University at Buffalo associate vice president John Della Contrada announced that yesterday UB Football legend Willie Evans has passed away. Evans is known throughout the UB Athletics community for his endeavors as a member of the 1958 football team.
In 1958, the University at Buffalo went 8-1 in football and received a bid to the Tangerine Bowl against Florida State. However, there was one condition: The Bulls were not to play with their two African American Players due to rules stated by the Orlando High School Athletic Association. In a unanimous team decision, the Bulls rejected the bid because it wasn’t right to play without Evans and defensive end Mike Wilson for that reason.