Wikipedia

1951 Drake Bulldogs football team

The 1951 Drake Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Drake University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1951 college football season. In its third season under head coach Warren Gaer, the team compiled a 7–2 record (3–1 against MVC opponents), tied for fourth place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 247 to 117.[1] The team was ranked at No. 80 in the 1951 Litkenhous Ratings.[2]

1951 Drake Bulldogs football
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record7–2 (3–1 MVC)
Head coach
Home stadiumDrake Stadium
Seasons
← 1950
1952 →
1951 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
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
  • $ – Conference champion

On October 20, 1951, Drake halfback Johnny Bright, an African-American athlete and Heisman Trophy candidate, was assaulted by a white player during a game against Oklahoma A&M. The assault resulted in a broken jaw to Bright. When the Missouri Valley Conference refused to discipline Oklahoma A&M, despite evidence of a concerted and racially-motivated plan to injure Bright, Drake withdrew from the conference in protest. In 2005, Oklahoma State's president issued a letter of apology for the incident which has become known at the Johnny Bright incident.

Bright had led the nation in total offense in both 1949 and 1950. See List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders. At the end of the 1951 season, he was selected by the United Press, based on voting from 260 sports writers and broadcasters, as a second-team player on the 1951 College Football All-America Team.[3] Bright later played 11 seasons in the Canadian Football League and was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

The team played its home games at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 14Abilene Christian*
W 19–78,000[4]
September 22at Denver*
W 20–715,680[5]
September 29at Bradley
W 20–14[6][7]
October 6Iowa State Teachers*
  • Drake Stadium
  • Des Moines, IA (rivalry)
W 39–6
October 12Detroit
  • Drake Stadium
  • Des Moines, IA
W 26–615,000[8]
October 20at Oklahoma A&M
L 14–27
October 27Iowa State*
  • Drake Stadium
  • Des Moines, IA
L 0–13
November 3Great Lakes Navy*
  • Drake Stadium
  • Des Moines, IA
W 35–20
November 10at Wichita
W 14–7
  • *Non-conference game

References

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  1. ^ "1951 Drake Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  2. ^ "Vols Top Final 1951 Litkenhous Ratings". The Nashville Banner. December 14, 1951. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Leo H. Peterson (November 28, 1951). "Kazmaier Tops INS "Star" Team". The Lowell Sun. United Press.
  4. ^ "Bright: 'We Won't Be a Doormat'". Des Moines Tribune. September 15, 1951. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Bright Fires Drake Rally, 20-7". The Des Moines Register. September 23, 1951. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ 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  .
  7. ^ 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  .
  8. ^ "Bright Zips Past U-D Eleven, 26-6". Detroit Free Press. October 13, 1951. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
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