Clarion's 1952 football team had something special ... Yes it had great players like Alex Sandusky, Dave Bevevino and John Lovre, and a legendary coach in Waldo Tippin ... But the 1952 Clarion football team was made up of special people. Those people turned 1952 into "A Perfect Season". We honor that team today and those who played a part in that magical season. Below is a small synopsis of each game in 1952.
CLARION 20 EDINBORO 0: A crowd of 700 fans watched the Golden Eagles top Edinboro 20-0 at Clarion Field on Sept. 27th. Fullback Pete Carsito opened the scoring with 2-yard run and Ted Wisniewski added the PAT for a 7-0 lead in the first. QB Dave Bevevino tossed a 22-yard td to John Lovre before halftime and a 14-0 lead. The final td came on a Bevevino to Ed Lendenski 7-yard pass.
CLARION 25 St. VINCENT 0: QB Dave Bevevino passed for three td's and ran for one as the Eagles went on the road and defeated St. Vincent 25-0. Bevevino tossed td's of 33 and 20 yards to John Lovre, plus a 77-yarder to Alex Sandusky before running in from 1-yard out to cap the scoring.
CLARION 26 THIEL 6: Before a Homecoming Day crowd of nearly 2,000, Clarion celebrated with a 26-6 win over Thiel on October 11. The Eagles totaled 348 yards of offense while holding thiel to 196. Bevevino tossed a 21-yard td pass to Lovre in the first quarter, then the duo followed with 5 yard td pass and a 13-0 halftime lead. Howard Reasinger also scored rushing td's of 5 and 37 years to cap the Eagle scoring.
CLARION 26 BROCKPORT 6: Four different players scored td's as host Clarion ran its record to 4-0 with a 26-6 route of Brockport, N.Y. Dean Casaday scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter and Wisniewski's PAT gave Clarion a 7-0 lead. George Czap scampered 27 yards in the second for a td and Clairon led 13-0 at the half. Early in the third Bevevino hit John Lovre with a perfect 74-yard td pass, then Bevevino came right back with a 41-yard td strike to Alex Sandusky and the Eagles led 26-0. Clarion had 316 offensive yards while Brocjport was limited to 208.
CLARION 21 INDIANA 12: The Eagles traveled to Indiana and trailed the Indians 12-6 at halftime but rallied for a key 21-12 win moving Clarion's overall record to 5-0. Down 6-0, Bevevino passed 85-yards to Lovre to put Clarion ahead 7-6. Indiana led 12-6 at halftime, but Clarion's John Lovre came up with the big defensive play, blocking a quick kick by Indiana's Branish and the Eagles recovered on the Indian 1. Two plays later Pete Caristo dove over from the one and a 14-12 lead. The Eagles put the lid on the game when the Clarion defense, led by Bob Shaw, Joe Devey and John Toth, sacked the Indian qb and Shaw recovered in the endzone for Clarion's final td..
CLARION 34 CALIFORNIA 0: Clarion ran their win streak to six with a 34-0 pounding of California at Clarion Field. Clarion bolted to a 14-0 first quarter lead when Bevevino tossed a 1-yard td to Alex Sandusky, then George Czap bolted 16 yards on the ground for another score. Bevevino tossed two td passes to John Lovre (56 & 4 yards) and one more to Ed Lendenski for a 34-0 final. Cal was held to 79 yards of offense.
CLARION 12 SLIPPERY ROCK 0: Clarion jumped in front early and made their 12-0 lead stand up against the Rockets. The win put Clarion at 7-0. The Eagles marched 74-yards in the first quarter and scored on a Bevevino to Sandusky 8-yard pass. In the second halfback Bill Eustice ran 6-yards to paydirt to clinch a Clarion victory. Clarion outgained SR 316-138 and held SR to only 20 rushing yards in the game.
CLARION 14 GENEVA 0: Clarion traveled to Beaver Falls, Pa. on November 15th and the Eagles completed an undefeated regular season with a 14-0 win over Geneva. Dave Bevevino and John Lovre combined for all the scoring in the first quarter. Clarion jumped to a 7-0 lead when Bevevino hit Lovre on a 15-yard scoring pass, then later in the the first they hooked up on a 22-yard scoring strike. Clarion's fine defense did the rest.
CLARION 13 EAST CAROLINA 6: The Eagles were extended a bid to play in the Lions Bowl in Salisbury, N.C. on December 13th and Head coach Waldo S. Tippin and the Golden Eagles responded with an impressive 13-6 win over East Carolina. Held at Catawba College Stadium, Clarion took a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter when Dave Bevevino tossed a 39-yard td pass to Alex Sandusky. East Carolina tied the game in the first quarter when QB Sandy Siler scored on a qb sneak. In the third quarter Clarion won the game with a 68-yard scoring drive. Halfback George Czap skirted right end for 7 yards and the game winning touchdown. Wisniewski's PAT gave Clarion a 13-6 lead and the defense did the rest. Jim McCullough intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter and Sam Carnabucci intercepted with only seconds left to preserve the win. Dave Bevevino was voted the Lions Bowl "MVP".
CLARION NOTES: George Czap and Bob Shaw captained the 1952 team... Assistant coaches included Bill Sheridan and Tom Carnahan... Bevevino, Bob Shaw and John Lovre were named to the "Little All-America" team... Bevevino, Shaw, Sandusky, Lovre and John Coyne were All-District .
1952 Clarion Results
(9-0; Lions Bowl Champions)
Cl Opp. Opp.
20 Edinboro 0
25 at St. Vincent 0
26 Thiel 6
26 Brockport 6
21 at Indiana 12
34 California 0
12 at Slippery Rock 0
14 Geneva 0
13 East Carolina* 6
(* Lions Bowl - Salisbury, N.C.)
