John Carroll's 1950 football season was one for the ages.  Legendary players like Carl Taseff, Don Shula, Alex Aurilio, Joe Minor, Bill Eline filled the roster. 

But truth be told, the 1950 season was one game short.

This is the story of how John Carroll was extended a bid to play in the 1951 Cigar Bowl on New Year's Day in Tampa, Florida.

And how the Blue Streaks turned it down.


Eight In A Row
 
The 1950 season started off on a pair of inauspicious notes. Despite the firepower the team brought into the season, the first two dates on the schedule turned up in defeat. First, a trip to St. Bonaventure resulted in a 27-19 loss. Then, in its home opener, JCU fell in another close contest, 24-19, to visiting Xavier.

But the turnaround began with a 41-0 blanking of Toledo. That was followed with poundings of Kent State (48-7), Youngstown (27-0), Case Tech (51-14) and Marshall (39-2).

A hard fought road win over Dayton (24-12) set up the big meetying with Syracuse at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on November 10, as JCU ralied to beat the Orangemen, 21-16.

JCU concluded its season with a victory over crosstown rival Baldwin Wallace, 33-25, in Berea.

The Blue Streaks had finished their regular season on an eight game winning streak.


Tampa Takes Notice

The Cigar Bowl originated in 1947 and was created as post-season college football bowl game featuring small college teams held in Tampa, Florida. The game was staged at Phillips Field and was sponsored by the local Egypt Temple Shrine as a fundraising event. 

The bowl's name was inspired by the local cigar industry, which had been a major factor in Tampa's growth around the turn of the 20th Century.

It was a mixed bag of opponents as well as in terms of competitiveness. Among the teams that played in the bowl included Delaware, St. Thomas (MN) and, in the 1950 version of the game, Florida State (making its first bowl appearance).

On November 23, 1950, less than two weeks after its glorious victory over Syracuse, it was announced that John Carroll was one of five teams under consideration for a bid to play in the Cigar Bowl in Tampa on New Year's Day. According to wire reports, Cigar Bowl Chairman J. Rex Farrior named John Carroll, Scranton, Florida State, Morris Harvey and Valparaiso as receiving "top consideration".

Less than a week later, on Tuesday, November 28, Farrior placed his phone call to Athletic Director Gene Oberst that John Carroll was being invited to the Cigar Bowl. 


The Fateful Decision

The day after the invitation had been extended, the school's faculty athletic board met with head coach Herb Eisele to discuss the feasibility of playing in the game.

It was decided that John Carroll must decline.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer story, "the recent heavy snowfall had much to do with the decision. School authorities felt that the students had missed too many classes lately, that the re-opening of school was indefinite, and a practice field would not be available for some time - all because of the snow."

At the time, the school had missed classes six days over the previous two weeks.

Valparaiso was selected to take John Carroll's place in the bowl game. In an early version of "trolling," apparently Vapariaso took much glee in John Carroll's decision. Carroll News columnist Lee Cirillo got a hold of a Valparaiso newspaper that dedicated a bonus issue dedicated entirely to news of the bowl bid. His verbatim report:

"Rumor has it that earlier John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, had been extended the invitation but had to refuse because a snowstorm hit their area and closed that institution's doors. They couldn't afford to allow their team to lose any more school time. I don't know if that information is true, but if it is, all I have to say is, 'Hooray for John Carroll and may she be blessed with more snow in the future.' The publicity that we will receive from this bowl game alone will be worth all the trouble that it will cost our football team and our athletic staff. Anyway, I'll see you in Tampa."

The John Carroll student body was also disappointed in the decision. Among the comments were

• "Too bad they didn't take it. It would have raised our prestige in Ohio. This would have been the high point in a great year for Carroll."
• "That Bowl bid was Carroll's big chance to spread its name throughout the country. Going to a bowl game would have added the final touch to a great year."
• "I think that Carroll should have gone to the game. What was the real reason for turning down the cigar bowl bid, and who is responsible? That's what l'd like to know."
• "Carroll missed the boat on that one. This was their chance to gain nation-wide acclaim. Do you think B-W would turn down such an offer? It's not Herb Eisele's fault. If Herb had anything to say about it, he certainly would have gone, for he had everything to gain."
• "After the student body was cajoled to back the team, I think it was​​​​​​​ illogical and disappointing for the school to turn down a golden opportunity for such flimsy and transparent reasons."

John Carroll's loss was Valpariso's ... loss. The Valpo team went down to Tampa and were promptly shellacked by La Crosse Teachers College, 47-14. La Crosse Teachers College is now known as Wisocninsin-La Crosse.

The Cigar Bowl lasted until 1954, and left the Tampa area without a bowl game until the mid 1980's, when the Hall of Fame Bowl relocated from Birmingham, Alabama. It is now cvalled the Outback Bowl.

As for JCU, its next postseason participation occured in 1989, when the Blue Streaks qualified for its first NCAA Division III Championship tournament.