The 1951 Bradley Braves football team was an American football team that represented Bradley University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Bus Mertes, the Braves compiled an overall record of 4–5 with a mark of 0–3 in conference play, placing last out of seven teams in the MVC.
| 1951 Bradley Braves football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Record | 4–5 (0–3 MVC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Peoria Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma A&M | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wichita | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bradley | 0 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Following the season, Bradley withdrew from Missouri Valley Conference in solidarity with Drake University, who left the conference in protest over the Johnny Bright incident, in which Johnny Bright, star halfback for the Drake Bulldogs, was assaulted by an Oklahoma A&M player during a game in October of that year. Bradley officials explained that the school's difficulty in scheduling games with conference members and the MVC's voiding of Bradley's championships in basketball and baseball following a point-fixing scandal also contributed to the decision to withdraw.[1]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | Tampa* |
| W 32–6 | 8,000 | [2][3] |
| September 29 | Drake |
| L 14–20 | [4][5] | |
| October 6 | at Wichita | L 6–15 | 9,300 | [6] | |
| October 13 | at Wayne* | W 34–27 | 3,021 | [7] | |
| October 20 | New Mexico A&M* |
| W 34–6 | 4,500 | [8] |
| October 27 | at Brandeis* | Waltham, MA | W 47–0 | [9] | |
| November 3 | Detroit |
| L 6–7 | 1,500 | [10] |
| November 10 | at Toledo* | L 13–38 | 4,800 | [11] | |
| November 17 | Bowling Green* |
| L 6–20 | [12] | |
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References
edit- ^ "Bradley Follows Drake In Withdrawing From MVC". The Daily Times. New Philadelphia, Ohio. International News Service. November 29, 1951. p. 10. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
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- ^ Seibel, Max (September 23, 1951). "Bradley Scores 32-6 Win Over Spartans". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Seibel, Max (September 23, 1951). "Bradley Scores 32-6 Win Over Spartans (continued)". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 3B. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Bryson, Bill (September 30, 1951). "Bulldogs Johnny Gains 242 Yards, Sets Mark". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 1S. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Bryson, Bill (September 30, 1951). "Bradley Holds Bright to 50 Via Air (continued)". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 4S. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Lightner, Pete (October 7, 1951). "Shockers Shackle Bradley 15-6". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, Kansas. p. 30. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ George Puscas (October 14, 1951). "Bradley Scores in Last 70 Seconds to Top Wayne, 34 to 27". Detroit Free Press. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bradley Romps Over N. Mexico Aggs, 34-6". Decatur Sunday Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois. Associated Press. October 21, 1951. p. 19. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Bradley Romps Over Brandies Squad, 47-0". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. Associated Press. October 28, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Titans Rally, Then Hold On for 7-6 Triumph over Bradley". Detroit Free Press. November 4, 1951. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Toledo Grabs Glass Bowl From Bradley". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. Associated Press. November 11, 1951. p. 46. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Fred Durig Tops BG In 20-6 Win". Mansfield News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. Associated Press. November 18, 1951. p. 22. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
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