# 1952 Idaho Vandals football team

The 1952 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1952 college football season. The Vandals were led by second-year head coach Raymond A. Curfman and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.
Led on the field by quarterback Wayne D. Anderson, Idaho compiled a 4–4–1 overall record and were 1–3 in the PCC.
In the home opener against Oregon on October 4, Idaho outplayed the visitors for 56 minutes, but gave up two late touchdowns and lost by six.
The Vandals suffered a second straight loss in the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State, falling 36–6 at Rogers Field in Pullman on November 1. The previous two editions had been competitive, with a 7–7 tie in 1950 and 9–6 battle in Moscow in 1951. The loss prevented the first winning season for Idaho football since 1938. It ran the winless streak against the Cougars to 26 games, a record of 0–24–2 since taking three straight in 1923–25; the Vandals broke the streak two years later in Pullman.
Idaho regrouped and concluded the season with two convincing wins over Montana at home and Oregon State in Corvallis in the last varsity game played at Bell Field.
Following his playing days, Anderson was a head coach for the Vandals in baseball (1958–66) and basketball (1966–74); he was also an assistant athletic director (1971–74, 1982–94).

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 20 | 1:00 pm | at Washington | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | L 14–39 | 31,912 |
| September 27 | 1:00 pm | vs. Utah* | old Bronco StadiumBoise, ID | T 21–21 | 9,500 |
| October 4 | 2:00 pm | Oregon | Neale StadiumMoscow, ID | L 14–20 | 11,542 |
| October 11 | 12:30 pm | at Utah State* | old Romney StadiumLogan, UT | W 6–3 | |
| October 18 | 2:00 pm | North Dakota State* | Neale StadiumMoscow, ID | W 54–9 | 11,000 |
| October 24 | 8:00 pm | vs. Santa Clara* | Kezar StadiumSan Francisco, CA | L 7–9 | 5,000 |
| November 1 | 1:30 pm | at Washington State | Rogers FieldPullman, WA (Battle of the Palouse) | L 6–36 | 14,000 |
| November 8 | 1:30 pm | Montana* | Neale StadiumMoscow, ID (Little Brown Stein) | W 27–0 | 4,000 |
| November 15 | 1:30 pm | at Oregon State | Bell FieldCorvallis, OR | W 27–6 | 8,000 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingAll times are in Pacific time |||||||

## Coaching staff

* John Nikcevich, guards
* Mack Flenniken, ends
* Chuck Gottfried, tackles
* Art Smith, freshmen

## All-conference

No Vandals were on the All-PCC team; honorable mention on defense were end Ray Lewis, tackle Don Ringe, and linebacker Bob Holder.

## NFL draft

One senior from the 1952 Vandals was selected in the 1953 NFL draft:
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Don Ringe | T | 26th | 303 | Chicago Cardinals |
One junior was selected in the 1954 NFL draft:
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Mel Bertrand | C | 29th | 349 | Detroit Lions |
One sophomore was selected in the 1955 NFL draft:
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Burdette Hess | G | 15th | 178 | San Francisco 49ers |
* Often incorrectly listed as a UI Vandal, tackle Norm Hayes (1954 draft, #217) played at the College of Idaho in Caldwell.