Hall of Fame
Sixth Army Intercollegiate Title
Following World War II, USF developed one of the best intercollegiate varsity rifle programs in the country. Manned by young World War II veterans and supplemented by an expanding ROTC program, USF had an incredible team.
Between 1949 and 1952, the Dons had an outstanding record of 158-27, and participated in eight championships. The team qualified for the Nationals, and in November 1948 played in the Northern California Intercollegiate Rifle Conference against Stanford. After defeating Stanford, they beat San Jose State and the Cal Aggies. By the end of the season, the Dons earned second place at 8-2.
Other matches included the San Francisco Rifle Association and Postal matches, in which shooting is done at local ranges under the supervision of NRA or ROTC judges. The completed targets are then mailed to a judging committee who determine the winners. The Dons defeated Harvard, Ohio State, Army and Farragut College. The Dons placed second in the San Francisco Rifle competition with 11-4, despite the fact that they were shooting with iron sights against more experienced riflemen with telescoping equipment.
The Dons placed first in March in the Sixth Army Intercollegiate Gallery for the eight Western ROTC colleges. The prior year, the Dons had finished eighth. By winning the title, the Dons qualified for the first time, to compete against the winners of the other five Army areas for the National Championship. A few weeks later, the team won the Hearst Sixth Army Rifle Championship, scoring 931 points, competing against 160 other western colleges.
The team won the 1949 Sixth Army Intercollegiate Championship for all ROTC colleges and the Hearst Sixth Army Championship for the first time in USF history. Both Al Crowe and Anthony Sherman were named All-Americans.
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