[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 100 (Thursday, July 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7807-S7808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO DONS FOOTBALL TEAM
Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 346,
introduced earlier today, recognizing the achievement of the 1951
University of San Francisco Dons football team and acknowledging the
wrongful treatment endured by the team.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 346) acknowledging that the
undefeated and untied 1951 University of San Francisco Dons
football team suffered a grave injustice by not being invited
to any post-season Bowl game due to racial prejudice that
prevailed at the time and seeking appropriate recognition for
the surviving members of the championship team.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, this past week, our nation and the world
have been privileged to witness two dramatic triumphs by American
athletes. Lance Armstrong won his second consecutive Tour de France,
and Tiger Woods became the youngest person ever to capture golf's Grand
Slam by winning the British Open. These are truly historic
achievements. Both men are deserving of all the praise and
congratulations they are receiving, not only for their exceptional
performances, but also for the dignified way they have represented
their country and respective sports.
With the example of these modern day champions in mind, today I am
introducing a resolution to honor a similarly outstanding group of
athletes from years ago.
The 1951 University of San Francisco football team, the Dons, went
undefeated and untied. By almost any account, the Dons were among the
most gifted college football teams ever. Ten of the team's players were
drafted by the NFL. Of these, eight actually played professionally. Of
these, five played in a least one Pro Bowl. And of these five, three,
Bob St. Clair, Ollie Matson and Gino Marchetti, were inducted into the
Professional Football Hall of Fame.
But despite the team's irrefutable ability and qualifications, the
Dons were not invited to participate in any post season bowl games. The
reason why the players and coaches were denied this once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to prove themselves as a team before a national audience is
as simple as it is tragic. Two of the Dons' players Ollie Matson and
Burl Toler, were African-American.
In 1951, it would have been expected of a team with the Dons record
to compete for the national championship in the Orange Bowl. When an
invitation to this bowl did not materialize, everyone knew why. At this
time the unwritten but well understood rule was that bowl games were
strictly off limits to teams with African American players.
Although the Dons were not invited to play in the Orange Bowl, they
did receive an invitation to participate in another bowl game, The only
hitch was that they would have to play without their two teammates. To
their enduring credit, the team did not think twice about standing by
Ollie and Burl and emphatically rejected the offfer.
Refusing this offer was a heroic act, but not the only one for this
team. Several members of the squad fought in WWII and in the Korean
War.
Considered perhaps the best player on the team, Burl Toler suffered
an injury during a college All Star game which prevented him from
joining the NFL as a player. Instead, he went back to school, received
his master's degree, became the City of San Francisco's first black
secondary school principal, and later the director of services for the
San Francisco Community College District. He did this while also
serving for 25 years as one of the NFL's most respected referees. In
fact, Burl Toler was the NFL's first black official, a position offered
to him by a fellow classmate at USF, former NFL Commissioner Pete
Rozelle.
Now almost 50 years later, I hope my colleagues will agree that it is
entirely appropriate that this truly special collection of athletes
receive the national attention and accolades they once earned but were
denied. The resolution I will introduce today calls on the Senate to
recognize the team for its achievements on the field as well as the
integrity of players and coaches off it. It also calls on this body to
acknowledge that the discriminatory treatment endured by the Dons and
other teams and individuals at that time was flatly wrong.
With the Olympics approaching, and as we celebrate Lance Armstrong
and Tiger Woods for their victories and the obstacles they and others
had to overcome for them to reach the pinnacle of their sports, I hope
we also make the effort to honor the 1951 USF Dons--a team whose
combination of talent and courage we may never see again.
Mr. SMITH of Oregon. I ask unanimous consent the resolution and
preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid upon
the table, and any statements relating thereto be printed in the
Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 346) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 346
Whereas the 1951 University of San Francisco Dons football
team completed its championship season with an unblemished
record;
Whereas this closely knit team failed to receive an
invitation to compete in any post-season Bowl game because
two of its players were African-American;
Whereas the 1951 University of San Francisco Dons football
team courageously and
[[Page S7808]]
rightly rejected an offer to play in a Bowl game without
their African-American teammates;
Whereas this exceptionally gifted team, for the most
objectionable of reasons, was deprived of the opportunity to
prove itself before a national audience;
Whereas ten members of this team were drafted into the
National Football League, five played in the Pro Bowl and
three were inducted into the Hall of Fame;
Whereas our Nation has made great strides in overcoming the
barriers of oppression, intolerance, and discrimination in
order to ensure fair and equal treatment for every American
by every American; and
Whereas it is appropriate and fitting to now offer these
athletes the attention and accolades they earned but were
denied:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) applauds the undefeated and untied 1951 University of
San Francisco Dons football team for its determination,
commitment and integrity both on and off the playing field;
and
(2) acknowledges that the treatment endured by this team
was wrong and that recognition for its accomplishments is
long overdue.
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