'51 Dons

'51 Dons
Film poster
Written by
  • Tom Davis
  • Danny Llewelyn
  • Ron Luscinski
Directed byRon Luscinski
Narrated byJohnny Mathis
Music byTom Hiel
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers
  • Danny Llewelyn
  • Tom Davis
  • Ron Luscinski
  • Bob Dussault
CinematographySteven Douglas Smith
EditorTeddy Gersten
Running time60 minutes
Production company'51 Dons Productions
Original release
NetworkESPN
ReleaseFebruary 9, 2014 (2014-02-09)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

'51 Dons is a 2014 American documentary film directed by Ron Luscinski and written by Luscinski, Tom Davis and Danny Llewelyn. Narrated by Johnny Mathis, it covers the 1951 San Francisco Dons football team and its unique stand against racism. The team, including future NFL players and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Bob St. Clair[1] and Gino Marchetti, declined an invitation to play in the Orange Bowl that would have required them to leave their African-American players Ollie Matson and Burl Toler home. This act was one of the contributing factors that led to the end of organized football at the University of San Francisco. The university's athletic news director, Pete Rozelle, went on to become the commissioner of the NFL, where he reshaped American football.

  1. ^ Kantowski, Ron (February 14, 2014). "St. Clair's Dons 'the best team you never heard of'". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 1, 2014.