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
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
1947 record	7–1–1 (4–0–1 SIAC)
Head coach	Richard Craig

1947 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		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

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 11	Knoxville	Wildcats Field Fort Valley, GA	T 0–0	1,550	[5]
October 18	Edward Waters*		W 21–0
October 25	at Albany State*	Albany, GA	W 26–6
November 1	Miles*	Wildcats Field Fort Valley, GA	W 14–6		[6]
November 8	vs. Morris Brown	Porter Field Macon, GA	W 19–13		[7]
November 15	Benedict		W 7–0
November 22	Alabama State	Wildcats Field Fort Valley, GA	W 25–0		[8]
November 27	Alabama A&M	Wildcats Field Fort Valley, GA	W 20–6	2,500	[9]
December 25	vs. Southern*	Dal-Hi Stadium Dallas, TX (Yam Bowl)	L 0–46	1,500	[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.