| 1945 Oklahoma A&M Cowboys football | |
|---|---|
Sugar Bowl, W 33–13 vs.
Saint Mary's (CA) | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 5 |
| Record | 9–0 (1–0 MVC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Lewis Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Oklahoma A&M $ | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Tulsa | 2 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wichita | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 1 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Louis | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1945 Oklahoma A&M Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (later renamed Oklahoma State University–Stillwater) in the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1945 college football season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Jim Lookabaugh and played its home games at Lewis Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys compiled a 9–0 record (1–0 against conference opponents), won the Missouri Valley championship, defeated Saint Mary's in the 1946 Sugar Bowl, were ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 285 to 76. [1] [2] The 1945 season remains the only undefeated season in school history. [3]
On offense, the 1945 team averaged 31.7 points, 286.9 rushing yards, and 133.5 passing yards per game. [4] On defense, the team allowed an average of 8.4 points, 108.6 rushing yards and 79.6 passing yards per game. [5]
Halfback Bob Fenimore led the nation with 1,048 rushing yards. [6] He also led the team with 593 passing yards, 72 points scored, and seven interceptions. Fenimore was selected as a consensus first-team halfback on the 1945 All-America college football team. [7] He was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Three Oklahoma A&M players received first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 1945: Bob Fenimore, end Neill Armstrong, and lineman J. C. Colhouer. [8]
In 2016, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the organization responsible for the Coaches Poll, awarded Oklahoma A&M its 1945 national championship. [9] The AFCA created a commission, consisting of former Baylor coach Grant Teaff, Georgia's Vince Dooley, and Texas A&M's R. C. Slocum, to consider applications for national title consideration for years spanning 1922 to 1949. [10] [11] OSU was at the time the only school to apply for the honor for any of the 28 years considered. [12]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 29 | at Arkansas* | W 19–14 | ||||
| October 6 | at Denver* | W 31–7 | 20,000 (17,311 paid) | [13] | ||
| October 12 | vs. SMU* | No. 15 | W 26–12 | |||
| October 20 | at Utah* | No. 15 | W 46–6 | |||
| October 27 | at TCU* | No. 17 | W 25–12 | |||
| November 10 | No. 19
Tulsa | No. 11 | W 12–6 | 18,000 | ||
| November 17 | Texas Tech* | No. 8 |
| W 46–6 | ||
| November 24 | at Oklahoma* | No. 6 | W 47–0 | |||
| January 1, 1946 | vs. No. 7 Saint Mary's* | No. 5 | W 33–13 | 75,000 | [14] | |
| ||||||
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | 14 | 15 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
After the season
The 1946 NFL Draft was held on January 14, 1946. The following Cowboys were selected. [15]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 66 | Bert Cole | Tackle | Green Bay Packers |
| 9 | 71 | Jake Colhouer | Guard | Chicago Cardinals |
| 32 | 297 | Otis Schellstede | Guard | Detroit Lions |
References
- ^ "1945 Oklahoma State Cowboys Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ "Oklahoma State Cowboy Football 2016 Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University. p. 172. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ 2016 Football Guide, p. 144.
- ^ 2016 Football Guide, p. 138.
- ^ 2016 Football Guide, p. 140.
- ^ W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 34.
- ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 8. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ 2016 Football Guide, p. 154.
- ^ Culpepper, Chuck (October 13, 2016). "Oklahoma State just won the 1945 college football national championship". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ^ Marshall, Kendrick (October 18, 2016). Written at Stillwater, Oklahoma. "AFCA member explains why OSU awarded 1945 national championship". Tulsa World. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ Fornelli, Tom (October 13, 2016). "Why Oklahoma State has been named college football's 1945 national champion". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ^ Tramel, Berry (August 23, 2017). "Why is Oklahoma State on an island with the retroactive titles?". News OK. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ^ Wally Wallis (October 7, 1945). "Puncher Reserves Sparkle in 31-7 Lacing of Denver". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gaels Lose, 33-13: Phelan Clan Makes Hit In Defeat". Oakland Tribune. January 2, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1946 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.