1947 William & Mary Indians football team

The 1947 William & Mary Indians football team was an American football team that represented the College of William & Mary in the Southern Conference during the 1947 college football season. In its fourth season under head coach Rube McCray, the team compiled a 9–2 record (7–1 against conference opponents), won the Southern Conference championship, was ranked No. 14 in the final AP Poll, and outscored opponents by a total of 320 to 87. The team lost to North Carolina in the regular season and to Arkansas in the 1948 Dixie Bowl on New Year's Day.[1]

1947 William & Mary Indians football
SoCon champion
Dixie Bowl, L 19–21 vs. Arkansas
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 14
Record9–2 (7–1 SoCon)
Head coach
CaptainBob Steckroth
Home stadiumCary Field
Seasons
← 1946
1948 →
1947 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 14 William & Mary $ 7 1 0 9 2 0
No. 9 North Carolina 4 1 0 8 2 0
South Carolina 4 1 1 6 2 1
No. 19 Duke 3 1 1 4 3 2
Washington and Lee 3 2 0 5 5 0
Maryland 3 2 1 7 2 2
No. 17 NC State 3 2 1 5 3 1
VPI 4 3 0 4 5 0
Davidson 3 3 1 6 3 1
Wake Forest 3 4 0 6 4 0
VMI 2 3 1 3 5 1
Clemson 1 3 0 4 5 0
The Citadel 1 4 0 3 5 0
Furman 1 4 0 2 7 0
Richmond 1 5 0 3 7 0
George Washington 0 4 0 1 7 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Five William & Mary players were selected by the Associated Press as first-team players on the 1947 All-Southern Conference football team: fullback Jack Cloud; end Robert Steckroth; guard Knox Ramsey; and center Tommy Thompson.[2] Cloud broke the school's scoring record with 102 points in 1947 and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[3] In addition, tackle Lou Creekmur later played ten years with the Detroit Lions and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The team played it home games at Cary Field in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27vs. DavidsonW 21–09,000[4]
October 4The CitadelW 56–76,000[5]
October 11vs. VPIW 21–710,000[6]
October 18North Carolina
  • Cary Field
  • Williamsburg, VA
L 7–1318,000[7]
October 25at Boston University*W 47–136,800[8]
November 1Wake Forest
  • Cary Field
  • Williamsburg, VA
W 21–017,000[9]
November 8VMI No. 15
  • Cary Field
  • Williamsburg, VA (rivalry)
W 28–208,000[10]
November 15vs. Washington and LeeNo. 12W 45–6[11]
November 22Bowling Green*No. 14
  • Cary Field
  • Williamsburg, VA
W 20–02,000[12]
November 27at RichmondNo. 14
W 35–015,000[13]
January 1, 1948vs. Arkansas*No. 14L 19–2125,000[14]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll123456789Final
AP1512141413т (3)14

NFL Draft selections

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= Pro Football Hall of Fame = Canadian Football Hall of Fame = College Football Hall of Fame
NFL Draft Selections 
# Year Round Pick Overall Name Team Position
16 1948 3 3 16 Tommy Thompson Washington Redskins Center
17 1948 5 7 32 Knox Ramsey Chicago Bears Guard
18 1948 10 1 76 Stan Magdziak New York Giants Back
19 1948 11 7 92 Jim McDowell Chicago Bears Guard
20 1948 18 10 165 Harry Caughron Chicago Cardinals Tackle
21 1948 23 3 208 Lou Hoitsma Washington Redskins End
22 1948 26 8 243 Lou Creekmur Philadelphia Eagles Tackle

References

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  1. ^ "1947 William & Mary Tribe Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "Cloud Is Captain Of All-Southern". The Cumberland News. November 29, 1947. p. 11.
  3. ^ "Jack Cloud". National Football Foundation. Retrieved February 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Indians In Second Half Rally To Beat Wildcats". Daily Press (Newport News, VA). September 28, 1947. p. 10A – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "William and Mary's Indians Smother The Citadel, 56-7". The Staunton News-Leader. October 5, 1947. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "WM On Warpath In Final Quarter To Beat VPI 21-7". Daily Press (Newport News, VA). October 12, 1947. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "W&M Fumble In Fourth Quarter Gives North Carolina 14-7 Win". The Staunton News-Leader. October 19, 1947. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Bob Holbrook (October 26, 1947). "William & Mary Rolls at Will vs. B.U., 47-13". The Boston Globe. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Indians Top Deacons 21-0; Cloud Scores On Thriller". Daily Press (Newport news, Virginia). November 2, 1947. p. 10A – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "William And Mary Wins, 28-10, Despite Late VMI Rally". The Staunton News-Leader. November 9, 1947. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Robert Moore (November 16, 1947). "Flying Jack Cloud Stars As Indians Thump W&L, 45-6". Daily Press. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Ed Young (November 23, 1947). "William And Mary Tribe Ragged But Scores 20-0 Win". Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia). p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "William And Mary Clinches Conference Crown With 35-0 Victory Over Spiders". The Staunton News-Leader. November 28, 1947. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Bill Cleghorn (January 2, 1948). "Arkansas Outscores William and Mary, 21 to 19: W&M Shows More Power; Passes Win for Razorbacks". The Montgomery Advertiser. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.