1946 Missouri Valley Vikings football
MCAU champion
ConferenceMissouri College Athletic Union
Record10–0 (4–0 MCAU)
Head coach
1946 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Missouri Valley $ 4 –0 –010 –0 –0
Central (MO) 2 –1 –14 –3 –1
William Jewell 2 –2 –04 –5 –0
Culver–Stockton 1 –3 –04 –4 –0
Tarkio 0 –3 –10 –7 –1
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1946 Missouri Valley Vikings football team was an American football team that represented Missouri Valley College as a member of the Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU) during the 1946 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Volney Ashford, the Vikings compiled a perfect 10–0 record (4–0 against MCAU teams), won the MCAU championship, shut out five of ten opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 387 to 33.[1][2]

The season was part of a 41-game winning streak (1941–1942, 1946–1948) that still ranks as the fifth longest in college football history.[note 1] Coach Ashford, who led the team during the streak, was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[3]

Missouri Valley halfback Alva Baker ranked seventh nationally in scoring among small-college players with 84 points scored.[4] Eleven Missouri Valley players received honors from the Associated Press (AP) on the All-MCAU football team, six on the first team and five on the second team. The honorees included Alva Baker at halfback (AP-1); Ted Chittwood at end (AP-1); Jim Nelson (AP-1) and Verlie Harris (AP-1) at the guard position; Bill Klein at center (AP-2).[5]

Missouri Valley's roster also included back Hugh C. Dunn, who lost his left hand due to injuries suffered in a German mortar attack during World War II.[6]

During the fall of 1946, Missouri Valley College had only 513 students, 322 of which were freshmen.[2]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 20Sterling*Marshall, MOW 37–0[7]
September 26Chillicothe Business College*Marshall, MOW 65–0[8][9]
October 4Simpson*W 34–6
October 11at TarkioTarkio, MOW 27–0[10]
October 18at William JewellLiberty, MOW 47–7[11]
October 25Shurtleff*Marshall, MOW 39–0[12]
November 1Central (MO)Marshall, MOW 25–7[13]
November 8Culver–StocktonCanton, MOW 47–0[14]
November 15McPherson*Marshall, MOW 32–6[15]
November 22Rockhurst*Marshall, MOW 34–72,500[16]
  • *Non-conference game

Notes

  1. ↑ The United States Navy took over the Missouri Valley College during World War II. While the Navy fielded V-12 Navy College Training Program football teams under the Missouri Valley name in 1943 and 1944, the V-12 teams played with different coaches and players, and are not counted as part of the Missouri Valley Vikings football program's record.

References

  1. ↑ W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 198.
  2. 1 2 "There's Bowl Talk at Marshall And Praise for Volney Ashford". The Kansas City Star. November 25, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Volney Ashford". National Football Foundation. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  4. ↑ 1947 NCAA Official Football Guide, p. 89.
  5. ↑ "Missouri Valley Dominates MIAA All-Star Teams". Moberly Monitor-Index. December 3, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "One-Handed War Hero Big Cog in M.V. Gridiron Sweep". The Parsons Sun. November 16, 1946. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Vikings Defeat Sterling, 37-0". St. Joseph Gazette. September 21, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Ducks Open Season at Marshall Tonight". The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. September 26, 1946. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "C.B.C., Out of Its Class, Is Drubbed". The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. September 27, 1946. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Vikings Thump Tarkio, 27-0". St. Joseph Gazette. October 12, 1946. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "May Decide Race: Clash Between William Jewell and Missouri Valley Today Is Top Game of Season". The Kansas City Times. October 18, 1946. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Shurtleff Drops Game To Missouri Valley, 39-0". Alton Evening Telegraph. October 26, 1946. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Vikings Thump Central, 25-7". St. Joseph Gazette. November 2, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "On Unbeaten List: Missouri Valley Vikings Make It Nine in a Row by Downing Culver–Stockton". The Kansas City Star. November 9, 1946. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Vikings In Top Form: McPherson Is Missouri Valley's Foe Tonight". The Kansas City Star. November 15, 1946. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Ed Garich (November 23, 1946). "Mo. Valley 34, Rockhurst 7: The String to 20". The Kansas City Times. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
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