1946 Saint Mary's Gaels football team

1946 Saint Mary's Gaels football
Oil Bowl, L 19–41 vs. Georgia Tech
Conference	Independent
Record	6–3
Head coach	James Phelan (5th season)
Home stadium	Kezar Stadium

1946 Western major college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Nevada			–					7	–	2	–	0
Saint Mary's			–					6	–	3	–	0
San Francisco			–					3	–	6	–	0
Santa Clara			–					2	–	5	–	1
Portland			–					1	–	4	–	1

The 1946 Saint Mary's Gaels football team was an American football team that represented Saint Mary's College of California during the 1946 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach James Phelan, the Gaels compiled a 6–3 record and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 229 to 160.^[1]

The team was led on offense by Herman Wedemeyer who ranked seventh in the nation with 1,220 yards of total offense—625 rushing yards and 595 passing yards.^[2] He was selected by both the United Press and the Associated Press as a first-team halfback on the 1946 All-Pacific Coast football team.^[3][4] In 1979, Wedemeyer was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.^[5]

Saint Mary's was ranked at No. 72 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System rankings for 1946.^[6]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	at Washington		Husky Stadium Seattle WA	W 24–20	43,000	[7]
October 6	Alameda Naval Air Station		Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 73–0		[8]
October 12	at California	No. 16	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	L 13–20		[9]
October 19	at Fordham		Polo Grounds New York, NY	W 33–2	30,798	[10]
October 27	Nevada		Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 13–12	50,000	[11]
November 1	at No. 4 UCLA		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	L 20–46	92,976	[12]
November 17	vs. Santa Clara		Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 28–19	55,000	[13]
November 30	vs. San Francisco		Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 6–0	50,000	[14]
January 1, 1947	vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech		Rice Stadium Houston, TX (Oil Bowl)	L 19–41	22,000	[15]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1946 NCAA football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
AP	16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

After the season

Main article: 1947 NFL draft

The 1947 NFL Draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Gael was selected.^[16]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	9	Herman Wedemeyer	Back	Los Angeles Rams

References

1. "1946 Saint Mary's (CA) Gaels Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
2. W.J. Bingham, ed. (1947). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1947. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 79.
3. "Uclans Land 10 Men on All-Pacific Coast Football Club". The Independent-Record, Helena, Montana. November 27, 1945. p. 7.
4. "Horace Gillom, Nevada End, Makes UP's All-Pacific Coast Selection". Nevada State Journal. November 29, 1946. p. 10.
5. Dick Fishback (January 28, 1979). "Five-O's Wedey still gathering fame -- Football Hall of Fame". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. G3 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 15, 1946). "Rice Rated Fifth Best, Tennessee 12th by Lit". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Bob Brachman (September 29, 1946). "Gaels Capture Thriller! St. Mary's Trounces Huskies, 24 to 20". San Francisco Examiner. pp. 21, 23 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Alan Ward (October 7, 1946). "Gaels Get Good Workout Beating Navy by 73-0 Score". Oakland Tribune. pp. 10–11 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Harry Borba (October 13, 1946). "Cal Spills Gaels: Bears Astonish in 20-13 Upset". San Francisco Examiner. pp. 23, 25 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Joe Trimble (October 20, 1946). "Gaels Trim Rams, 33-2; Wedemeyer Sets Pace". Daily News (New York). p. 96 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Alan Ward (October 28, 1946). "Gaels Primed for Bruins: Phelan; Coach Confident After His Team Beats Nevada, 13-12". Oakland Tribune. pp. 10–11 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Al Wolf (November 2, 1946). "92,976 See Bruins Beat Gaels, 46-20: Fists Fly as Uclans Ramble On". Los Angeles Times. pp. 6, 8 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Alan Ward (November 18, 1946). "Wedey Sparks 28-19 Gael Victory: 55,000 Watch Broncos Lose Grid Classic". Oakland Tribune. pp. 10–11 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "St. Mary's Accepts Oil Bowl Bid". Oakland Tribune. December 2, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Bob Brachman (January 2, 1947). "Wedy in Bad Day". San Francisco Examiner. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.