Colorado State University Athletics
This Week in CSU Football History -- Aggies beat Buffs to earn invitation to 1949 Raisin Bowl
11/22/2017 9:55:00 AM | Football
Four-point win over rivals pushes Aggies to first-ever bowl game
by John Hirn
ColoradoAggies.com
November 20, 1948 – The 1948 football season was without question one to remember at Colorado A&M. The Rams, or Aggies depending on what you preferred to call them at the time, were in their second season under head coach Bob Davis. Coach Davis had begun to turn around a football program that had only experienced four winning seasons since 1934, with no season seeing more than five wins.
Throughout the 1948 season the "Cinderella Rams" had shocked the Mountain States Conference with victories over Utah State, Denver and a nail-biter win over a tough Wyoming team thanks to a blocked extra point. Their only conference loss came against the champions from the University of Utah as Colorado A&M football ended the season in second place.
A number of all-time CSU greats emerged from this team in players like Eddie Hanna, Fum McGraw, Tuffy Mullison, Frank Faucett, Dale Dodrill, Oliver Woods and Jack Christiansen. Christiansen, a sophomore from Canyon City who came to Colorado A&M to run track, had been recommended to play football by track coach Harry Hughes during the 1948 season. Christiansen would get his chance to be the main punt returner in the CU game after Joe Folsom went down with an injury.
It was a cold and snowy day in Boulder as the two ancient rivals faced off in the 1948 season finale. The Buffaloes, under first year head coach Dallas Ward were in their second season in the Big 7 Conference. The "Thundering Herd" as the Denver Post called them, had struggled in big time college football and only held a 3-5 record while the Aggies sat at 7-2 on the season. The Aggies had not beat CU since 1933, and entered the game as underdogs despite the two teams' lopsided records.
The Rams scored early in the game when Eddie Hanna took a lateral from Pat Green at the 20 and ran in untouched; Frank Faucett provided the extra point and the Aggies were on the board 7-0 with over 10 minutes left to play in the first quarter. The score was set up thanks to Dale Dodrill blocking a Buff punt that gave A&M the ball at the CU 43-yard-line.
The Buffs continued to struggle in the first quarter and could not advance the ball on offense, but an Eddie Hanna fumble on the Aggie 43-yard-line set CU in motion to score a touchdown in seven plays on a Narcisian to Pudlik pass. However, Pudlik missed the PAT and the first quarter ended 7-6 in favor of the Rams.
On the second play of the second quarter, CU still could not gain enough ground against the tough Aggie defense and the Buffs were forced to punt the ball away once again. Jack Christiansen received the ball at his own 11-yard-line and proceeded to show off his quarter-miler track speed, racing down the Folsom Field turf 89-yards for a quick touchdown; the PAT was missed. Christiansen's punt return for a touchdown is tied for the third longest in CSU history.
With the Rams up 13-6, CU desperately tried to get points on the board, but A&M legendary tackle Fum McGraw forced CU halfback Harry Narcisian to cough up the ball and McGraw pounced on it at the CU 15-yard line for the recovery. That set up Eddie Hanna's second touchdown of the day with another lateral from Pat Green for the score. Frank Faucett's PAT kick was good and the Aggies were up 20-6 and seemingly in control in the second quarter.
With 4:45 left in the half, the Rams continued their scoring as quarterback/field goal kicker Bob Hainlen kicked a 24-yard field goal to make it 23-6. The Rams almost scored another touchdown just as the gun sounded for the second half to end, but Hainlen was intercepted in the end zone and the Aggies went to the locker room with a 23-6 lead.
As the two teams returned to the field in the third quarter, the Aggies' defense needed to control the remainder of the game. However, another fumble by Hanna set up the Buffs' second touchdown of the day and the third quarter ended 23-13.
With the 10-point lead, the Aggies knew the game was not over and desperately worked against a CU team that continued to fight for the win. Oliver Woods, a junior halfback from Montrose, Colorado, intercepted a Narcisian pass at the CU 24-yard-line. The A&M ground game took the ball to the 8-yard-line where the drive stalled and Hainlen kicked his second field goal of the day. After Hainlen kicked his third field goal midway through the 4th quarter, the Rams held a 29-13 lead.
CU was not done yet when they drove the field and scored a quick touchdown to narrow the Aggie lead to 29-19; Pudlik missed his second extra point of the day. With darkness setting in on Folsom Field, the Buffs continued their comeback when they recovered an on-side kick at the 50-yard-line, returning it to the 44. Coach Bob Davis, normally mild-mannered on the sideline of a game loudly protested the ball had not traveled the necessary 10-yards before a CU player could touch it, but the referee ruled CU could have the ball.
Narcisian guided his team down the field on pass plays to the Rams' three-yard line where it seemed the Colorado A&M defense was going to pull off a legendary goal-line stand. But on third and goal Narcisian rushed into the end zone for the score; Pudlik's PAT missed for the third time of the day and the clock ran out as the Aggies walked away winners 29-25.
Jubilant Rams' fans, including student body president and future Colorado governor Roy Romer, rushed the field and proceeded to rip down the wooden goal posts at Folsom Field. The Denver Post reported it was a near riot as darkness fell upon Boulder, but the fans and students subsided without the aid of police interference.
The Aggies finished the regular season 8-2, the most wins in a season since 1925 and highest finish since their last conference championship in 1934. Two days later, on November 22, 1948, the Colorado A&M Football team was invited to play in the first bowl game in school history, the Raisin Bowl, on Jan. 1, 1949. Although the Aggies would lose that contest by a blocked extra point, several players on the 1948 team went on to great careers.
Frank Faucett would become a legendary coach at Fort Collins High School and in 2017 attended every home game at the new CSU Stadium. Oliver Woods would become a college coach at Western State College. Tuffy Mullison came back to his alma mater to coach football and wrestling, beating CU and Dallas Ward in 1958 when Mullison guided another underdog Rams team to victory in Boulder. Dale Dodrill played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, championed for the NFL players association and became a successful businessman in Denver. Fum McGraw is still the greatest figure in CSU athletic history, playing for the Detroit Lions, coaching at CSU and eventually becoming one of the most influential athletic directors in school history.
Jack Christiansen went on to play for the Detroit Lions and a coaching career in college and the NFL; he is the only CSU football player inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sadly, Eddie Hanna died after the first game of the 1949 season from a heart attack; his No. 21 along with McGraw's No. 48 remain the only retired football numbers at CSU.
ColoradoAggies.com
November 20, 1948 – The 1948 football season was without question one to remember at Colorado A&M. The Rams, or Aggies depending on what you preferred to call them at the time, were in their second season under head coach Bob Davis. Coach Davis had begun to turn around a football program that had only experienced four winning seasons since 1934, with no season seeing more than five wins.
Throughout the 1948 season the "Cinderella Rams" had shocked the Mountain States Conference with victories over Utah State, Denver and a nail-biter win over a tough Wyoming team thanks to a blocked extra point. Their only conference loss came against the champions from the University of Utah as Colorado A&M football ended the season in second place.
A number of all-time CSU greats emerged from this team in players like Eddie Hanna, Fum McGraw, Tuffy Mullison, Frank Faucett, Dale Dodrill, Oliver Woods and Jack Christiansen. Christiansen, a sophomore from Canyon City who came to Colorado A&M to run track, had been recommended to play football by track coach Harry Hughes during the 1948 season. Christiansen would get his chance to be the main punt returner in the CU game after Joe Folsom went down with an injury.
It was a cold and snowy day in Boulder as the two ancient rivals faced off in the 1948 season finale. The Buffaloes, under first year head coach Dallas Ward were in their second season in the Big 7 Conference. The "Thundering Herd" as the Denver Post called them, had struggled in big time college football and only held a 3-5 record while the Aggies sat at 7-2 on the season. The Aggies had not beat CU since 1933, and entered the game as underdogs despite the two teams' lopsided records.
The Rams scored early in the game when Eddie Hanna took a lateral from Pat Green at the 20 and ran in untouched; Frank Faucett provided the extra point and the Aggies were on the board 7-0 with over 10 minutes left to play in the first quarter. The score was set up thanks to Dale Dodrill blocking a Buff punt that gave A&M the ball at the CU 43-yard-line.
The Buffs continued to struggle in the first quarter and could not advance the ball on offense, but an Eddie Hanna fumble on the Aggie 43-yard-line set CU in motion to score a touchdown in seven plays on a Narcisian to Pudlik pass. However, Pudlik missed the PAT and the first quarter ended 7-6 in favor of the Rams.
On the second play of the second quarter, CU still could not gain enough ground against the tough Aggie defense and the Buffs were forced to punt the ball away once again. Jack Christiansen received the ball at his own 11-yard-line and proceeded to show off his quarter-miler track speed, racing down the Folsom Field turf 89-yards for a quick touchdown; the PAT was missed. Christiansen's punt return for a touchdown is tied for the third longest in CSU history.
With the Rams up 13-6, CU desperately tried to get points on the board, but A&M legendary tackle Fum McGraw forced CU halfback Harry Narcisian to cough up the ball and McGraw pounced on it at the CU 15-yard line for the recovery. That set up Eddie Hanna's second touchdown of the day with another lateral from Pat Green for the score. Frank Faucett's PAT kick was good and the Aggies were up 20-6 and seemingly in control in the second quarter.
With 4:45 left in the half, the Rams continued their scoring as quarterback/field goal kicker Bob Hainlen kicked a 24-yard field goal to make it 23-6. The Rams almost scored another touchdown just as the gun sounded for the second half to end, but Hainlen was intercepted in the end zone and the Aggies went to the locker room with a 23-6 lead.
As the two teams returned to the field in the third quarter, the Aggies' defense needed to control the remainder of the game. However, another fumble by Hanna set up the Buffs' second touchdown of the day and the third quarter ended 23-13.
With the 10-point lead, the Aggies knew the game was not over and desperately worked against a CU team that continued to fight for the win. Oliver Woods, a junior halfback from Montrose, Colorado, intercepted a Narcisian pass at the CU 24-yard-line. The A&M ground game took the ball to the 8-yard-line where the drive stalled and Hainlen kicked his second field goal of the day. After Hainlen kicked his third field goal midway through the 4th quarter, the Rams held a 29-13 lead.
CU was not done yet when they drove the field and scored a quick touchdown to narrow the Aggie lead to 29-19; Pudlik missed his second extra point of the day. With darkness setting in on Folsom Field, the Buffs continued their comeback when they recovered an on-side kick at the 50-yard-line, returning it to the 44. Coach Bob Davis, normally mild-mannered on the sideline of a game loudly protested the ball had not traveled the necessary 10-yards before a CU player could touch it, but the referee ruled CU could have the ball.
Narcisian guided his team down the field on pass plays to the Rams' three-yard line where it seemed the Colorado A&M defense was going to pull off a legendary goal-line stand. But on third and goal Narcisian rushed into the end zone for the score; Pudlik's PAT missed for the third time of the day and the clock ran out as the Aggies walked away winners 29-25.
Jubilant Rams' fans, including student body president and future Colorado governor Roy Romer, rushed the field and proceeded to rip down the wooden goal posts at Folsom Field. The Denver Post reported it was a near riot as darkness fell upon Boulder, but the fans and students subsided without the aid of police interference.
The Aggies finished the regular season 8-2, the most wins in a season since 1925 and highest finish since their last conference championship in 1934. Two days later, on November 22, 1948, the Colorado A&M Football team was invited to play in the first bowl game in school history, the Raisin Bowl, on Jan. 1, 1949. Although the Aggies would lose that contest by a blocked extra point, several players on the 1948 team went on to great careers.
Frank Faucett would become a legendary coach at Fort Collins High School and in 2017 attended every home game at the new CSU Stadium. Oliver Woods would become a college coach at Western State College. Tuffy Mullison came back to his alma mater to coach football and wrestling, beating CU and Dallas Ward in 1958 when Mullison guided another underdog Rams team to victory in Boulder. Dale Dodrill played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, championed for the NFL players association and became a successful businessman in Denver. Fum McGraw is still the greatest figure in CSU athletic history, playing for the Detroit Lions, coaching at CSU and eventually becoming one of the most influential athletic directors in school history.
Jack Christiansen went on to play for the Detroit Lions and a coaching career in college and the NFL; he is the only CSU football player inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sadly, Eddie Hanna died after the first game of the 1949 season from a heart attack; his No. 21 along with McGraw's No. 48 remain the only retired football numbers at CSU.
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