When Dallas Ward was hired from the Minnesota staff of Bernie Bierman,
Buffalo fans knew they were getting an offensive genius who would introduce
the Single-Wing with an unbalanced line. They may not have been prepared for
his gruff, blunt, and often undiplomatic manner and the 3-6 and 3-7 starts
to his Colorado career in 1948 and '49 did not endear him to most. However,
his offensive fireworks began to show by 1950 with improvement to 5-4-1
which included a number of close losses. Ward dressed his Buffaloes in a
Riddell RT plastic shell that was silver in color with a one-inch black
center stripe as they phased out their old leather helmets. Things came
together in 1951 as the 7-3 Buffs had their only conference loss to Oklahoma
and finished second to the Sooners. They posted 2516 rushing yards with
frosh HB Carroll Hardy donating 423 of those with a gaudy 7.9 per carry
average and Don Branby as an All Conference pick at end. Tom Brookshier
manned the other halfback spot and was a defensive standout with end Gary
Knafelc keeping defenses honest with his receiving. Ward continued to
impress in '52, battling OU to a 21-21 tie in the conference opener while
finishing 6-2-2. Track star Hardy was the sparkplug at halfback while
end Knafelc focused primarily on offense. Tom Brookshier became a defensive
specialist, a good one who took his wares to the Eagles from 1953 through
'61 before becoming one of the NFL's highly-respected broadcasters. With end
Don Branby an All American choice with a season record seven recovered
fumbles, and powerful guard Roger Hunt, some fans felt the team
underachieved and they were in fact, poor on the road.
The return to one-platoon football in 1953 moved guard Hunt to QB but
Carroll Hardy was still the focus of the attack, rushing for 361 yards as a
three-sport star. Frank Bernardi emerged as the team's top runner, adding
591 yards to the total behind big tackle Sam Salerno. Gary Knafelc finished
his career effectively at end and then went to the Bears as their number two
draft choice. He was traded to the Packers and remained productive for them
through 1962, completing his NFL career with San Francisco in '63. Coach
Ward added some T-Formation plays to his Single Wing for the 1954 season and
the result was a 7-2-1 slate behind the bull rushes of John "The Beast"
Bayuk, a 210-pound FB. Bayuk led the Big Seven in rushing and Carroll Hardy
finished his career and spent '55 with the Forty-Niners before moving on to
pro baseball where he roamed the outfield for the Indians, Red Sox, and
others until 1967. HB Bernardi completed the fine running game and graduated
to the Bears where he played both ways for three seasons. Sam Salerno was
the muscle up-front, an effective tackle who utilized his skills as the
conference heavyweight wrestling champion. Injuries took down six of the
eleven starters resulting in a disappointing 6-4 mark for '55.
Tackle Salerno, FB Bayuk, and tailback Bob Stransky were joined by
pass-catching end Frank Clarke, a fine 210-pound receiver who was a bit of a
liability defensively. Clarke was the first African-American player for the
Buffs, followed shortly thereafter by John Wooten.
