Phil C
05-30-2007, 02:31 PM
This was the University of San Francisco (USF) football team of 1951. This team suffered a great injustice at the hands of bowls and others. It was an outstanding team. They had great players. It was a private school and unfortunately had to drop its' football program after 1951. Bowl game revenue would probably have saved the sport. The head coach had got a great team together and was later to be a pro football coach.
The year before the team had barely lost to Rose Bowl Bound California 13 to 7. This scared Pacific Ten and other teams from playing them because they felt USF had nothing to lose so unfortunately USF had to schedule teams that were willing to play them. True it was a soft schedule but that was the best they could do. They won all nine of their games easily and it looked like the Orange Bowl for sure was going to invite them to play Georgia Tech who had only a tie against them.
Others interested included the Rose Bowl. Remember they didnt' have many bowls then. But they all are supposed to have said that USF could come but they could not bring their two black players Ollie Matson and and Burt Toler. The white players chose to back up their black teammates and refused to play without them. Thus they were not invited to play in a bowl game. Yes this was 1951 not 1921 - a disgrace indeed. Georgie Tech later beat Baylor in the Orange Bowl 17 to 14. Both teams were ranked higher than USF but that was due to USF being a small school and having a soft schedule. USF would probably have beaten Georgia Tech. Bowl officials later said they didn't choose USF because of the soft schedule but that was a cop out. That team had to play who they could get and big time schools were scared of them.
This team no doubt was the real national champions of that year even though Tennessee (who lost to Kentucky in a bowl game) was voted No. 1. Proof of that is that nine of those players on USC went on to play football in the NFL and three are in the Hall of Fame. It is very rare that one team has that.
One was Gino Marcheitti a defensive end who was on two Baltimore Colt Championship teams with the great Johnny Unitas.
Another was Ollie Matson who was a track star that was on an olympic silver medal relay team who had a great career with the St. Louise Cardinals and Los Angelos Rams.
Also Bob St. Claire was drafted by the 49ers and was an OL and played on goal line and extra points defenses. In 1956 he blocked 10 extra points.
Dick Stanfel an OL has come close to being included played for Detroit and Washington. He played on two NFL championship teams in Detroit with Bobby Layne and Doak Walker.
Also QB Ed Brown led the Bears to the NFL championship game in 1956 (which lost to the New York Giants).
Ironically the best player on the team Burt Toler didn't get to play in the NFL because of an injury he suffered at a College All-Star camp but he later worked as the first black official in the NFL as a head linesman.
Also as an added note the school athletic director was Pete Rozelle who later became commissioner of the NFL.
This team was honored by USF in 2006 for standing up for each other and given hornorary degrees. Remember this team was not only snubbed by bowls but by other schools as well during the regular season scheduling.
Fortunately with more bowl opportunities and better racial conditions nowadays there will hopefully never be such a snub again.
This team should probably be given the MNC for 1951
The year before the team had barely lost to Rose Bowl Bound California 13 to 7. This scared Pacific Ten and other teams from playing them because they felt USF had nothing to lose so unfortunately USF had to schedule teams that were willing to play them. True it was a soft schedule but that was the best they could do. They won all nine of their games easily and it looked like the Orange Bowl for sure was going to invite them to play Georgia Tech who had only a tie against them.
Others interested included the Rose Bowl. Remember they didnt' have many bowls then. But they all are supposed to have said that USF could come but they could not bring their two black players Ollie Matson and and Burt Toler. The white players chose to back up their black teammates and refused to play without them. Thus they were not invited to play in a bowl game. Yes this was 1951 not 1921 - a disgrace indeed. Georgie Tech later beat Baylor in the Orange Bowl 17 to 14. Both teams were ranked higher than USF but that was due to USF being a small school and having a soft schedule. USF would probably have beaten Georgia Tech. Bowl officials later said they didn't choose USF because of the soft schedule but that was a cop out. That team had to play who they could get and big time schools were scared of them.
This team no doubt was the real national champions of that year even though Tennessee (who lost to Kentucky in a bowl game) was voted No. 1. Proof of that is that nine of those players on USC went on to play football in the NFL and three are in the Hall of Fame. It is very rare that one team has that.
One was Gino Marcheitti a defensive end who was on two Baltimore Colt Championship teams with the great Johnny Unitas.
Another was Ollie Matson who was a track star that was on an olympic silver medal relay team who had a great career with the St. Louise Cardinals and Los Angelos Rams.
Also Bob St. Claire was drafted by the 49ers and was an OL and played on goal line and extra points defenses. In 1956 he blocked 10 extra points.
Dick Stanfel an OL has come close to being included played for Detroit and Washington. He played on two NFL championship teams in Detroit with Bobby Layne and Doak Walker.
Also QB Ed Brown led the Bears to the NFL championship game in 1956 (which lost to the New York Giants).
Ironically the best player on the team Burt Toler didn't get to play in the NFL because of an injury he suffered at a College All-Star camp but he later worked as the first black official in the NFL as a head linesman.
Also as an added note the school athletic director was Pete Rozelle who later became commissioner of the NFL.
This team was honored by USF in 2006 for standing up for each other and given hornorary degrees. Remember this team was not only snubbed by bowls but by other schools as well during the regular season scheduling.
Fortunately with more bowl opportunities and better racial conditions nowadays there will hopefully never be such a snub again.
This team should probably be given the MNC for 1951