1955 Hillsdale Dales football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1955 Hillsdale Dales football Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association MIAA 9–0 6–0 Muddy Waters 2nd MIAA champion The 1955 Hillsdale Dales football team was an American football team that represented Hillsdale College in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) during the 1955 college football season. In their second year under head coach Muddy Waters, the Dales compiled a 9–0 record (6–0 against MIAA opponents), won the MIAA championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 302 to 86.2009 Hillsdale College Football Media Guide Hillsdale College 62 November 11, 2021 https://issuu.com/hillsdalechargers/docs/09hcfbmediaguide1955 Football Team Hillsdale College November 12, 2021 https://www.hillsdalechargers.com/athletics/HOF/1955fballteam Newspapers.com The season was part of Hillsdale's 34-game winning streak extending from 1954 to 1957.1957 Hillsdale College Football Team Hillsdale College November 12, 2021 https://www.hillsdalechargers.com/athletics/HOF/1957fballteam The 1955 team declined an invitation to play in the 1956 Tangerine Bowl due to the organizers' stipulation that Hillsdale's four black players remain at home. One of the black players was Nate Clark who led the country in scoring with 144 points scored in nine games. Schedule yes September 17 1955 Anderson Ravens Anderson (IN)<ncg> Hillsdale, MI W 42–7 Dales Hand Indiana '11' 47 to 7 Loss Lansing State Journal September 18, 1955 51 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88781555/dales-hand-indiana-11-47-to-7-loss/ Newspapers.comHillsdale Crushes Anderson In Opener Anderson Herald September 18, 1955 23 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88781657/hillsdale-crushes-anderson/ Newspapers.com September 24 at Michigan State Normal<ncg> Ypsilanti, MI W 20–6 Dales Romp Past Hurons Detroit Free Press September 25, 1955 C5 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88781426/dales-romp-past-hurons/ Newspapers.com October 1 Olivet Hillsdale, MI W 45–6 Dales Crush Olivet, 45–6 Detroit Free Press October 2, 1955 4C https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88781262/dales-crush-olivet-45-6/ Newspapers.com October 8 at Albion Albion, MI W 14–7 Hillsdale Sneaks by Albion, 14–7 Lansing State Journal October 9, 1955 62 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88781137/hillsdale-albion/ Newspapers.com October 15 Alma Hillsdale, MI W 27–20 Alma Downed: Clark's 4 Tallies Win for Hillsdale Detroit Free Press October 16, 1955 2C https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88780987/alma-downed-clarks-4-tallies-win-for/ Newspapers.com October 22 at Hope Holland, MI W 19–13 Hillsdale's Rally Nips Hope, 19–13 Lansing State Journal October 23, 1955 71 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88780846/hillsdales-rally-nips-hope-19-13/ Newspapers.com October 29 Kalamazoo Hillsdale, MI W 41–7 Dales Clinch Tie for Title Detroit Free Press October 30, 1955 D5 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88780716/dales-clinch-tie-for-title/ Newspapers.com November 5 at Adrian Adrian, MI W 62–7 Dales' Clark Gets 5 TDs In 62–7 Rout Detroit Free Press November 6, 1955 2D November 12 1955 Lewis Flyers Lewis (IL)<ncg> Hillsdale, MI W 27–13 Lewis Absorbs 27–13 Beating By Hillsdale Chicago Tribune November 13, 1955 II-8 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88780564/hillsdale-lewis/ Newspapers.com Clark leads the nation in scoring Halfback Nate Clark rushed for 949 yards and led all of college football with 144 points (24 touchdowns) scored in nine games.Hillsdale great Clark dead Detroit Free Press February 12, 2005 2B https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79276945/detroit-free-press/ Newspapers.com His 144 points led small college football by 36 points over the second-highest scorer.Nate Clark Wins Grid Point Title Battle Creek Enquirer December 11, 1955 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88768037/nate-clark/ Newspapers.com It was also the highest point total scored by a football player in Michigan since Willie Heston in the early 1900s.Did Nate Clark Outscore Heston? The Herald-Palladium November 15, 1955 II-2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88767739/nate-clark/ Newspapers.com At the end of the season, Clark was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team back on the 1955 Little All-America college football team.Nation's Leading Scorer Makes Little All-America Bergen Evening Record December 1, 1955 43 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88736626/nations-leading-scorer-makes-little/ Newspapers.comNate Clark On 'Little' All-America Lansing State Journal December 6, 1956 69 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88769710/nate-clark-on-little-all-america/ Newspapers.com The Tangerine Bowl bid In the 1950s, the Tangerine Bowl, played on New Year's Day, matched the best small-college teams in the country. However, the Tangerine Bowl was played in Florida and was a whites-only game. A racially integrated team had never been invited to participate. Coach Waters and other Hillsdale officials lobbied the bowl organizer to break the race barrier and invite the undefeated Hillsdale team to play in the January 2 bowl game.Hillsdale Coach Still Battling Battle Creek Enquirer November 16, 1955 III-4 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75746419/battle-creek-enquirer/ Newspapers.comHillsdale Coach Stays in Florida Battle Creek Enquirer November 15, 1955 13 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75745337/battle-creek-enquirer/ Newspapers.com The team ultimately received an invitation to play in the 1956 Tangerine Bowl, but the organizers stipulated that Hillsdale would have to leave its black players at home. Waters put the matter to a vote, and the players decided unanimously to decline the invitation. Clark later recalled: "I felt bad for the team because it deprived them of the opportunity to play in the bowl, but I was proud of the guys who made the decision because we couldn't go as a team."A Brief History of Hillsdale, Part 2: The Twentieth Century Hillsdale College Jacky Eubanks 9 April 2019 https://www.hillsdale.edu/hillsdale-blog/writers/jacquelyn-eubanks/a-brief-history-of-hillsdale-part-2-the-twentieth-century/ November 11, 2021 Tangerine Bowl officials sought to save face by issuing a public statement that Hillsdale had not been invited because they were "too strong" to play against other teams being considered.Hillsdale "Too Strong" Loses Out on Bowl Bid Hartford Courant November 26, 1955 17 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75938481/hartford-courant/ A Better Kind of Glory In 2021, Hillsdale students, as part of a video-story telling class directed by Emmy-nominated journalist Buddy Moorehouse, produced a documentary titled, A Better Kind of Glory, telling the story of the 1955 team's decision not to participate in the Tangerine Bowl.A Better Kind of Glory 2021 Stefan Kleinhenz (director) Regan Meyer (writer) November 12, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWPE1BgDTDE The film opens with these words:This is the story of a football team that gave up their success on the field to preserve the dignity of their brothers off the field. This is the story of a group of young men who placed love for their teammates above the opportunity of a lifetime. This is the story of the 1955 Hillsdale College football team that chose a better kind of glory. When A Better Kind of Glory premiered, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist signed a document honoring the 1955 team for its "outstanding athletic achievements and its dedication to the American principles of liberty and justice for all."Students premiere football documentary Madeline Peltzer April 22, 2021 https://hillsdalecollegian.com/2021/04/students-premiere-football-documentary/ References Hillsdale Category:Hillsdale Chargers football seasons Category:Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football champion seasons Category:College football undefeated seasons Hillsdale Dales football Category:Civil rights movement