AFCA awards 1946 OAMC Football National Championship

[AP]

Looks like the pokes finally have their first National Championship in football.

http://www.okstate.com/news/2016/10/...-champion.aspx

By virtue of this announcement from the AFCA, Oklahoma State now becomes first school to be recognized as national champions by a national organization or body in both football and men's basketball in the same academic year. Coach Henry Iba's hoops squad won the second of its back-to-back NCAA titles that same season.

[AP]

Pete, can you change the title? I accidentally typed 46 instead of 45.

[dankrutka]

To me, football national championships only count if they were considered national championships at the time they happened. OU, by this standard, could claim 16 titles, I think. But OU does not count titles like this. Schools like Alabama and USC do claim them though and I've always criticized that. Anyway, this isn't a dig on OSU at all, but it's obviously silly for an organization to hand out titles 70 years later..

[Eric]

To me, football national championships only count if they were considered national championships at the time they happened. OU, by this standard, could claim 16 titles, I think. But OU does not count titles like this. Schools like Alabama and USC do claim them though and I've always criticized that. Anyway, this isn't a dig on OSU at all, but it's obviously silly for an organization to hand out titles 70 years later..

In fairness it's not as if anyone were deemed champion in those years. I certainly never heard OSU crowing about this when I was there. Good season, but no one ever insinuated they were national champs.

[dankrutka]

In fairness it's not as if anyone were deemed champion in those years. I certainly never heard OSU crowing about this when I was there. Good season, but no one ever insinuated they were national champs.

Totally agree. OSU had nothing to do with the decision. And, honestly, I'd put it up if I was them. Why not do it? I just don't like when Alabama claims they have 15 titles. It gets silly.

[Eric]

Totally agree. OSU had nothing to do with the decision. And, honestly, I'd put it up if I was them. Why not do it? I just don't like when Alabama claims they have 15 titles. It gets silly.

Now they most certainly claimed the ties in the Big 8 as championships. Which I totally thought was hokey. But hey, when that's all you've got...

[OKCretro]

Totally agree. OSU had nothing to do with the decision. And, honestly, I'd put it up if I was them. Why not do it? I just don't like when Alabama claims they have 15 titles. It gets silly.

Are you sure about that? it appears schools "lobbied" to be awarded championships. Will be interesting to see if lobbying included a donation to the organization that is based out of waco?

i am sure the hard hitting journalists at the DOK will do a freedom of information act request to see the emails and correspondence between OSU and the organization.

[dankrutka]

Now they most certainly claimed the ties in the Big 8 as championships. Which I totally thought was hokey. But hey, when that's all you've got...

Are you talking about two teams that tied for the Big 8 title both claiming a league championship? If there's no title game (which there wasn't), why wouldn't that not count? OU tied for the 2012 Big 12 with Kansas State (whom they lost to) and both schools claim a title. And, OU should claim it.

[Eric]

Are you talking about two teams that tied for the Big 8 title both claiming a league championship? If there's no title game (which there wasn't), why wouldn't that not count? OU tied for the 2012 Big 12 with Kansas State (whom they lost to) and both schools claim a title. And, OU should claim it.

I know, OSU fans get it. Prior to the success of the last 5 or 10 season, it was just the perfect description of the program, where the only Big 8 football title we had was actually a tie.

My funny anecdotal OSU football story:

When Woods and that team went to the Houston bowl, my (then future) wife and I decided that we better go because we might never get to go to an OSU bowl game as long as we were in school. We had just come off a 4 win season (including an improbable upset of OU to close it out). Little did I know. I also didn't predict the landscape of the bowl season changing as dramatically as it has (adding so many games/expanded season making it easier to qualify/etc).

[gopokes88]

Are you talking about two teams that tied for the Big 8 title both claiming a league championship? If there's no title game (which there wasn't), why wouldn't that not count? OU tied for the 2012 Big 12 with Kansas State (whom they lost to) and both schools claim a title. And, OU should claim it.

In the words of bob stoops if you lost head to head you shouldn't claim a conference championship with that team.

Said that in 2011 had ou beaten osu.
Loses head to head to kstate in 2012 claims a conference championship.

College football is a silly sport in lots of ways and if you want to get a on moral high horse (doesn't matter which school) it'll be pretty easy to knock you off.

[dankrutka]

I don't remember Stoops saying that, but you just play by the rules. By the rules that existed, OU was the 2012 Big 12 co-champ. I have no problem with it. But, when you're Texas A&M who claims a Big 12 championship for tying for the South title, they made up a title that was not by the rules (OU won the South tie breaker and then won the Big 12 title game).

[stick47]

I had the honor to meet Bob Fenimore and my Uncle played on the team with him in 1945. Sad that both had passed before the championship was awarded.
OSU is the only school to hold two national championships in the same year. (FB & BB)

[OKCretro]

OSU is the only school to hold two national championships in the same year. (FB & BB)

Um this statement is all kinds of wrong...
florida actually accomplished that feat back in like 2006 or 2007.

Florida won the championships the year they played not lobbied some random group 71 years later. Don't let the facts get in the way of this great accomplishment.
Anyone know how much osu paid to be crowned yet?

[stick47]

Haters gonna hate. Proud of my state and the resolve its people have shown throughout the years.

[jerrywall]

Haters gonna hate. Proud of my state and the resolve its people have shown throughout the years.

It's okcretro on an OSU thread. He's obsessed. Don't bother. He probably hides OSU jerseys under his socks with his lube.

[jerrywall]

I figure their are two groups that care strongly about this: folks who played in this game and still live, and a select group of loser obsessed OU fans. The rest of us see this as a "hmm, this is interesting" sort of thing. Not gonna hang any championship banners and at most it's an astrix. But I'll give the boys their due.

[gopokes88]

I don't remember Stoops saying that, but you just play by the rules. By the rules that existed, OU was the 2012 Big 12 co-champ. I have no problem with it. But, when you're Texas A&M who claims a Big 12 championship for tying for the South title, they made up a title that was not by the rules (OU won the South tie breaker and then won the Big 12 title game).

Well he said it and then did the opposite.

I have no problem with ou claiming it either. The point was everyone in CFB loves in glass houses, careful throwing rocks.

[gopokes88]

I figure their are two groups that care strongly about this: folks who played in this game and still live, and a select group of loser obsessed OU fans. The rest of us see this as a "hmm, this is interesting" sort of thing. Not gonna hang any championship banners and at most it's an astrix. But I'll give the boys their due.

You absolutely hang a banner. You earned it and it can help recruiting. Several osu recruits were fired up and retweeting it today.

[Eric]

To be clear OSU is now the first (not only) to have won titles in both football and men's basketball in the same academic year. I feat that is worth noting.

If for no other reason, this is awesome because it shed's light on Lookabaugh. How often do you hear his name mentioned. Born in Watonga, lettered in three sports at OSU (football, baseball & basektball). I didn't know this but he coached right after college at Jet High School (now Timberlake). That is near my neck of the woods when I was young and pretty cool. He later coached at Captial Hill.

It is amazing how different college football is now. I looked at the schedule from 45. They played Arkansa, Denver, SMU, Utah, TCU, Tulsa, Texas Tech & OU. Only 2 games were played at Lewis Field that season.

W 19-14 Arkansas (Razorback Stadium)
W 31-07 Denver (DU Stadium)
W 26-12 SMU (Taft Stadium, OKC) - Doak Walker was on this team
W 46-06 Utah (Ute Stadium)
W 25-12 TCU (Amon G. Carter Stadium)
W 12-06 #19 Tulsa (Lewis Field)
W 46-06 Texas Tech (Lewis Field)
W 47-00 OU (Memorial Stadium)

W 33-13 #7 Saint Mary's (Tulane Stadium - Sugar Bowl)

Obviously the football landscape was slightly different back then and wasn't routed through Alabama. And before Wilkinson, OU was fairly mediocre. Teams like SMU, TCU and Saint Mary's were considered power houses. Even Tulsa was a load during that stretch. There only regular season losses that year were to OSU (Nat'l Champ) and Indiana (Big 10 Champ).

[stick47]

That was what I missed Eric. "First" but first as in 1945. Bet a lot of readers tripped on that line. Thanks for the clarification.

[dankrutka]

Well he said it and then did the opposite.

I have no problem with ou claiming it either. The point was everyone in CFB loves in glass houses, careful throwing rocks.

Source? I believe you, but I just don't remember him saying that.

[AP]

Obviously the football landscape was slightly different back then and wasn't routed through Alabama.

Is this true? Alabama was 10-0 that season and finished at AP #2... The SEC was largely the same conference then. 4 teams in the top 25.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_A..._football_team

#2 Alabama
#14 Tennessee
#15 LSU
#18 Georgia
Ole Miss
Georgia Tech
Mississippi State
Auburn
Vanderbilt
Florida
Tulane
Kentucky

I think the big difference is the service academies were actually competitive then.

[jerrywall]

Now this is pretty cool to see...

[SOONER8693]

It will be interesting to see how this "group" decided on Oklahoma A&M as the National Champions. What was the criteria used, etc? Most hardcore college football fans consider the 1945 Army team as one of the greatest teams of all time. They went 9-0 in beating 5 teams that would wind up ranked in the top ten at seasons end. Five teams on their schedule they shut out. Their average margin of victory was 47-5. They were named consensus National Champions. So, realistically how do you argue with that? Now, with that said, if I were OSU/A&M, I would hang a banner. Other schools do it. I think Tenn claims something like 19 naty championships, Bama claims 16, Pitt claims like 9 or 10. I believe technically OU could claim like 17 or so. In the "old days" schools would claim championships based on local newspaper rankings, various civic group rankings, etc. So, OSU/A&M should take it, claim it, say thank you, put up a banner to honor that 1945 team.

[TexanOkie]

It will be interesting to see how this "group" decided on Oklahoma A&M as the National Champions. What was the criteria used, etc? Most hardcore college football fans consider the 1945 Army team as one of the greatest teams of all time. They went 9-0 in beating 5 teams that would wind up ranked in the top ten at seasons end. Five teams on their schedule they shut out. Their average margin of victory was 47-5. They were named consensus National Champions. So, realistically how do you argue with that? Now, with that said, if I were OSU/A&M, I would hang a banner. Other schools do it. I think Tenn claims something like 19 naty championships, Bama claims 16, Pitt claims like 9 or 10. I believe technically OU could claim like 17 or so. In the "old days" schools would claim championships based on local newspaper rankings, various civic group rankings, etc. So, OSU/A&M should take it, claim it, say thank you, put up a banner to honor that 1945 team.

Was there a "consensus" national champion before the advent of the Coaches Poll? Before then, there was only the AP (which Army did win that year). I always thought consensus titles were when the AP and Coaches selected the same team (or, there was an official recognized process outside of polling, like the BCS and Playoff). I know the only titles OU claims were either AP or Coaches until the advent of the BCS.