1945 Northwestern Wildcats football team

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1945

| team = Northwestern Wildcats

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Big Ten Conference

| short_conf = Big Ten

| record = 4–4–1

| conf_record = 3–3–1

| head_coach = Pappy Waldorf

| hc_year = 11th

| mvp = Dick Conners

| captain = Max Morris{{Cite web|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nw/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/nu-mg-07-history.pdf#page=6|title=Year-by-Year Results|date=2007|page=147|format=PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190316165052/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nw/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/nu-mg-07-history.pdf|archive-date=March 16, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=March 14, 2019}}

| stadium = Dyche Stadium

}}

The 1945 Northwestern Wildcats team was an American football team that represented Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference during the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 11th year under head coach Pappy Waldorf, the Wildcats compiled a 4–4–1 record (3–3–1 against Big Ten opponents), finished in fourth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 148 to 127.{{cite web|title=1945 Northwestern Wildcats Schedule and Results|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|access-date=February 22, 2016|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/northwestern/1945-schedule.html}}

Four Northwestern players received honors from the Associated Press (AP) or United Press (UP) on the 1945 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Max Morris at end (AP-1, UP-1); Jim Lecture at guard (AP-1 UP-1); Dick Conners at halfback (UP-2); and Paul Schuetz at Northwestern (UP-2).{{cite news|title=All-Big Ten Grid Team Selected|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10548663/allbig_ten_grid_team_selected/|accessdate=April 26, 2017|work=The Decatur Herald|agency=Associated Press|date=November 27, 1945|page=9|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|author=Walter Byers|title=Indiana and Ohio State Each Get Three Men on United Press All Star Big Ten Team|newspaper=The Daily Register (Harrisburg,Illinois)|date=November 26, 1945|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/7380395/?terms=morris%2Bpihos%2Btaliaferro%2Bcline}} Morris was also selected as a consensus first-team All-American.{{cite web|title=2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections|publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)|year=2014|access-date=February 10, 2015|page=6|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf|archive-date=December 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222163944/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf|url-status=dead}} Conners ranked 14th in the nation with 671 rushing yards.{{cite book|title=The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946|publisher=A.S. Barnes and Company|editor=W.J. Bingham|year=1946|page=34}}

Schedule

{{CFB schedule

| rankyear = 1945

| poll = AP

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 22

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| opponent = Iowa State

| site_stadium = Dyche Stadium

| site_cityst = Evanston, IL

| score = 18–6

| attend = 34,725

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 29

| w/l = t

| opponent = Indiana

| site_stadium = Dyche Stadium

| site_cityst = Evanston, IL

| score = 7–7

| attend = 30,000

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 6

| w/l = l

| opponent = Michigan

| site_stadium = Dyche Stadium

| site_cityst = Evanston, IL

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 7–20

| attend = 32,772

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 20

| w/l = l

| away = y

| opponent = Minnesota

| opprank = 5

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Minneapolis, MN

| score = 7–30

| attend = 55,940

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 27

| w/l = w

| opponent = Purdue

| opprank = 4

| site_stadium = Dyche Stadium

| site_cityst = Evanston, IL

| score = 26–14

| attend = 42,000

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 3

| w/l = l

| away = y

| rank = 20

| opponent = Ohio State

| opprank = 6

| site_stadium = Ohio Stadium

| site_cityst = Columbus, OH

| score = 14–16

| attend = 74,079

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 10

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Wisconsin

| site_stadium = Camp Randall Stadium

| site_cityst = Madison, WI

| score = 28–14

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 17

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| opponent = Notre Dame

| opprank = 7

| site_stadium = Dyche Stadium

| site_cityst = Evanston, IL

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 7–34

| attend = 46,294

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 24

| w/l = w

| opponent = Illinois

| site_stadium = Dyche Stadium

| site_cityst = Evanston, IL

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 13–7

| attend = 35,000

}}

Rankings

{{Ranking movements

| poll1title = AP

| poll1firstweek = 1

| poll1lastweek = 9

| poll1_1=NR

| poll1_2=NR

| poll1_3=NR

| poll1_4=20

| poll1_5=NR

| poll1_6=NR

| poll1_7=NR

| poll1_8=NR

| poll1_9=NR

}}

References

Northwestern

Category:Northwestern Wildcats football seasons

Northwestern Wildcats football