Hall of Fame
Member of '51 Dons Team
Posted 9-0-0 Regular Season Record
USF Career Years: 1948-1952
Birthdate: December 16, 1929
Hometown: Kenosha, WI
High School: St. Catherine's High School
Ralph Thomas was born on December 16, 1929 in Kenosha, WI and attended his local Saint Catherine’s High School. After high school, he played for the Racine Raiders and then enrolled at USF. At 5’ 11” and 190 lbs., he played defensive end for the Dons from 1948 to 1951.
Under Head Coach Joe Kuharich, the Dons went undefeated at 9-0 in the 1951 season. With two African-American players on the team, Burl Toler and Ollie Matson they were not invited to any postseason bowl games. The owner of the Gator Bowl, Sam Wolfson had made an agreement with the Orange and Sugar Bowls to omit teams with black players. When the Orange Bowl extended an invitation to them on the condition that the two African-American players be excluded, the team unanimously declined and from then on they were called the “undefeated, untied, and uninvited.” Although the Dons had been denied a bowl berth, the entire team was recognized at the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, at long last making an appearance in a bowl game.
Unfortunately without postseason funding, USF was forced to shut down its football program the following year. Attendance at the Kezar Stadium games had declined 80% since the arrival of the 49ers in 1946. The squad featured nine future NFL players, including Pro Football Hall of Fame members Matson, Marchetti, and St. Clair, and five earned Pro Bowl selections at some point in their career. The team’s Sports Information Director, Pete Rozelle, served as NFL Commissioner for 29 years.
Thomas was drafted into the NFL in 1952 by the Chicago Cardinals, and played three seasons with them. From 1955 to 1956, he played for the Washington Redskins and then retired from professional football.
