1954 Idaho Vandals football team

The 1954 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1954 college football season. The Vandals were led by first-year head coach Skip Stahley and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Three home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with another in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.

1954 Idaho Vandals football
ConferencePacific Coast Conference
1954 record4–5 (1–2 PCC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Offensive schemeT formation [1][2]
CaptainBurdette Hess (G)
Home stadiumNeale Stadium
1954 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 UCLA $ 6 –0 –0  9 –0 –0
No. 17 USC ^ 6 –1 –0  8 –4 –0
Oregon 5 –3 –0  6 –4 –0
California 4 –3 –0  5 –5 –0
Washington State 3 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
Stanford 2 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
Idaho 1 –2 –0  4 –5 –0
Washington 1 –6 –0  2 –8 –0
Oregon State 1 –6 –0  1 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – Selected as Rose Bowl representative
    UCLA won rivalry game over USC,
    but no-repeat rule was in effect
Rankings from AP Poll

Idaho compiled a 4–5 overall record and were 1–2 in the PCC. After five losses to open, they won their last four games. Six of the nine games were shutouts, with three wins and three losses. The four-game winning streak was the program's longest in decades.[3]

In the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State, the 0–5 Vandals blanked the Cougars 10–0 in Pullman on October 23 for Stahley's first victory as head coach.[4] It was Idaho's first win in the series in 29 years;[5] the next came ten years later in 1964.[6]

The annual game with Montana was not played this year; outside of wartime years (without teams), it was the first break in the rivalry in forty years. Idaho was three games into an eight-game streak over the Grizzlies and retained the Little Brown Stein until 1960.

After the win in Pullman, Idaho defeated favored Utah in Salt Lake City,[7][8] then shut out North Dakota in Moscow and BYU in Boise.[9][10]

A former head coach at Toledo and an assistant at Washington and in the NFL with the Cardinals, Stahley was hired in February,[11][12][13] at an annual salary of $9,000.[14] He remained as Idaho's head coach for eight seasons, then continued as athletic director for three more years.[15]

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 182:00 pmOregon
L 0–41  7,000
September 251:30 pmat Oregon State
L 0–13  9,000
October 22:00 pmSan Jose State*
L 7–3810,000
October 98:00 pmat Pacific (CA)*
L 0–13  9,500
October 167:00 pmat Arizona*
L 13–2517,000
October 232:00 pmat Washington State
W 10–012,000
October 301:00 pmat Utah*
W 14–1314,065
November 131:30 pmNorth Dakota*
W 45–0  6,000
November 201:00 pmvs. Brigham Young*
W 7–010,000

All-conference

No Vandals were on the All-PCC team or the second team. Honorable mention were fullback Wilbur Gary and guard Burdette Hess.[24][25]

NFL Draft

One senior from the 1954 Vandals was selected in the 1955 NFL Draft:[26]

PlayerPositionRound  Pick  Franchise
Burdette Hess    G15th178San Francisco 49ers  

One sophomore was selected in the 1957 NFL Draft:[27]

PlayerPositionRound  Pick  Franchise
Dick Foster        T11th129Washington Redskins

Four members of the freshman team were selected in the 1958 NFL Draft:[28][29]

PlayerPositionRound  Pick  Franchise
Jerry KramerG4th39Green Bay Packers
Wayne WalkerC4th45Detroit Lions
Larry AldrichE11th127Pittsburgh Steelers
Wade PattersonE16th183   Chicago Cardinals   

References
  1. Boni, Bill (September 18, 1954). "'New' Vandals face Oregon in opener". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 8.
  2. Emerine, Steve (September 17, 1954). "Stahley's "new look" shown Saturday". Idaho Argonaut. (Moscow). (University of Idaho). p. 6.
  3. "Stahley is satisfied with Vandals' season". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Idaho). November 22, 1954. p. 17.
  4. Boni, Bill (October 24, 1954). "Idaho thumps WSC, 10 to 0". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 1, sports.
  5. ""Win made us ball club", says Skip Stahley". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). October 25, 1954. p. 17.
  6. Missildine, Harry (October 25, 1964). "'Thunder Ray' leads Idaho's charge". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1-sports.
  7. Boni, Bill (October 30, 1954). "Utah 2-TD favorite but Vandals laugh". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 10.
  8. Boni, Bill (October 31, 1954). "Vandals win again; nip Utah". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 1, sports.
  9. Boni, Bill (November 14, 1954). "Vandals trounce Dakotans easily". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 1, sports.
  10. "Lawr's TD wins for Idaho over BYU". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 21, 1954. p. 1, sports.
  11. "Stahley chosen Idaho grid pilot". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). February 2, 1954. p. 10.
  12. "Skip Stahley named Idaho grid mentor". Ellensburg Daily Record. (Washington). Associated Press. February 12, 1954. p. 6.
  13. "Stahley seeking three assistants; new Idaho coach to get free hand". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). February 12, 1954. p. 10.
  14. "O.K. Stahley's $9,000 salary". Ellensburg Daily Record. (Washington). Associated Press. February 23, 1954. p. 8.
  15. "Stahley quits Idaho post for job at Portland State". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 21, 1964. p. 10.
  16. Strite, Dick (September 19, 1954). "Webfoots wallop Idaho 41-0". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1C.
  17. Cornacchia, Pete (September 26, 1954). "Beavers bound Vandals 13-0 in PCC opener". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
  18. Boni, Bill (October 3, 1954). "San Jose Spartans cuff Vandals, 38-7". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 1, sports.
  19. "San Jose State rips Idaho Vandals, 38-7". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 3, 1954. p. 2C.
  20. "Pacific shuts out Idaho 10-0". Lodi New-Sentinel. (California). October 11, 1954. p. 8.
  21. "Arizona stops Vandal attack; takes 35-13 win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. October 17, 1954. p. 1, sports.
  22. "Idaho loses to Wildcats". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. October 17, 1954. p. 2C.
  23. "Beware of Brigham Young team, Stahley warns winning Vandals". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). November 15, 1954. p. 16.
  24. "UCLA dominates AP All Coast teams". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 1, 1954. p. 33.
  25. "Shaw, Larson named to All-Coast; WSC's Washington on second team". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 2, 1954. p. 22.
  26. "1955 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  27. "1957 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  28. "1958 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  29. "Freshman football: 1954 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1955. p. 203.
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