The 1946 Northwestern Wildcats team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team that represented

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

during the 1946 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 12th and final year under head coach

Pappy Waldorf Lynn Osbert "Pappy" Waldorf (October 3, 1902 – August 15, 1981) was an American college football player and coach. He received the first national collegiate football coach of the year award in 1935. Waldorf became known for his motivational coa ...

, the Wildcats compiled a 4–4–1 record (2–3–1 against conference opponents), finished in seventh place in the

Big Nine Conference The Big Nine Conference, formerly the Big Eight Conference, was a high school sports conference in Genesee County, Michigan, that ended with four high schools in 2012. History Formed in 1960 as the Big Eight Conference, the conference became th ...

, and outscored opponents by a total of 156 to 136. The team ranked first in the Big Nine, and ninth nationally, in rushing offense with an average of 217.6 rushing yards per game. Halfback

Vic Schwall Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense) ...

was selected by both the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

and

United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...

as a first-team player on the

1946 All-Big Nine Conference football team The 1946 All-Big Nine Conference football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Big Ten Conference teams selected by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) for the 1946 Big Nine Conference football season. The top ...

. Guard

Ed Hirsch Edward Norman "Buckets" Hirsch (March 26, 1921 – January 28, 2000) was an American gridiron football player who played for the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He won the Grey Cup with the Argonauts in 1950. He played college footba ...

was selected by the Central Press Association as a first-team player on the 1946 All-America college football team.

Schedule

After the season

The 1947 NFL Draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Wildcats were selected.

References

Northwestern Northwestern Wildcats football seasons

Northwestern Wildcats football The Northwestern Wildcats football team represents Northwestern University as an NCAA Division I college football team and member of the Big Ten Conference based near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern began playing fo ...

{{Collegefootball-1940s-season-stub