Undefeated, Untied, and Uninvited: A Documentary of the 1951 University of San Francisco Dons Football Team

FROM OUR EDITORS

The 1951 University of San Francisco football team was one of the best in college gridiron annals. But though the team was unbeaten and untied during the regular season, this mighty 11 appears nowhere on the roll call of bowl winners. Although the team sent ten players to the NFL and three to the NFL Hall of Fame, the undefeated Dons received not one invitation to a postseason game. The reason wasn't a weak schedule; it was racism. Had San Francisco agreed to leave its two African American players behind, it could have participated in the Orange Bowl, but the team decided that life's most defining battles take place off the football field, not on it. Even if you had never before heard of this indomitable team, this documentary history will make you misty.

SYNOPSIS

The 1951 University of San Francisco Dons football team was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, college football teams to ever play the game. The 1951 squad went undefeated and the team boasted ten future NFL players, five future NFL Pro-Bowlers, and three future members of the NFL Hall of Famea record for one college team. 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 in Ollie Matson and Burl Toler (Toler went on to become the first black official in the NFL), they were not invited to play in any of the college football bowl games. The SEC (Southeastern Conference), in 1951, would not schedule teams with "Negro players," and the Orange Bowl invited the USF squad to play, minus Toler and Matson. As Gino Marchetti, defensive tackle for the team said, "We would have told them to go to hell, first. That's exactly how I feel!"

Now, over 50 years later, the team is finally receiving the recognition it so richly deserves. This remarkable team has been the feature of a NFL film, has had numerous articles written about them, and in July 2000 a Senate Resolution (S.Res.346) passed honoring them. The 1951 University San Francisco Dons football team story doesn't end there, as the screenwriter from Any Given Sunday is interested in bringing their story to the big screen. "After the events of September 11th, our country is in need of stories like this that exemplify great human triumphs during dark times," Jamie Williams, President and CEO, Ymotion Media, Inc. Now, in the new book, Undefeated, Untied, and Uninvited, Kristine Setting Clark documents the 1951 Dons entire story from how it all started up to their recent invitation to be recognized by the White House.

FROM THE CRITICS

Dave Anderson

Once uninvited, undefeated and unsung, but no longer unappreciated.
—The New York Times

Barbara Boxer - United States Senator

I was very moved by the story of these athletes. As the Senate, these were not only extraordinary athletes, they were and are extraordinary people.

Paul Tagliabue - NFL Commissioner

The story of the 1951 University of San Francisco football team is a remarkable tale. I heard Pete Rozelle talk about it many times. It is a story that transcends football into the realm of the human spirit. I know it made a lasting impression on Pete, and the team clearly had a major impact on the NFL.

Bob St. Clair - S.F. 49ers, Hall of Fame