1947 Fort Valley State Wildcats football team

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.[2] The Wildcats were ranked No. 15 among the nation's black college football teams according to the Pittsburgh Courier and its Dickinson Rating System.[3]

1947 Fort Valley State Wildcats football
Yam Bowl, L 0–46 vs. Southern
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
1947 record7–1–1 (4–0–1 SIAC)
Head coach
  • Richard Craig
1947 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 3 Florida A&M $ 5 0 0  9 1 0
No. 10 South Carolina State 5 0 2  7 1 2
No. 15 Fort Valley State 4 0 1  7 1 1
No. 3 (small) LeMoyne 2 1 0  4 1 1
Tuskegee 3 2 1  6 4 1
No. 21 Clark (GA) 3 2 1  4 3 1
No. 18 Lane 2 2 0  6 5 0
Morehouse 3 4 0  3 5 0
Morris Brown 2 4 1  3 7 1
Knoxville 1 2 1  - - -
Alabama State 2 5 2  - - -
Fisk 1 3 1  - - -
No. 7 (small) Alabama A&M 1 4 1  3 3 1
Xavier (LA) 0 2 1  - - -
Benedict 0 3 2  - - -
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from the Pittsburgh Courier using the Dickinson Ratings System.[1]

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.[2] Southern defeated Fort Valley by a 46–0 score on Christmas Day.[4]

Key players included halfback Ted Bey, Webb Hollis, Joseph Davis, and Carl Cannon. William E. McKinney was the assistant coach.[2]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 11Knoxville
T 0–01,550[5]
October 18Edward Waters*W 21–0
October 25at Albany State*Albany, GAW 26–6
November 1Miles*
  • Wildcats Field
  • Fort Valley, GA
W 14–6[6]
November 8vs. Morris Brown
W 19–13[7]
November 15BenedictW 7–0
November 22Alabama State
  • Wildcats Field
  • Fort Valley, GA
W 25–0[8]
November 27Alabama A&M
  • Wildcats Field
  • Fort Valley, GA
W 20–62,500[9]
December 25vs. Southern*L 0–461,500[4]
  • *Non-conference game

References

  1. "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Fort Valley State Plays Southern U. In Yam Bowl". Alabama Tribune. December 5, 1947. p. 7 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Southern Sweeps Fort Valley 46-0". The Pittsburgh Courier. January 3, 1948. p. 13 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Fort Valley Ties Knoxville College". Alabama Tribune. October 17, 1947. p. 7 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Miles Loses To Fort Valley 14-6". The Weekly Review. November 8, 1947. p. 7 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Fort Valley Tops Morris Brown, 19-13". The Pittsburgh Courier. November 14, 1947. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Marion E. Jackson (November 28, 1947). "Fort Valley State Smacks 'Bama State By 25-0 Count". Alabama Tribune. p. 7 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Fort Valley Wildcats Beat Alabama A. and M." The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 11 via Newspapers.com.
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