[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16730-16731]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 16731]]

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 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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