1951 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

1951 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	4–5 (2–4 OVC)
Head coach	Jack Clayton (4th season)
Captain	Lawrence "Butch" Gilbert
Seasons ←  1950 1952  →

1951 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Murray State $	5	–	1	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Eastern Kentucky	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Marshall	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Evansville	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Tennessee Tech	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Western Kentucky	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Morehead State	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1951 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky State College (now known as Western Kentucky University) as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Jack Clayton, the Hilltoppers compiled an overall record of 4–5 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, placing sixth in the OVC. ^[1] The team's captain was Lawrence "Butch" Gilbert. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22		Bethel (TN) *	Bowling Green, KY	W 56–0
September 29	7:30 p.m.	Evansville	Bowling Green, KY	W 41–7	3,500	[3] [4] [5]
October 6		at Marshall	Huntington, WV	L 21–35
October 13	7:30 p.m.	Morehead State	Bowling Green, KY	W 20–7		[6] [7] [8]
October 20	2:00 p.m.	Tennessee Tech	Bowling Green, KY	L 7–14	4,500	[9] [10] [11] [12]
October 27		at Memphis State *	Crump Stadium Memphis, TN	L 0–38		[13]
November 3		Delta State *	Bowling Green, KY	W 46–6
November 10		at Eastern Kentucky	Richmond, KY (rivalry)	L 7–31		[14]
November 17		at Murray State	Cutchin Stadium Murray, KY (rivalry)	L 6–23	4,000	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Central time

^[16]

References

1. "2022 OVC Football Media Guide". Ohio Valley Conference. August 19, 2022. p. 68. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
2. "WKU Football 2021 Media Guide" (PDF). Bowling Green, Kentucky: Western Kentucky University. p. 175. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
3. Borrone, Bert (September 28, 1951). "Saturday Meeting With Aces Is "Big" Game For Tops". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. p. 11. Retrieved March 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
4. Borrone, Bert (September 28, 1951). "Survivor To (continued)". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. p. 14. Retrieved March 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
5. Robertson, Bill (September 30, 1951). "Western Scores In Every Quarter To Rout Aces, 41 To 7". The Sunday Courier and Press . Evansville, Indiana. p. 1C. Retrieved March 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
6. "Toppers Host Revenge-Minded Morehead Tomorrow". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. October 12, 1951. p. 11. Retrieved February 29, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
7. "Western Comes From Behind To Take Morehead 20-7". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. October 14, 1951. p. 8. Retrieved February 29, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
8. "Feix Passes (continued)". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. October 14, 1951. p. 12. Retrieved February 29, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
9. "Western Opposes Tech In Homecoming Saturday". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. October 19, 1951. p. 11. Retrieved March 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
10. "Toppers Rate (continued)". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. October 19, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved March 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
11. "Tennessee Tech Wrecks Topper Title Hopes By 14-7". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. October 21, 1951. p. 8. Retrieved March 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
12. "Eagles Passes (continued)". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. October 21, 1951. p. 12. Retrieved March 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
13. "Western falls to Memphis". The Paducah Sun. October 28, 1951. Retrieved September 21, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Second-Half Eastern Surge Buries Western By 31-7". The Park City Daily News . Bowling Green, Kentucky. November 11, 1951. p. 10. Retrieved February 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
15. "Murray Conquers Western Kentucky By Score of 23-6". The Owensboro Messenger . Owensboro, Kentucky. Associated Press. November 18, 1951. p. 10. Retrieved December 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com .
16. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 17, 2022.