The 1951 San Francisco Dons football team was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

team that represented the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...

as an independent during the

1951 college football season The 1951 college football season was the 83rd season of intercollegiate football in the United States. It finished with Princeton halfback Dick Kazmaier winning the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award. Five teams have laid claim to the 1951 nat ...

. In their fourth season under head coach

Joe Kuharich Joseph Lawrence Kuharich (April 14, 1917 – January 25, 1981) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of San Francisco from 1948 to 1951, and at Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, Notr ...

, the Dons compiled a 9–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 338 to 86, and were ranked No. 14 in the final AP Poll. The team was ranked at No. 27 in the 1951 Litkenhous Ratings. The 1951 Dons team is considered one of the great teams in college football history, with ten starting players drafted into the NFL, including three

Hall of Famers A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

—

Gino Marchetti Gino John Marchetti (Pronounced: Mar-KETT-i) (January 2, 1926 – April 29, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played in 1952 for the D ...

Ollie Matson Ollie Genoa Matson II (May 1, 1930 – February 19, 2011) was an American Olympic medal winning sprinter and professional football player. He played as a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) from 1952 t ...

, and Bob St. Clair.Graham Kislingbury
"Bob St. Clair: The King of Kezar,"
''Corvallis RGazette-Times,'' Feb. 6, 2010. Five others on the squad — Ed Brown, Joe "Scooter" Scudero,

Ralph Thomas Ralph Philip Thomas (10 August 1915 – 17 March 2001) was an English film director who directed the Doctor (film series), ''Doctor'' film series. Thomas cast the actor James Robertson Justice in many of his films. He often worked with the pr ...

, Mike Mergen, and

Red Stephens Louis "Red" Edmund Stephens (May 10, 1930 – April 6, 2003) was an American professional football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He was a member of the famous 1951 San Francisco Dons w ...

— went on to make NFL Rosters. The Dons were invited to play in the

1952 Orange Bowl The 1952 Orange Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Baylor Bears. Background Georgia Tech was co-champion of the Southeastern Conference with #1 Tennessee. Baylor finished 2nd in the So ...

, held in segregated Florida, on the condition that the team's African-American stars Matson and

Burl Toler Burl Abron Toler Sr. (May 9, 1928 – August 16, 2009) was an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons from 1965 to 1989. He was a field judge and head linesman throughout his career and is most notable for ...

would not play. The Dons refused the offer: "We told them to go to Hell," recalled St. Clair. The 1951 Dons, and their fight for racial equality, were the subject of a book, ''Undefeated, Untied and Uninvited'' by Kristine Clark, as well as a 2014 documentary film, ''

'51 Dons ''51 Dons'' is a 2014 American documentary film directed by Ron Luscinski and written by Luscinski, Tom Davis and Danny Llewelyn. Narrated by Johnny Mathis, it covers the 1951 San Francisco Dons football team and its unique stand against racism. ...

''. Two days after the final game of the 1951 season, the University of San Francisco disbanded its football program.

Schedule

References

{{San Francisco Dons football navbox

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

San Francisco Dons football seasons College football undefeated seasons

San Francisco Dons football The San Francisco Dons football program were the intercollegiate American football team for University of San Francisco located in San Francisco, California. The team competed in NCAA Division II as a Division II Independent football program. Th ...