Pete Cignetti ’40, number 12, scores on a three-yard run in the final quarter of the game (left), according to the caption preserved with this photo, though it is unclear where in the pileup Cignetti landed. The Eagles’ victory against the Crusaders earned the team a spot in the 1940 Cotton Bowl, BC’s first bowl appearance, where they lost to Clemson 3-6.

The 1939 season is also significant because it featured Lou Montgomery ’41, the first African American to play football for BC, and one of the team’s stars (far left). The bowl game marked a shameful moment in the history of BC football. Many southern colleges—including Clemson—stipulated in their contracts that their teams could not be required to take the field against black players. When the BC team traveled to Dallas, they left Montgomery behind.