One hundred men, including many that just came back from fighting in the war, made up the 1946 football team. Led by Coach George Novotny, the team went 7 and 1, outscoring their opponents 277 to 29 over the course of the season, while claiming the team’s first ever Ohio Athletic Conference championship. Among those they defeated was Denison University led by their young coach, Woody Hayes, who later said the 1946 Otterbein football team was the best small college team he had ever seen.