1951 USF Football Team to be Honored at Emerald Bowl in San Francisco on December 27th
Dec. 21, 2006
USF's 1951 "Undefeated, Untied and Uninvited" football team will be honored at the Emerald Bowl on Wed. Dec. 27th at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Nineteen of the team's players are expected to be present for the recognition. The game starts at 5 p.m. PST, and is scheduled to be telecast on ESPN. It features UCLA against Florida State.
The 1951 team, often called the best in the history of college football for its stellar players including Ollie Matson, Gino Marchetti, and Bob St. Clair, never received an invitation to a bowl game after its undefeated season. When it was suggested the team bow to segregationist influence and drop its African American players in order to receive a bid, it refused.
At its commencement ceremonies on May 19, USF honored the undefeated football team and gave the members an honorary degree.
"The team members exemplify the values that remain at the core of USF's identity as a Jesuit Catholic university: dedication to a common good, rather than the interests of any one individual; respect for the dignity and worth of every human being; and an unwavering commitment to excellence," states the honorary degree citation. Team members received a sustained standing ovation from the hundreds of students, families, faculty, and staff gathered in St. Ignatius Church.