# 1946 Northwest Conference football season

The 1946 Northwest Conference football season was the season of college football played by the seven member schools of the Northwest Conference (NWC) as part of the 1946 college football season.
The Willamette Bearcats won the NWC championship with a 6–2–1 record (6–0 against conference opponents) and outscored all opponents by a total of 129 to 94. The College of Idaho Coyotes finished in second place, compiled a 6–4 record, and led the conference in scoring offense with an average of 15.7 points per game. The Puget Sound Loggers tied for third place with a 3–4–1 overall record, but led the conference in scoring defense, giving up an average of only 6.5 points per game.

## Conference overview

| Conf. rank | Team | Head coach | Conf. record | Overall record | Points scored | Points against |
| 1 | Willamette | Walt Erickson | 6–0 | 6–2–1 | 129 | 94 |
| 2 | College of Idaho | Clem Parberry | 5–2 | 6–4 | 157 | 125 |
| 3 (tie) | Linfield | Wayne Harn | 3–2–1 | 4–3–1 | 102 | 72 |
| 3 (tie) | Puget Sound | Frank W. Patrick | 3–2–1 | 3–4–1 | 106 | 52 |
| 5 | Pacific (OR) | Oswald D. Gates | 3–3 | 4–3–1 | 58 | 60 |
| 6 | Whitman | Vincent Borleske | 1–5 | 2–5 | 34 | 79 |
| 7 | British Columbia | Greg Kabat | 0–6 | 0–7 | 39 | 169 |
| 8 | Lewis & Clark | Robert L. Mathews | – | 3–4–1 | | |

## Teams
### Willamette

The 1946 Willamette Bearcats football team epresented the Willamette University of Salem, Oregon. In their first and only season under head coach Walt Erickson, the team compiled a 6–2–1 record (6–0 against NWC opponents) and outscored opponent by a total of 129 to 94.
Three Willamette players were unanimous selections to the 1946 All-Northwest Conference football team: Marv Goodman at end; Garrell Deiner at tackle, and Larry McKeel at back. End Bill Reder and back Bob Douglas received second-team honors.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 27 | at San Jose State* | Spartan StadiumSan Jose, CA | L 6–44 | 13,000 |
| October 5 | at UBC | Vancouver, BC | W 26–13 | |
| October 11 | Linfield | Sweetland FieldSalem, OR | W 31–6 | |
| October 18 | College of Idaho | Sweetland FieldSalem, OR | W 27–7 | |
| October 26 | Puget Sound | Sweetland FieldSalem, OR | W 7–0 | 3,000 |
| November 1 | at Portland* | Multnomah StadiumPortland, OR | T 6–6 | 5,000 |
| November 9 | at Pacific (OR) | Forest Grove, OR | W 6–0 | |
| November 16 | at Whittier* | Whittier StadiumWhittier, CA | L 13–18 | 4,000 |
| November 28 | at Whitman | Borleske StadiumWalla Walla, WA | W 7–0 | |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

### College of Idaho

The 1946 College of Idaho Coyotes football team represented the College of Idaho of Caldwell, Idaho. In their sixth year under head coach Clem Parberry, the team compiled a 6–4 record (5–2 against NWC opponents), finished in second place in the Northwest Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 157 to 125.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 28 | Eastern Oregon* | Hayman FieldCaldwell, ID | W 25–12 | |
| October 5 | at Linfield | McMinnville, OR | L 13–14 | |
| October 11 | Whitman | Hayman FieldCaldwell, ID | W 14–6 | |
| October 18 | Willamette | Sweetland FieldSalem, OR | L 7–27 | |
| October 26 | at British Columbia | Vancouver, BC | W 19–7 | |
| November 2 | Pacific (OR) | Hayman FieldCaldwell, ID | W 21–6 | |
| November 9 | at Idaho State* | Spud BowlPocatello, ID | L 18–26 | |
| November 16 | Puget Sound | Hayman FieldCaldwell, ID | W 13–7 | 2,500 |
| November 23 | at Boise Junior College* | College FieldBoise, ID | L 6–20 | 2,000 |
| November 29 | at Lewis & Clark | Portland, OR | W 21–0 | |
| *Non-conference gameHomecoming ||||||

### Linfield

The 1946 Linfield Wildcats football team represented the Linfield University of McMinnville, Oregon. Led by head coach Wayne Harn, the team compiled a 4–3–1 record (3–2–1 against NWC opponents), tied for third place in the Northwest Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 102 to 72.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 27 | at Humboldt State | Albee StadiumEureka, CA | L 0–13 | |
| October 5 | College of Idaho | McMinnville, OR | W 14–13 | |
| October 11 | at Willamette | Sweetland FieldSalem, OR | L 6–31 | |
| October 19 | Puget Sound | McMinnvile, OR | T 6–6 | |
| October 26 | Pacific (OR) | Forest Grove, OR | L 0–9 | |
| November 2 | at Whitman | Walla Walla, WA | W 20–0 | |
| November 9 | at British Columbia | Varsity StadiumVancouver, BC | W 13–0 | 1,200 |
| November 16 | Lewis & Clark | | W 43–0 | |

### Puget Sound

The 1946 Puget Sound Loggers football team represented the University of Puget Sound of Tacoma, Washington. Led by head coach Frank W. Patrick, the team compiled a 3–4–1 record (3–2–1 against NWC opponents), tied for third place in the Northwest Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 106 to 52.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 5 | Western Washington* | Battersby FieldBellingham, WA | L 6–7 | |
| October 12 | Pacific (OR) | Tacoma StadiumTacoma, WA | W 33–0 | |
| October 19 | at Linfield | | T 6–6 | |
| October 26 | at Willamette | Sweetland FieldSalem, OR | L 0–7 | 3,000 |
| November 2 | British Columbia | Tacoma StadiumTacoma, WA | W 34–6 | |
| November 9 | Whitman | Tacoma StadiumTacoma, WA | W 13–0 | |
| November 16 | at College of Idaho | Hayman FieldCaldwell, ID | L 7–13 | 2,500 |
| November 27 | Pacific Lutheran* | Tacoma StadiumTacoma, WA | L 7–13 | 3,000 |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

### Pacific (CA)

The 1946 Pacific Badgers football team represented the Pacific University of Forest Grove, Oregon. Led by head coach Oswald D. Gates, the team compiled a 4–3–1 record (3–3 against NWC opponents), finished in fifth place in the Northwest Conference, and were outscored by a total of 60 to 58.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| September 28 | Everett Junior College | | W 6–0 |
| October 4 | Whitman | Walla Walla, WA | W 6–0 |
| October 12 | at Puget Sound | Tacoma StadiumTacoma, WA | L 0–33 |
| October 19 | Lewis & Clark | | T 0–0 |
| October 26 | at Linfield | Forest Grove, OR | W 9–0 |
| November 2 | at College of Idaho | Hayman FieldCaldwell, ID | L 6–21 |
| November 9 | Willamette | Forest Grove, OR | L 0–6 |
| November 15 | British Columbia | Forest Grove, OR | W 31–0 |

### Whitman

The 1946 Whitman Fighting Missionaries football team represented Whitman College of Walla Walla, Washington. In their 32nd season under head coach Vincent Borleske, the team compiled a 2–5 record (1–5 against NWC opponents), finished in sixth place in the Northwest Conference, and were outscored by a total of 79 to 34.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| September 28 | Whitworth | Walla Walla, WA | W 7–6 |
| | Pacific | | L 0–6 |
| | College of Idaho | | L 6–14 |
| | British Columbia | | W 21–13 |
| | Linfield | | L 0–20 |
| | Puget Sound | | L 0–13 |
| | Willamette | | L 0–7 |

### British Columbia

The 1946 British Columbia Thunderbirds football team represented the University of British Columbia of Vancouver, British Columbia. Led by head coach Greg Kabat, the Thunderbirds compiled a 0–7 record (0–6 against NWC opponents), finished in seventh place in the Northwest Conference, and were outscored by a total of 169 to 39.
| Opponent | Result |
| Willamette | L 13–26 |
| Western Washington | L 0–25 |
| Whitman | L 13–21 |
| College of Idaho | L 7–19 |
| Puget Sound | L 6–34 |
| Linfield | L 0–13 |
| Pacific (OR) | L 0–31 |

### Lewis & Clark
## All-conference team

The 1946 All-Northwest conference football team was selected by coaches and faculty of the conference schools. Players named to the first team were:
* Ends – Arnold Torgenson (or Thorgerson), Pacific; Marvin Goodman, Willamette
* Tackles – Garrell (or Gerald) Deiner, Willamette; Steuben Thomas, College of Idaho
* Guards – Bill Dahlgren, Pacific; William Currier, Linfield
* Center – Maitland Anderson, Pacific
* Backs – Larry McKeel (or McKell), Willamette; Warren Wood, Puget Sound; Jon Seeley, Linfield; Tom Oxman, College of Idaho