1947 Catawba Indians football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1947
| team = Catawba Indians
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = North State Conference
| short_conf = NSC
| record = 11–1
| conf_record = 6–0
| head_coach = Gordon Kirkland
| hc_year = 14th
| stadium = Shuford Field
| champion = NSC champion
Tangerine Bowl champion
| bowl = Tangerine Bowl
| bowl_result = W 7–0 vs. Marshall
}}
{{1947 North State Conference football standings}}
The 1947 Catawba Indians football team was an American football team that represented Catawba College as a member of the North State Conference (NSC) during the 1947 college football season. In its 14th season under head coach Gordon Kirkland, the team compiled an 11–1 record, won the NSC championship, defeated Marshall in the 1948 Tangerine Bowl, shut out 10 of 12 opponents, and outscored opponents by a total of 265 to 27.{{cite news|title=Catawba (NC) Yearly Results (1945-1949)|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse|accessdate=February 2, 2019|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/c/catawba/1945-1949_yearly_results.php|archive-date=March 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308224359/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/c/catawba/1945-1949_yearly_results.php|url-status=dead}}
On October 25, 1947, Catawba tied (and later broke) the national consecutive game scoring record. The prior record of 72 games was claimed by Yale during the 19th century.{{cite news|title=Catawba, Spears Dominate North State Competition|newspaper=The Asheville Citizen|date=October 27, 1947|page=9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28339530/catawba_spears_dominate_north_state/|via=Newspapers.com}} After losing to Catawba by a 39–0 score, Newberry's head coach Billy Laval said: "They've got a real ball club. Should be playing Furman, Clemson and Carolina. They're out of our league."{{cite news|title=Scoopin' Em Up|newspaper=The Greenville News|author=Carter "Scoop" Latimer|date=November 10, 1947|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27948481/scoopin_em_up/|via=Newspapers.com}} In the AP poll released on December 1, 1947, Catawba was ranked No. 20.{{cite web |title=December 1, 1947 AP Football Poll |url=http://collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=100
|work=College Poll Archive |accessdate=February 2, 2019 }}
Catawba fullback Lee Spears led the NSIC in scoring with 67 points (not counting the six points he scored in the Tangerine Bowl), and the team's place-kicking specialist Lamar Dorton led the conference in with 20 point-after-touchdown kicks.{{cite news|title=Catawba Back Tops League In Scoring|newspaper=The Evening Telegram (Rocky Mount, NC)|date=December 1, 1947|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28343105/catawba_back_tops_league_in_scoring/|via=Newspapers.com}}
Catawba was ranked at No. 117 (out of 500 college football teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1947.{{cite news|title=Michigan National Champion in Final Litkenhous Ratings|newspaper=Times|author=Dr. E. E. Litkenhous|date=December 18, 1947|page=47|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123152970/michigan-national-champion-in-final/|via=Newspapers.com}}
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| attend = yes
| source = yes
|September 13||82nd Airborne
|September 20||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Wofford Terriers|title=Wofford}}
|September 27|at|VMI
|October 4|at|{{cfb link|year=1947|team=High Point Panthers|title=High Point}}||High Point, NC|W 21-0||
|October 11||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Western Carolina Catamounts|title=Western Carolina}}|Shuford Field|Salisbury, NC|W 44-0||{{cite news|title=Catawba Bests Catamounts By 44-0 Margin|newspaper=Asheville Citizen-Times|date=October 12, 1947|page=1D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28339210/catawba_bests_catamounts_by_440_margin/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 18|vs|Appalachian State||Winston-Salem, NC|W 19-0|9,000|{{cite news|title=Catawba Routs Appalachian By Score of 19-0|newspaper=Asheville Citizen-Times|date=October 19, 1947|page=D2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28339363/catawba_routs_appalachian_by_score_of/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 25||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Elon Fightin' Christians|title=Elon}}|Shuford Field|Salisbury, NC|W 38-0||
|November 1||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Presbyterian Blue Hose|title=Presbyterian}}
|November 7||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Newberry Indians|title=Newberry}}
|November 15|at|{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Guilford Quakers|title=Guilford}}||Greensboro, NC|W 20-14||
|November 27|at|{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Lenoir–Rhyne Bears|title=Lenoir–Rhyne}}||Hickory, NC|W 6-0|6,000|{{cite news|title=Indians Trim Bears To Cop Championship|newspaper=The Ashville Citizen|date=November 28, 1947|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27947231/indians_trim_bears_to_cop_championship/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|January 1, 1948|vs|Marshall
}}
Rankings
{{see also|1947 college football rankings}}
{{Ranking movements
| poll1title = AP
| poll1firstweek = 1
| poll1lastweek = 10
| poll1_1=NR
| poll1_2=NR
| poll1_3=NR
| poll1_4=NR
| poll1_5=NR
| poll1_6=NR
| poll1_7=NR
| poll1_8=NR
| poll1_9=20
| poll1_10=NR
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Catawba Indians football navbox}}
Category:Catawba Indians football seasons
Category:Carolinas Conference football champion seasons