1952 Orange Bowl

American college football game August 2023 December 2025 Orange Bowl 18th Orange Bowl January 1 File:Miami orange bowl stadium cropped.jpg Burdine Stadium in Miami, Florida, hosted the Orange Bowl. 1952 1951 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 10–0–1 Bobby Dodd SEC 7 0 0 10 9 9 5 5 Baylor Bears 8–1–1 George Sauer SWC 7 7 0 0 bg Burdine Stadium Miami, Florida F.C. Baccus (SWC;split crew: SWC, SEC) 65,839 The 1952 Orange Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Baylor Bears. Background 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."Watterson John University of Virginia Football 1951–1961: A Perfect Gridiron Storm http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2007/JSH3403/jsh3403f.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20160324104353/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2007/JSH3403/jsh3403f.pdf dead March 24, 2016 Journal of Sports History James Madison University Virginia would not have its first bowl appearance until 1984. Controversy During the 1951 season, the football team of the University of San Francisco, nicknamed the Dons, went undefeated (9–0)https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/san-francisco/1951-schedule.html 1951 San Francisco Dons Schedule and Results sports-reference.com January 4, 2020 and were ranked 14th in the final AP Poll.https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1951-polls.html 1951 College Football Polls sports-reference.com January 4, 2020 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.https://www.usfca.edu/news/espn-tells-the-story-of-football-teams-1951-stand-against-racism ESPN Tells the Story of Football Team's 1951 Stand Against Racism Ed Carpenter usfca.edu February 2, 2014 January 4, 2021 1951 San Francisco Dons football team '51 Dons Organizers of the Orange Bowl stated in 2016, "All our research shows it’s a false story, unsubstantiated. We invited two higher ranked teams."https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2016/01/02/san-francisco-dons-orange-bowl-undefeated The 1951 USF Dons: Uninvited From The Orange Bowl? Bill Littlefield WBUR-FM January 2, 2016 January 4, 2021 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.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66863505/orange-bowl-drops-usf-from-race-weak/ Orange Bowl Drops USF From Race: 'Weak Slate' Is Downfall, Say Pickers Oakland Tribune 30 November 27, 1951 January 4, 2021 newspapers.comhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/66863579/dons-give-up-on-quest-for-orange-bowl/ Dons Give Up On Quest For Orange Bowl Bid AP The Miami News 6 November 27, 1951 January 4, 2021 newspapers.com Game summary 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.The 1950s | Orange Bowl Aftermath Baylor has not reached the Orange Bowl since this game. Georgia Tech did not reach the Orange Bowl again until 1967. Statistics Statistics Georgia Tech BaylorFirst downs 9 17Rushing yards 152 206Passing yards 84 93Total yards 236 299Interceptions 1 3Punts–average 7–35.3 6–34.7Fumbles–lost 3–1 4–0Penalties–yards6–60 7–85 References Orange Bowl Category:Orange Bowl Category:Baylor Bears football bowl games Category:Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football bowl games Category:January 1952 sports events in the United States Orange Bowl Category:American football competitions in Miami