From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
College football game
The
1952 Orange Bowl
was a
college football
postseason
bowl game
between the
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
and the
Baylor Bears
.
Background
[
edit
]
Georgia Tech was co-champion of the
Southeastern Conference
with #1 Tennessee. Baylor finished 2nd in the
Southwest Conference
. This was Georgia Tech's first Orange Bowl since
1948
, and Baylor's first ever Orange Bowl. Originally, the #13
Virginia Cavaliers
had been invited to play Georgia Tech in what would have been the Cavaliers' first-ever bowl game. However,
University
president
Colgate Darden
declined the offer due to his desire to steer clear of "big-time, highly subsidized football."
[1]
Virginia would not have its first bowl appearance until
1984
.
Controversy
[
edit
]
During the 1951 season, the football team of the
University of San Francisco
, nicknamed the Dons, went undefeated (9?0)
[2]
and were ranked 14th in the final
AP Poll
.
[3]
Accounts from players on the team state that the Dons were denied an invitation to the Orange Bowl because they refused to play without their two African-American star players,
Ollie Matson
and
Burl Toler
.
[4]
[5]
Organizers of the Orange Bowl stated in 2016, "All our research shows it’s a false story, unsubstantiated. We invited two higher ranked teams."
[4]
Contemporary newspaper reports at the time bowl selections were being made (late November 1951) cited the Dons' "weak schedule" as the reason why the Orange Bowl did not invite them.
[6]
[7]
Game summary
[
edit
]
Hardeman scored on a 3-yard run to give the Yellow Jackets a 7?0 lead. Parma tied the game on a 1-yard touchdown plunge for Baylor. Coody gave the team a 14?7 lead on his touchdown run. This lead held up for most of the second half. However, with 6:53 remaining in the game the Yellow Jackets tied the game on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Darrell Crawford to Buck Martin. Three minutes later, a Pete Ferris interception of a
Larry Isbell
pass gave Georgia Tech the ball at the 9. The team could only muster three yards before fourth down came up, with Dodd deciding to go for the field goal.
Pepper Rodgers
' 22 yard field goal broke the tie and ultimately was the winning points for the Yellow Jackets.
[8]
Aftermath
[
edit
]
Baylor has not reached the Orange Bowl since this game. Georgia Tech did not reach the Orange Bowl again until 1967.
Statistics
[
edit
]
Statistics
|
Georgia Tech
|
Baylor
|
First downs
|
9
|
17
|
Rushing yards
|
152
|
206
|
Passing yards
|
84
|
93
|
Total yards
|
236
|
299
|
Interceptions
|
1
|
3
|
Punts?average
|
7?35.3
|
6?34.7
|
Fumbles?lost
|
3?1
|
4?0
|
Penalties?yards
|
6?60
|
7?85
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Watterson, John.
"University of Virginia Football 1951?1961: A Perfect Gridiron Storm"
(PDF)
.
Journal of Sports History
. James Madison University. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 24, 2016.
- ^
"1951 San Francisco Dons Schedule and Results"
.
sports-reference.com
. Retrieved
January 4,
2020
.
- ^
"1951 College Football Polls"
.
sports-reference.com
. Retrieved
January 4,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Littlefield, Bill (January 2, 2016).
"The 1951 USF Dons: Uninvited From The Orange Bowl?"
.
WBUR-FM
. Retrieved
January 4,
2021
.
- ^
Carpenter, Ed (February 2, 2014).
"ESPN Tells the Story of Football Team's 1951 Stand Against Racism"
.
usfca.edu
. Retrieved
January 4,
2021
.
- ^
"Orange Bowl Drops USF From Race: 'Weak Slate' Is Downfall, Say Pickers"
.
Oakland Tribune
. November 27, 1951. p. 30
. Retrieved
January 4,
2021
– via newspapers.com.
- ^
"Dons Give Up On Quest For Orange Bowl Bid"
.
The Miami News
.
AP
. November 27, 1951. p. 6
. Retrieved
January 4,
2021
– via newspapers.com.
- ^
The 1950s | Orange Bowl
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History & conference tie-ins
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Games
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Notes
|
- The game was also the national title game (
Bowl Coalition
,
Bowl Alliance
, or
Bowl Championship Series
) in 1994, 1995, 1998, 2001, and 2005.
- There was an Orange Bowl in January and December in 1996, 2014, and 2021.
- The 2015, 2018, and 2021 (December) editions were
College Football Playoff
semifinals.
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