1951 Loyola Lions football team

The 1951 Loyola Lions football team was an American football team that represented Loyola University of Los Angeles (now known as Loyola Marymount University) as an independent during the 1951 college football season. In their third season under head coach Jordan Olivar, the Lions compiled a 3–6 record and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 229 to 180.[1]

1951 Loyola Lions football
ConferenceIndependent
1951 record3–6
Head coach
Home stadiumRose Bowl
1951 Western college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 14 San Francisco   –    9 –0 –0
La Verne   –    5 –3 –0
Pacific (CA)   –    6 –5 –0
Santa Clara   –    3 –5 –1
Hawaii   –    4 –7 –0
Loyola (CA)   –    3 –6 –0
San Jose State   –    2 –7 –1
Cal Poly San Dimas   –    1 –6 –0
Rankings from AP Poll

Discontinuation of the program

On December 30, 1951, one month after the season ended, Loyola's president, the Rev. Charles S. Casassa, SJ, announced that the school was discontinuing its intercollegiate football program. The announcement shocked coaches, students, and alumni at the school.[2]

Loyola's president attributed the decision to the loss of several hundred students resulting from the Korean War which began in June 1950. The Los Angeles Times wrote that other likely factors influencing Loyola's decision included concerns about overemphasis on football, rising costs, heightened competition for players, the platoon system with its demand for a greater number of players, the lack of a suitable home field, and difficulty in scheduling games with popular teams such as UCLA and USC.[2]

Other independent Catholic schools on the West Coast also discontinued their programs during this time period. Saint Mary's College of California disbanded its program after the 1950 season, and the University of San Francisco made its announcement on the same day as Loyola.[2]

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23San Diego Navy
L 28–42
September 29at Pacific (CA)
L 28–41
October 6Florida
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
L 7–40
October 14at Santa Clara
L 16–20
October 26at San Jose State
W 13–12
November 3Pepperdine
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
W 46–76,200[3]
November 10at Kansas
L 26–3418,000[4]
November 17Hardin–Simmons
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
W 14–139,500[5]
November 25 No. 13 San Francisco
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
L 2–2015,750[6]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References
  1. "1951 Loyola Marymount Lions Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  2. "Football Program Abandoned at Loyola and San Francisco". Los Angeles Times. December 31, 1951. p. IV-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "4 Nov 1951, 69 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". newspapers.com. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  4. "11 Nov 1951, 69 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". newspapers.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  5. "18 Nov 1951, 89 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". newspapers.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  6. "26 Nov 1951, 72 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". newspapers.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
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