A
      Rich
      O'le
      Pigskin:
      The
      St.
      Dunstan’s
      Saints
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Did
      oe
      know
      that
      ad
      a
      foot-
     
     
      ball
      team
      up
      until
      a
      little
      over
      two
      decades
     
     
      ago?
      Recently
      a
      friend
      of
      mine,
      knowing
      I
     
     
      was
      a
      big
      fan
      of
      Canadian
      football,
      started
     
     
      talking
      about
      the
      "Saints",
      the
      old
      Football
     
     
      team
      of
      St.
      Dunstan's
      that
      eventually
      became
     
     
      a
      member
      of
      the
      UPEI
      Panther
      sports
      family.
     
     
      After
      looking
      for
      ideas
      on
      university
      history
     
     
      for
      an
      article
      it
      dawned
      on
      me
      that
      maybe
      I
     
     
      was
      not
      the
      only
      person
      who
      didn't
      know
     
     
      about
      the
      Saints
      and
      their
      colourful
      past.
      So
     
     
      thus
      I
      bring
      you
      a
      non-comprehensive
      look
     
     
      into
      a
      sports
      team
      you
      will
      probably
      never
     
     
      see
      play
      a
      game,
      although
      you
      will
      wish
      you
     
     
      had.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      1950's
      support
      for
      rugby
      was
     
     
      waning
      as
      the
      popularity
      of
      "Canadian
      style"
     
     
      football
      became
      more
      popular,
      this
      ultimately
     
     
      lead
      to
      the
      conversion
      of
      the
      Rugby
      team
      to
     
     
      the
      Saints
      football
      team.
      In
      1957
      with
      Coach
     
     
      A.J.
      MacAdam,
      who
      had
      no
      prior
      football
     
     
      background
      but
      a
      good
      amount
      of
      rugby
     
     
      experience
      and
      three
      students
      from
      out
      of
     
     
      province
      with
      some
      experience,
      the
      football
     
     
      team
      was
      formed
      and
      in
      an
      informal
      inter-
     
     
      collegiate
      season
      went
      47-0,
      42-0,
      39-0,
      55-0
     
     
      and
      7-0.
      You
      have
      to
      admit
      that
      is
      pretty
     
     
      impressive
      when
      you
      consider
      that
      their
     
     
      games
      were
      not
      only
      played
      against
      Prince
      of
     
     
      Wales
      College,
      that
      unfortunately
      never
      fair
     
     
      very
      well,
      but
      larger
      teams
      from
      schools
      such
     
     
      as
      UNB,
      St.
      Francis
      Xavier
      and
      Acadia.
     
    

    
     
      Their
      first
      official
      season
      started
      well
     
     
      enough
      in
      fall
      1958-59
      with
      yet
      another
      shut
     
     
      out
      against
      Prince
      of
      Wales
      College
      (47-0)
     
     
      and
      followed
      with
      a
      3-2
      season
      which
      saw
     
     
      them
      suffer
      two
      brutal
      defeats,
      to
      both
      UNB
     
     
      and
      Mount
      Allison
      0-25
      and
      7-71
      respective-
     
     
      ly.
     
    

    
     
      The
      high
      scoring
      in
      a
      lot
      of
      these
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      games
      was
      not
      the
      only
      thing
      that
     
     
      was
      brutal
      about
      the
      sport.
      An
      excerpt
      from
      a
     
     
      game
      summary
      in
      the
      old
      student
      newspaper
     
     
      Red
      &
      White
      against
      the
      UNB
      "Red
     
     
      Bombers"
      (There
      is
      a
      team
      name
      for
      the
     
     
      beginning
      of
      the
      cold
      war)
      in
      1959
      reads:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .:page
      [6]
      September
      22,
      2003:.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "The
      Saints
      lost
      three
      men
      in
      this
      game
     
     
      because
      of
      injuries.
      Parker
      Lund
      suffered
      a
     
     
      broken
      leg
      and
      Ian
      MacDonald
      badly
      bruised
     
     
      ribs.
      Don
      LeClair
      was
      sidelined
      with
      a
      bro-
     
     
      ken
      jaw
      and
      all
      three
      were
      lost
      for
      the
      rest
      of
     
     
      the
      season"
     
    

    
     
      This
      was
      all
      that
      was
      said
      about
      the
     
     
      injuries,
      if
      these
      injuries
      had
      happened
      in
      a
     
     
      game
      in
      any
      sport
      today
      there
      would
      be
      a
     
     
      national
      inquiry.
      There
      is
      something
      beautiful
     
     
      about
      the
      old
      games
      of
      football
      were
      men
     
     
      went
      out,
      with
      a
      lot
      less
      padding,
      and
      tried
     
     
      there
      best
      to
      ram
      a
      football
      down
      the
      other
     
     
      teams
      throat.
      It
      was
      brutal
      and
      savage,
      sports
     
     
      today
      seem
      to
      lack
      the
      same
      kind
      of
      intensi-
     
     
      ty.
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      not
      to
      say
      that
      sports
      today
     
     
      aren't
      intense,
      I
      have
      enjoyed
      too
      many
      bas-
     
     
      ketball
      and
      a
      few
      rugby
      games
      to
      say
      that,
     
     
      only
      that
      there
      was
      a
      different
      sort
      of
      feel
      in
     
     
      the
      air
      when
      you
      see
      any
      of
      these
      old
      games
     
    
   
   
    
     
      on
      tape
      from
      the
      CFL
      or
      even
      NFL
      when
      you
     
    
   
   
    
     
      team
      be
      kept
      for
      at
      least
      two
      more
      years
      but
     
     
      pointed
      to
      the
      disappearance
      traditional
      mar-
     
     
      itime
      opponents
      as
      universities
      either
      cut
     
     
      teams
      or
      teams
      such
      as
      St.
      Marys,
      Acadia,
     
     
      And
      St.
      Francis
      Xavier
      who
      were
      then
      start-
     
     
      ing
      to
      look
      at
      a
      more
      national
      view
      of
      the
      |
     
     
      sport.
      Regardless
      the
      old
      Saints
      and
      then
     
     
      Panthers
      never
      had
      those
      last
      to
      years
      and
      the
     
     
      team
      was
      disbanded
      for
      the
      time
      being.
     
    

    
     
      The
      time
      seemed
      to
      be
      right
      as
      game
     
     
      attendance
      was
      down
      and
      even
      the
      sports
     
     
      editor
      of
      the
      then
      student
      newspaper
      The
      Sun
     
     
      seemed
      to
      agree
      that
      the
      time
      had
      come.
      I
     
     
      wish
      I
      had
      seen
      a
      few
      of
      those
      games
      I
      am
     
     
      sure
      they
      would
      have
      been
      quiet
      the
      sight.
     
    

    
     
      If
      you
      are
      interested
      in
      learning
      more
     
     
      about
      the
      team
      I
      would
      suggest
      asking
      any
     
     
      old
      alumni
      you
      know
      or
      go
      through
      the
      old
     
     
      student
      newspaper
      archives..if
      nothing
      else
     
     
      they
      serve
      as
      very
      fun
      reading
      as
      you
      can
     
     
      catch
      up
      on
      all
      the
      latest
      etiquette.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      watch
      the
      old
      Green
     
     
      Bay
      Packers.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Saints
      went
     
     
      on
      to
      send
      two
      big
     
     
      names
      to
      the
      CFL
      these
     
     
      players
      from
      "back
      in
     
     
      the
      day"included
      Jim
     
     
      Foley
      who
      became
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wide
      receiver
      with
      the
      CITY
      OF
      CHARLOTTETOWN
     
    

    
     
      Ottawa
      Rough
      Riders
     
    

    
     
      and
      won
      the
      Most
      Mayor
      George
      MacDonald
     
    

    
     
      Outstanding
      Canadian
      &
     
    

    
     
      in
      Football
      in
      1975
      and
      .
     
    

    
     
      Vernon
      Pahl
      who
      went
      Charlottetown
      City
      Council
     
    

    
     
      on
      to
      play
      with
      the
     
    

    
     
      ee
      BEST
      OF
      LUCK
      TO
      ALL
      UNIVERSITY
      -
     
     
      Unfortunately
      STUDENTS
      DURING
      THE
      2003-2004
      SCHOOL
     
    

    
     
      the
      in
      1980
      the
      _
      YEAR!
     
    

    
     
      University
      was
      looking
     
    

    
     
      at
      hard
      times
      and
      com-
      We
      wish
      you
      every
      success
     
    

    
     
      missioned
      the
      Athletic
     
    

    
     
      Board
      of
      UPEI
     
    

    
     
      Report1980
      which
      rec-
     
    

    
     
      ommended
      that
      the