Read the story behind the undefeated, untied, and uninvited '51 Dons football team.
As seen this month on '51 Dons: Pride, Honor, & Friendship on Fox Sports Television, Undefeated, Untied, and Uninvited chronicles the story of the 1951 University of San Francisco Football team.


/Football News Articles/ - SANTA ANA, CA, February 28, 2008 - The 1951 Dons were one of the best college football teams of all time, going undefeated and untied during the 1951 season. However, in the early part of the 1950s many bowl games were given to teams with only white players, or teams that would at least not play their black players during the bowl game. So, when it came time to be invited to play in a bowl game, the Dons were told they would have to leave their two black teammates at home. In an unprecedented move, the team declined without hesitation. Without the money they would have received from a bowl game, the football program at USF was dropped the following year due to lack of funds.

Nevertheless, the personnel from the 1951 team went on to achieve a great deal of success in the National Football League. The team yielded four future members of the NFL Hall of Fame. Bob St. Clair, Ollie Matson, and Gino Marchetti were all inducted as players and their sports information director, Pete Rozelle, was inducted after spending thirty years as the Commissioner of the NFL. In addition, Burl Toler, who was arguably the best player on the team, became the first black official in the NFL after a career ending knee injury in a college all-star game.

Undefeated, Untied, and Uninvited -- 184 pages - ISBN 1-58000-107-6 $21.95

Further Related Resources:


Press Release Contact Information:

Bryan Howland
Griffin Publishing LLC
Project Manager
Website: Visit Our Website