| 1946 Big Nine Conference football season | |
| Sport: | Football |
| No Of Teams: | 9 |
| Top Pick: | Vic Schwall |
| Season Champs: | Illinois |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Mvp: | Alex Agase |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1945 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1947 |
The 1946 Big Nine Conference football season was the 51st season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Nine Conference (also known as the Big Ten Conference and the Western Conference) and was a part of the 1946 college football season.
The 1946 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Ray Eliot, won the Big Nine championship, compiled an 8–2 record, was ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll, and defeated UCLA, 45–14, in the 1947 Rose Bowl. Illinois guard Alex Agase was a consensus first-team All-American and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the conference.
Michigan, under head coach Fritz Crisler, compiled a 6-2-1 record, led the conference in both scoring offense (25.9 points per game) and scoring defense (8.1 points allowed per game), and was ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll. The team's two losses came against No. 2 Army and No. 5 Illinois. Halfback Bob Chappuis received the team's most valuable player award.
Indiana, under head coach Bo McMillin, compiled a 6–3 record, finished third in the conference, and was ranked No. 20 in the final AP Poll. End Pete Pihos received the team's most valuable player award. Quarterback Ben Raimondi won first team All-Big Nine honors.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | Ray Eliot |
|
| 8–2 | 6–1 | 21.7 | 10.5 | Alex Agase | |
| 2 | Michigan | Fritz Crisler |
|
| 6–2–1 | 5–1–1 | 25.9 | 8.1 | Bob Chappuis | |
| 3 | Indiana | Bo McMillin |
|
| 6–3 | 4–2 | 14.3 | 10.6 | Pete Pihos | |
| 4 | Iowa | Eddie Anderson | NR |
| 5–4 | 3–3 | 14.3 | 10.2 | Bill Kay | |
| 5 | Minnesota | Bernie Bierman | NR | NR | 5–4 | 3–4 | 14.4 | 12.7 | Bill Bye | |
| 6 (tie) | Ohio State | Paul Bixler | NR |
| 4–3–2 | 2–3–1 | 18.4 | 18.9 | Cecil Souders | |
| 6 (tie) | Northwestern | Pappy Waldorf | NR |
| 4–4–1 | 2–3–1 | 17.3 | 15.1 | Ed Hirsch | |
| 8 | Wisconsin | Harry Stuhldreher | NR |
| 4–5 | 2–5 | 15.6 | 16.0 | Fred Negus | |
| 9 | Purdue | Cecil Isbell | NR | NR | 2–6–1 | 0–5–1 | 10.8 | 23.1 | Norman Maloney |
See main article: 1947 Rose Bowl. In 1946, the Big Nine dropped its long-standing ban on participation in bowl games. Conference champion Illinois accepted an invitation to play UCLA in the 1947 Rose Bowl. The Illini defeated the Bruins by a 45–14 score. Buddy Young scored two touchdowns for Illinois, and Russ Steger returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown.
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press (UP) as first-team players on the 1946 All-Big Nine Conference football team.[2] [3]
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End | Elmer Madar | Michigan | AP, UP | |
| End | Cecil Souders | Ohio State | AP | |
| End | Ike Owens | Illinois | UP | |
| Tackle | Russ Deal | Indiana | AP, UP | |
| Tackle | Warren Amling | Ohio State | AP | |
| Tackle | Jack Carpenter | Michigan | UP | |
| Guard | Alex Agase | Illinois | AP, UP | |
| Guard | Dick Barwegen | Purdue | AP | |
| Guard | Earl Banks | Iowa | UP | |
| Center | John Cannady | Indiana | AP | |
| Center | Fred Negus | Wisconsin | UP | |
| Quarterback | Ben Raimondi | Indiana | AP, UP | |
| Halfback | Bob Chappuis | Michigan | AP, UP | |
| Halfback | Vic Schwall | Northwestern | AP, UP | |
| Fullback | Dick Hoerner | Iowa | AP | |
| Fullback | Joe Whisler | Ohio State | UP |
At the end of the 1946 season, Big Nine players secured two of the consensus first-team picks for the 1946 College Football All-America Team.[4] The Big Nine's consensus All-Americans were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guard | Alex Agase | Illinois | AAB, AFCA, AP, INS, NEA, TSN, UP, CP, WCFF) | |
| Tackle | Warren Amling | Ohio State | FWAA, INS, NEA, TSN, UP, CP |
Other Big Nine players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End | Elmer Madar | Michigan | AP | |
| Guard | Ed Hirsch | Northwestern | CP |
The following Big Nine players were among the first 100 picks of the 1947 NFL draft:[5]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vic Schwall | Halfback | Northwestern | 1 | 10 |
| Don Kindt | Back | Wisconsin | 1 | 11 |
| Russ Thomas | Tackle | Ohio State | 2 | 12 |
| John Cannady | Center | Indiana | 3 | 22 |
| Bob Chappuis | Back | Michigan | 5 | 26 |
| Frank Aschenbrenner | Back | Northwestern | 6 | 38 |
| Ben Raimondi | Back | Indiana | 6 | 41 |
| Dick Connors | Back | Northwestern | 7 | 52 |
| George Maddock | Tackle | Northwestern | 8 | 60 |
| Art Dufelmeier | Back | Illinois | 9 | 70 |
| Dwight Eddleman | Back | Illinois | 9 | 75 |
| Bump Elliott | Back | Michigan | 10 | 76 |
| Alex Sarkisian | Center | Northwestern | 11 | 91 |
| Russ Steger | Back | Illinois | 11 | 93 |
| Robert Hoernschemeyer | Back | Indiana | 11 | 93 |