football Guide, p. 170.

References

{{Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football navbox