Nov. 7 declared Burl Toler Sr. Day at City College
By Aaron Turner
Staff Writer
It was 61 years ago when Burl Toler Sr. led the City College Rams to their unbeaten 1948 national junior college championship. On Nov. 7, City College Chancellor Dr. Don Q. Griffin made sure the impact at his alma mater would never be forgotten. Toler died Aug. 16, 2009 at the age of 81.
With Toler’s son, Burl Toler Jr. in his place and the Toler family present at halftime of Saturday afternoon’s game against Foothill College, Griffin officially declared Nov. 7 “Burl Toler Sr. Day.”
The halftime ceremony, which included members of the 1948 City College football team, the 1951 University of San Francisco football team and the Berkeley Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity chapter, which Toler was a member of, was received loudly by the large crowd at the game.
Griffin spoke of why the school chose to honor Toler and make him the first-ever inductee into the City College Wall of Fame.
“The criteria is very tough,” Griffin said. “To be inducted, one must make a great impact while at City College, as well as a lifetime accomplishment in their life. Therefore, there is no better choice than Burl Toler.”
The younger Toler also gave a short speech after receiving his father’s plaque, thanking both the school and his father’s former teammates and colleagues.
“This is where it all began,” he said. “My father came to San Francisco not knowing anyone. Yet, he did his best while here and gave us all something to strive for.”
After two years at City College, Toler became a member of the legendary 1951 USF Dons football team, who was uninvited by all bowl committees for having two black players on the roster, Toler and fellow NFL hall of famer Ollie Matson. Instead of leaving the pair behind, the team refused the bowl invitation in protest.
“My father never dwelled on that, never used it as a crutch. He was very aware of the racial issues of the time, but there was never any spite from him on his team not getting to that bowl game,” Toler Jr. said in a speech after the ceremony.
He also spoke about his father’s football career, which was cut short by a serious knee injury in a college all-star game. The injury occurred after he was selected in the first round of the 1951 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
“Professional football was never at the top of his list,” said Toler Jr. “The fact that he never got to the NFL was never really a big deal to him, he was OK with it, and never said ‘what if?'”
Although Burl Toler Sr. never played in the NFL, he went on to a legendary and historic career as an NFL referee. Not only was he the first African-American official of any professional sport when he was hired in 1965, he was also the first African-American referee in the Superbowl and the NFL Hall of Fame.