 In 1942, Welch was promoted to succeed Phelan as Washington's head coach and served until 1947, compiling a record of 27–20–3.World War II limited both the 1943 and 1944 seasons of the PCC, reducing team participation from ten team down to just four.Welch's 1943 team accepted the school's third Rose Bowl bid, but lost to PCC champion USC 0–29 in the 1944 Rose Bowl.