The team posted a recorded of 6-3-1 in 1953.
“We had a bid to the Sun Bowl which we turned down, ” said Marv Swentkofske, a guard on the team. “That was one of the four or five bowls at that point in time.”
He added: “All of us worked in addition to having scholarships but the Sun Bowl was during the Christmas season. … One of the guys got up and said, 'How much will we get if we go play in the Sun Bowl?' There wasn't any rules like there are today. … I think we were offered fifty bucks and a watch.” Everyone could earn more money working over the break, so the team turned down the offer.