# 1951 Idaho Vandals football team

The 1951 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Raymond A. Curfman, the Vandals were 2–7 (0–3 in PCC, last). Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College and another at Memorial Stadium in Spokane, Washington.
Idaho was led on the field by quarterback Wayne Anderson and halfback Glen Christian; they suffered a close loss in the Battle of the Palouse with heavily favored neighbor Washington State, falling 9–6 on homecoming at Neale Stadium on November 10. The previous edition was also competitive, with a 7–7 tie in 1950 in Pullman, but the winless streak against the Cougars was up to 25 games, a record of 0–23–2 since taking three straight in from 1923 to 1925; Idaho finally won three years later in Pullman.
In the rivalry game with Montana at Missoula four weeks earlier, Idaho began an eight-game winning streak over the Grizzlies with a 12–9 win to regain the Little Brown Stein.
Prior to the season in late March, university president Jesse Buchanan requested and received the resignations of head coach Dixie Howell and two assistants, due to "lack of harmony" on the coaching staff. One of those assistants was Curfman, who was then asked by the administration to be the interim coach during the upcoming spring drills. He made a good impression and was re-hired as head coach in mid-April.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 22 | 12:30 pm | at Wyoming* | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | L 0–28 | 12,401 |
| September 29 | 1:00 pm | vs. San Francisco* | old Bronco StadiumBoise, ID | L 7–28 | 10,000 |
| October 6 | 2:00 pm | vs. Oregon State | Memorial StadiumSpokane, WA | L 6–34 | 8,500 |
| October 13 | 1:00 pm | at Montana* | Dornblaser FieldMissoula, MT (Little Brown Stein) | W 12–9 | 9,000 |
| October 20 | 2:00 pm | San Jose State* | Neale StadiumMoscow, ID | W 40–7 | 6,500 |
| November 3 | 1:30 pm | at Oregon | Hayward FieldEugene, OR | L 13–14 | 8,100 |
| November 10 | 1:30 pm | No. 17 Washington State | Neale StadiumMoscow, ID (Battle of the Palouse) | L 6–9 | 14,000 |
| November 17 | 7:00 pm | at Arizona* | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | L 6–13 | 16,000 |
| November 22 | 12:00 pm | at Utah* | Ute StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | L 19–40 | 11,934 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time |||||||

## Coaching staff

* John Nikcevich, guards
* Mack Flenniken, ends
* Chuck Gottfried, tackles

## All-conference

No Vandals were on the All-Coast team; tackle Don Ringe was named to the second team. Honorable mention were end Jerry Ogle and guard Steve Douglas.

## NFL draft

One senior from the 1951 Vandals was selected in the 1952 NFL draft:
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Glen Christian | B | 9th | 105 | San Francisco 49ers |
One junior was selected in the 1953 NFL draft:
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Don Ringe | T | 26th | 303 | Chicago Cardinals |
One sophomore was selected in the 1954 NFL draft:
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Mel Bertrand | C | 29th | 349 | Detroit Lions |
* Often incorrectly listed as a UI Vandal, tackle Norm Hayes (1954 draft, #217) played at College of Idaho in Caldwell.