Being undefeated usually leads to a post-season game.
But for the San Francisco Dons back in 1951, it meant standing on a principle.
The 9-0 Dons could have appeared in the Orange Bowl that season, but they did not accept the bid to the contest despite being ranked No. 14 in the final Associated Press poll.
According to a recent documentary televised on ESPN, two African-Americans were on the team. The Orange Bowl committee would only allow the Dons to participate if Ollie Matson and Burl Toler didn’t make the trip to Miami.
The decision to not accept the bid to the Orange Bowl led to the end of Division I football at San Francisco.
However, the legacy lives on as three of the Dons, Matson, Gino Marchetti and Bob St. Clair were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Matson led the nation is rushing that season with 1,566 yards as he earned All-American honors from several organizations. He became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976.
Matson the Olympian
Before beginning his professional football career, Matson was a member of the 1952 United States Olympic Team, which competed in Helsinki, Finland.
Matson won a Silver Medal as part of the 1,600-meter relay team, while as an individual he brought home a Bronze Medal in the 400 meters.
Matson the Professional
A first round selection in the National Football League draft in 1952, Matson started his career with the Chicago Cardinals where he played until 1958. He was named the NFL Rookie of the Year along with another College and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Hugh McElhenny.
Prior to the 1959 season, Matson was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for nine players.
Matson eventually went to the Detroit Lions in 1963 and finished his career with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1964-1966.
He played in six Pro Bowls and was the Most Valuable Player in the contest in 1956. When he retired in 1966, Matson was second to Cleveland Browns legend Jim Brown in all-purpose yards. Matson was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
San Francisco’s “Other” African-American
Toler was hardly the “other” African-American with the Dons in 1951. He was destined for a pro career as well as a linebacker, but an injury in the 1952 College All-Star Game ended that opportunity.
Ironically, Toler had a much longer career in the NFL than Matson. In 1965, Toler made it to the league as the first African-American official. He hung up his whistle in 1989.
Making it to the NFL
As the San Francisco program ended in 1951, Dons Head Coach Joe Kuharich joined Matson with the Cardinals.
After one season as the head coach for the Cardinals in 1952, Kuharich would take over the helm of the Washington Redskins from 1954-1958.
From 1959-1962, Kuharich returned to the college level at his alma mater when he was the head coach for Notre Dame from 1959-1962.
Kuharich finished his coaching career in the NFL when he reunited with Matson in Philadelphia where he led the Eagles from 1964-1968.
The publicity man for the Dons back in 1951 was Pete Rozelle, who would become the NFL Commissioner for 29 years.