INTERCOLLEGIATE FOOTBALL RESEARCHERS ASSOCIATION ™ The College Football Historian ™ Expanding the knowledge and information on college football’s unique past—today! ISSN: 1526-233x [September 2010 Vol. 3 No. 8] circa: Jan. 2008 Tex Noel, Editor ([email protected] ) http://www.secsportsfan.com/college-football-association.html All content is protected by copyright© by the author. Used by Permission the Mount Union of that decade. Missouri Valley took a couple of seasons off for World War II, but came into December 1948 Gene's Blog: with a national-record 41-game winning streak dating back to 1941. A close loss at Legends of the Fall, 60 Evansville (Ind.) College on Dec. 4 in the Refrigerator Bowl ended MVC’s win streak. years ago The bowl game lived up to the hype. St. Gene McGiverns, St. Thomas, Thomas rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit, Minn. Sports information controlled the second half, but in the end settled for a 13-13 tie. director and IFRA member It was the first Jan. 1 bowl game played by St. Thomas players celebrated their 1948 any Minnesota university. The University of trip to Tampa's Cigar Bowl.The years have Minnesota, which later played in the 1961 zipped by. The game has evolved. Yet even and 1962 Rose Bowls, is the only other the passing of 60 years has done nothing to institution in the state to play on Jan. 1. diminish the magic of the Tommies' 1948 Little All-American end Jack Salscheider football season. was among five Tommie Cigar Bowl players who received NFL contract offers. Led by Coach Frank Deig, St. Thomas outscored conference opponents 138-6 that Salscheider played two seasons with the fall and was rewarded with a rare invitation New York Giants; halfback Jim "Popcorn" to a Jan. 1 bowl game -- the Cigar Bowl in Brandt played with the Pittsburgh Steelers; Tampa, Fla. quarterback Ed Krowka signed with the Detroit Lions before a heart ailment Deig’s squad took the longest train ride in prematurely ended his career; end Don school history at Christmas 1948, leaving Simensen played with the Los Angeles behind sub-zero Minnesota for sunny Rams and started as a rookie; and tackle Jim Tampa. UST faced Missouri Valley College, White turned down an NFL contract offer The College Football HistorianHistorian----2222---- one of two bowls for black colleges (along with Birmingham’s Vulcan Bowl). from the Giants to attend medical school. Other Jan. 1 bowls that year were the Rose (White went on to become a prominent (Pasadena), Sugar (New Orleans), Cotton doctor and medical school professor at the (Dallas), Delta (Memphis), Dixie University of Minnesota). (Birmingham), Sun (El Paso), Harbor (San Diego), Salad (Phoenix), Raisin (Fresno), The team still has 24 living members, and Prairie (Houston), Ice (Fairbanks), Pineapple the players often return to campus. In 2006, (Honolulu) and Lily. There also was a a plaque was placed on the south wall at semipro Tobacco Bowl and the high-school O'Shaughnessy Stadium to recognize the Peanut Bowl played that day. Cigar Bowl unit. Rare Invite That was part of a dominant era of St. St. Thomas, with just four seniors on a 35- Thomas football. In 11 seasons from 1938- man roster, started 7-0 but lost its final game 49, St. Thomas went 51-4-1 in MIAC play, to Loras. The Tommies were still chosen for with six conference championships. the Tampa bowl trip among two other finalists -- Wofford (S.C.), and Bowling Included was a 15-game winning streak in Green (Ohio). Wofford started the 1948 conference games from 1947-1949. season with a collegiate record five Tampa’s Cigar Bowl, which debuted in consecutive ties before winning its last four 1947, hoped its event would grow and contests. In fact the Jan. 1, 1950 Cigar Bowl eventually join established bowls like pitted Wofford against Florida State, then a Miami’s Orange Bowl and Jacksonville’s smaller college which played in the Dixie Gator Bowl. The 1949 Cigar game was Conference. played at night to avoid conflicts with radio broadcasts of the major bowls played that Word came on Dec. 1 that the Tommies afternoon. The event was played until 1954, were the pick to play Missouri Valley, the then discontinued. The only other upper defending champions. A newspaper story Midwest team to make the trek to Tampa for said that Chicago native Ed Krowka, in the the Cigar Bowl was Wisconsin-LaCrosse, excitement over the bowl bid “dropped the which played in two Cigar Bowls. It would Polish sausage he was eating” in the be 30 years until Tampa regained a college cafeteria. bowl game when the Hall of Fame Bow relocated from Birmingham in December The St. Paul Dispatch newspaper sent a 1986. The bowl was renamed the Outback photographer to campus and posed Toms Bowl for the title sponsor in 1995. tackle Bernie Graham being kissed on each cheek by “a couple of pretty secretaries College football held 15 bowl games on Jan. employed at the school,” according to the 1 that season, including the East-West newspaper. college all-star game in San Francisco. The Cigar was one of five bowl games that day The Vikings of Missouri Valley College in Florida along with the Orange (Miami), were playing their fifth bowl game in 13 Gator (Jacksonville) and Tangerine months. The 1947 Vikings won the Mo-Kan (Orlando) plus the Flower (Jacksonville), Bowl; beat McMurry in the Boys Ranch The College Football HistorianHistorian----3333---- make them feel at home on the Florida beaches.” Bowl in Texas; then beat West Chester (Pa.) The Tommie travel party of 42 included in the Cigar Bowl. Hergert; coaches Deig, John Lackner and Bill Funk; equipment manager Jim O’Brien; Viking coach Volney Ashford was called trainer Clem Stramel; and team chaplain, “the Frank Leahy of small college football.” Rev. B.J. Coughlin. The reigning Miss Ashford sounded like a John Gagliardi of his America, Hopkins native BeBe Shopp, was era, often talking of how “lucky” his team among those in attendance. was to win 41 consecutive games. The 35 players who traveled were offensive “If this boy Salscheider and the other one, starters Pat Alvey (LE, 173 pounds), Bernie Krowka, are as good as they say they are,” Graham (LT, 200), Tom Pacholl (LG, 187), Ashford said the day before the Cigar Bowl, John McManus (C, 195), Jack O’Brien (RG, “we are going to need all of our luck and a 185), Don Simonsen (RT, 193), Smith little football, too. I read that if Salscheider Eggleston (RE, 176), Ed Krowka (QB, 180), had been with Minnesota, the Gophers, Jack Salscheider (HB, 185), Dave Brill (HB, instead of Northwestern, would be playing 165) and Stan Martinka (FB, 180). California in the Rose Bowl. I sort of wish Mr. Salscheider were playing in the Rose Other squad members were Don Sovell, Bowl tomorrow. Come to think of it, that Frank Quinlan, Jack Cosgriff, Bill Boland, would be an excellent idea.” Norm Tokarz, Jack Okoneski, Urban Schaaf, Tom Hritzko, Dan Dolan, Jack Dolan, The 1948 Gophers were indeed close to a George Hanrahan, John Haider, Joe breakthrough. They finished 7-2 under Podolinsky, Don Morrison, Jim White, Joe Coach Bernie Bierman, including a 5-2 O'Brien, Jim O'Brien, Pat Sampair, Frank record in the Big Nine. Gray, Pat Kelly, Dick Pappenfus, Bill Webster, Bill Andersen, Jim Flaherty, Game Prep Harold Romansky, Don Harris and Herb The Toms worked out in the University of Dornfeld. Minnesota fieldhouse over the holiday break. They left Dec. 26 via train, on a day (Andersen's grandson, linebacker Willie when the Twin Cities’ overnight low dipped Baregi, played on the 2008 Tommie team, to 10 degrees below zero. and Bill was able to come out and see several games this fall.) After arriving, St. Thomas publicist Dan Hergert joked, “We didn’t know weather Tampa’s newspaper had one big scoop: The like this existed on the globe.” town of Olivia, Minn., population 2,500, had Deig told reporters, “I have been looking 16 students attending St. Thomas in that forward to feeling some of this Florida year, and seven attended the Cigar Bowl sunshine for a long time.” A box of snow game, including football starters Jim from the St. Thomas campus was packed “Popcorn” Brandt and Jack Cosgriff. and shipped to Florida by courier. The team opened the box on arrival in Tampa “to As part of the festivities, Tampa’s cigar manufacturers handed out boxes of cigars to The College Football HistorianHistorian----4444---- the Missourians seems to be a stalwart line which can make a touchdown or two stand visitors from Missouri and Minnesota. Game up. That forward wall will outweigh the tickets were sold at Walgreens, with most Toms by several pounds and as the Tom priced at $4.80, $3.60 and $2.40. coaching staff has emphasized all week, the game will be won up front on the charge… The Tampa Tribune said coaches Ashford “Much to the dismay of the Tampa Chamber and Deig considered the game a toss up. of Commerce and natives in this usually “They are neither using the crying towel, nor warm and sunny state, the weatherman making any rash predictions of victory,” the issued a frost warning… and predicted newspaper noted. temperatures might be as low as 40 at game time. The forecast was joyously received in Hergert said Salscheider was as good as any the Tom quarters.” running back in the Midwest. “I believe he would have made the University of The Tampa Times wrote: “The Viking Minnesota a big threat for the Big Nine defenders will have to keep a watchful eye championship,” Hergert told reporters.