# Gannon Golden Knights football, 1949–1950

The Gannon Golden Knights football program represented Gannon College (now known as Gannon University) of Erie, Pennsylvania, as an independent in the sport of American football during the 1949 and 1959 college football seasons. Under head coach Louis J. Tullio, the Golden Knights compiled a perfect 8–0 record in 1949 and a 6–2 record in 1950. Despite the program's suceess on the field, Gannon abolished the football program after just two seasons. The program ended with a 14–2 overall record and an 87.5% winning percentage.

## 1949

In their first year under head coach Louis J. Tullio, the Golden Knights compiled a perfect 8–0 record, shut out six of eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 184 to 20. The 1949 team was the first intercollegiate football team fielded by the Catholic men's college. Gannon did not allow a point to be scored by its opponents until the sixth game of the season, holding opponents scoreless for the first 340 minutes of playing time.
Pete Karuba, a 225-pound junior tackle for Gannon, was selected as a first-team player on the Associated Press All-Pennsylvania college football team. End A. Feeney and back Art "Arky" Arkelian received honorable mention.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 25 | Alliance | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 27–0 | 5,000 |
| October 6 | Defiance | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 19–0 | 1,500 |
| October 16 | Mount St. Mary's | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 25–0 | |
| October 29 | at Slippery Rock | Slippery Rock, PA | W 15–0 | |
| November 6 | Saint Francis (PA) | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 27–0 | 3,500 |
| November 11 | Loras | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 19–7 | 8,500 |
| November 18 | Ashland | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 33–13 | 3,000 |
| November 24 | at Steubenville | Harding StadiumSteubenville, OH | W 19–0 | 400–800 |

## 1950

In their second year under head coach Louis J. Tullio, the Golden Knights compiled a 6–2 record and outscored opponents by a total of 222 to 119.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 21 | Findlay | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 34–2 | |
| September 28 | Alma | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 20–2 | 3,000 |
| October 6 | Wilmington (OH) | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 34–20 | |
| October 14 | at Scranton | Dunmore High School stadiumDumore, PA | L 7–34 | 6,000 |
| October 20 | Ashland | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 56–12 | |
| October 27 | Hillsdale | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 27–14 | |
| November 10 | Morris Harvey | Erie stadiumErie, PA | L 13–35 | 3,000 |
| November 17 | Adrian | Erie stadiumErie, PA | W 31–0 | |
| | Kings College | | Cancelled due to weather | |

## Termination of program

On April 6, 1951, the Gannon board of control voted to discontinue the football program. The college's president, Joseph J. Werle, said at the time: "In our considered judgment, the financial resources of the college can be more wisely expended in enlarging student participation in a broad intramural athletic program. They can also be used to encourage activities more closely allied to our eucational objectives." The press blamed the program's demise on "apathy of the fans at the turnstiles." An editorial in the Erie newspaper also attributed the decision to decreased enrollment due to students being inducted in the military due to the Korean War and noted: "Instead of waving banners in the stadium next fall football fans should wear mourning bands. Football is dead at Gannon."
Gannon's decision was part of a trend among Catholic colleges in 1950 and 1951 to drop intercollegiate football. Other Catholic colleges making the same decision included Georgetown (discontinued in 1951), Canisius (discontinued in 1950), Duquesne (discontinued in 1951), Niagara (discontinued in 1951), Steubenville, and Saint Mary's (discontinued in 1951). The San Francisco Dons and Loyola Lions also discontinued their football program after the 1951 season, as did the Santa Clara Broncos after the 1952 season.
Despite terminating the football program, Gannon retained coach Tullio as athletic director and auditorium manager. He also served as the school's golf and basketball coach. Tullio later served six terms as Mayor of Erie from 1966 to 1989.
In the fall of 1951, nine of Gannon's football players transferred to Western Reserve University where they continued their football career. Tullio remained at Gannon as the golf and basketball coach.