1951 Bradley Braves football team

The 1951 Bradley Braves football team was an American football team that represented Bradley University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Bus Mertes, the Braves compiled an overall record of 4–5 with a mark of 0–3 in conference play, placing last out of seven teams in the MVC.

1951 Bradley Braves football
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record4–5 (0–3 MVC)
Head coach
Home stadiumPeoria Stadium
1951 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Tulsa $ 4 –0 –09 –2 –0
Drake 3 –1 –07 –2 –0
Oklahoma A&M 3 –2 –03 –7 –0
Houston 2 –2 –06 –5 –0
Detroit 2 –4 –04 –7 –0
Wichita 2 –4 –02 –7 –0
Bradley 0 –3 –04 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion

Following the season, Bradley withdrew from Missouri Valley Conference in solidarity with Drake University, who left the conference in protest over the Johnny Bright incident, in which Johnny Bright, star halfback for the Drake Bulldogs, was assaulted by an Oklahoma A&M player during a game in October of that year. Bradley officials explained that the school's difficulty in scheduling games with conference members and the MVC's voiding of Bradley's championships in basketball and baseball following a point-fixing scandal also contributed to the decision to withdraw.[1]

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22Tampa*
W 32–68,000[2][3]
September 29Drake
  • Peoria Stadium
  • Peoria, IL
L 14–20[4][5]
October 6at Wichita
L 6–159,300[6]
October 13at Wayne*
W 34–273,021[7]
October 20New Mexico A&M*dagger
  • Peoria Stadium
  • Peoria, IL
W 34–64,500[8]
October 27at Brandeis*Waltham, MAW 47–0[9]
November 3Detroit
  • Peoria Stadium
  • Peoria, IL
L 6–71,500[10]
November 10at Toledo*
L 13–384,800[11]
November 17Bowling Green*
  • Peoria Stadium
  • Peoria, IL
L 6–20[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming

References
  1. "Bradley Follows Drake In Withdrawing From MVC". The Daily Times. New Philadelphia, Ohio. International News Service. November 29, 1951. p. 10. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  2. Seibel, Max (September 23, 1951). "Bradley Scores 32-6 Win Over Spartans". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  3. Seibel, Max (September 23, 1951). "Bradley Scores 32-6 Win Over Spartans (continued)". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 3B. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  4. Bryson, Bill (September 30, 1951). "Bulldogs Johnny Gains 242 Yards, Sets Mark". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 1S. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  5. Bryson, Bill (September 30, 1951). "Bradley Holds Bright to 50 Via Air (continued)". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 4S. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  6. Lightner, Pete (October 7, 1951). "Shockers Shackle Bradley 15-6". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, Kansas. p. 30. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  7. George Puscas (October 14, 1951). "Bradley Scores in Last 70 Seconds to Top Wayne, 34 to 27". Detroit Free Press. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Bradley Romps Over N. Mexico Aggs, 34-6". Decatur Sunday Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois. Associated Press. October 21, 1951. p. 19. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  9. "Bradley Romps Over Brandies Squad, 47-0". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. Associated Press. October 28, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  10. "Titans Rally, Then Hold On for 7-6 Triumph over Bradley". Detroit Free Press. November 4, 1951. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Toledo Grabs Glass Bowl From Bradley". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. Associated Press. November 11, 1951. p. 46. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  12. "Fred Durig Tops BG In 20-6 Win". Mansfield News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. Associated Press. November 18, 1951. p. 22. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.


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