we're not going to leave 'em at home' ... 'We're going to play with 'em or we're not going to play.'" The USF Athletic Department dropped its football program in 1952, due to a deficit in department funds.
=== Basketball ===
The men's basketball program won three national championships: the 1949 NIT Championship, with Don Lofgran as MVP, and the 1955 and 1956 NCAA National Championships, going undefeated in the 1956 season. Led by NBA Hall of Famers Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, the 1956 Dons became the first undefeated team to win a national championship, winning a then-record 60 games in a row from 1954 to 1956 before losing an exhibition game to the USA Men's Olympic Basketball team. Also of note, the 1954–1955 USF basketball teams became the first major college or university basketball team to win a national title with three African American starters (Russell, Jones, and Hal Perry).
Soccer
The soccer program began at USF in 1931, and won five titles from 1932 to 1936. The team captain was All-American …
