1947 Fort Valley State Wildcats football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1947
| team = Fort Valley State Wildcats
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
| short_conf = SIAC
| record = 7–1–1
| conf_record = 4–0–1
| head_coach = Richard Craig
| hc_year =
| stadium =
| bowl = Yam Bowl
| bowl_result = L 0–46 vs. Southern
}}
{{1947 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
The 1947 Fort Valley State Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Fort Valley State College in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1947 college football season. Led by head coach Richard Craig, the team compiled a 7–0–1 record in eight regular season games. The Wildcats were ranked No. 15 among the nation's black college football teams according to the Pittsburgh Courier and its Dickinson Rating System.{{cite news|title=Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=December 6, 1947|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40070100/tennessee_no_1_in_natl_grid_ratings/|via=Newspapers.com}}
After going through its eight-game regular season with an undefeated record, Fort Valley was regarded as the "Cinderella team" of 1947 and received an invitation to play No. 8 Southern in the Yam Bowl in Dallas.{{cite news|title=Fort Valley State Plays Southern U. In Yam Bowl|newspaper=Alabama Tribune|date=December 5, 1947|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40868841/fort_valley_state_plays_southern_u_in/|via=Newspapers.com}} Southern defeated Fort Valley by a 46–0 score on Christmas Day.
Key players included halfback Ted Bey, Webb Hollis, Joseph Davis, and Carl Cannon. William E. McKinney was the assistant coach.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| attend = y
| source = y
|October 11||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Knoxville Bulldogs|title=Knoxville}}|Wildcats Field|Fort Valley, GA|T 0-0|1,550|{{cite news|title=Fort Valley Ties Knoxville College|newspaper=Alabama Tribune|date=October 17, 1947|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40547327/fort_valley_ties_knoxville_college/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|October 18||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Edward Waters Tigers|title=Edward Waters}}
|October 25|at|{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Albany State Golden Rams|title=Albany State}}
|November 1||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Miles Golden Bears|title=Miles}}
|November 8|vs|{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Morris Brown Wolverines|title=Morris Brown}}|Porter Field|Macon, GA|W 19-13||{{cite news|title=Fort Valley Tops Morris Brown, 19-13|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=November 14, 1947|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40547472/fort_valley_tops_morris_brown_1913/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 15||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Benedict Tigers|title=Benedict}}|||W 7-0||
|November 22||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Alabama State Hornets|title=Alabama State}}|Wildcats Field|Fort Valley, GA|W 25-0||{{cite news|title=Fort Valley State Smacks 'Bama State By 25-0 Count|newspaper=Alabama Tribune|author=Marion E. Jackson|date=November 28, 1947|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40868644/fort_valley_state_smacks_bama_state_by/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|November 27||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Alabama A&M Bulldogs|title=Alabama A&M}}|Wildcats Field|Fort Valley, GA|W 20-6|2,500|{{cite news|title=Fort Valley Wildcats Beat Alabama A. and M.|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=December 6, 1947|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40486760/fort_valley_wildcats_beat_alabama_a/|via=Newspapers.com}}
|December 25|vs|Southern
}}