Just Another History Nugget Of How It Was...

[WillyT]

1951 USF Dons Football Team

The 1951 University of San Francisco Dons football team went undefeated, with a record of 9-0, and the team produced ten future NFL players (Ollie Matson, Gino Marchetti, Bob St. Clair, Dick Stanfel, Ed Brown, Lou Stephens, Burl Toler, Joe Scudero, Roy Barni, Mike Mergen, Merrill Peacock, and Ralph Thomas). Five became NFL Pro-Bowlers, and Gino Marchetti, Ollie Matson, and Bob St. Clair later were inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame—a record for one college team. The team also had another first; Burl Toler became the first African American official in the NFL.<126> Even the future NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, played a role as the Dons' Athletic Publicist. At the height of their success, the team experienced one of the greatest snubs in college football history. Due to the team having two African-American star players, Ollie Matson and Burl Toler, they were not invited to play in any of the college football bowl games hosted by the SEC (Southern Conference).<127> This resulted in the team being invited to the Orange Bowl without Toler and Matson. Outraged, the team refused the invitation saying, “ ‘No, we’re not going to leave ‘em at home,’ said guard Dick Columbini. ‘We’re going to play with ‘em or we’re not going to play’”.<126> As a result of the team's refusal to play in the Orange Bowl, the USF Athletic Department was forced to drop its football program in 1952, due to a deficit in department funds.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_San_Francisco#1951_USF_Dons_Football_Team

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