Guyton, Perkins, Moore, Samuels Break Barriers in 1st Half-Century
2/1/2021 1:38:00 PM | Football, General, Men's Basketball
Editor's Note: Each Monday and Thursday throughout February, Cal Poly Athletics will celebrate Black History Month with a series of posts on GoPoly.com.
Sam Guyton is believed to have been the first Black student-athlete to compete with Cal Poly, playing football and baseball from 1919-21. After the school became a college, Basil Perkins played for the Mustang basketball team in 1935-36, followed by Willard Moore in 1945-46 (also in basketball) and then Marshall Samuels (Team MVP in football) in the fall of 1946.
Below, we highlight each of their careers:
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Marshall Samuels moved from San Antonio, Texas, to San Luis Obispo, Calif., because he wanted to attend a college which offered a course in air conditioning.
He arrived at Cal Poly in September 1946, initially with no intention of playing football, but, "I watched the boys work out for a few days and decided to try out for the team," he later said.
Samuels (pictured above and at right) made the squad, was listed second on the depth chart at defensive tackle early on, quickly moved up to the front of the line and eventually earned Team MVP honors.
He was selected for the top honor through a vote by his teammates, receiving the Clarence Brown Award, commemorated by a gold watch, in December 1946.
Later in his career, Samuels was also voted as a team captain in 1949 and went on to earn All-California Collegiate Athletic Association recognition.
Said the 1950 Cal Poly physical education (today, kinesiology) graduate, after he was told at the time he was the first African-American Mustang football player: "I'm glad I came out for the team."
That's the story of Cal Poly's first Black football player since the school became a four-year institution prior to the 1941 season, according to a Telegram-Tribune article in October 1946.
At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Samuels insisted that his 1946 Mustang teammates call him Marsh, leading to his nickname, "Mighty Marsh," as he helped the Mustangs coached by Howie O'Daniels to a 6-2-1 record.
He also competed in track and field, posting a season-best mark of 42 feet, 3 inches in the shot put as a freshman in 1947, before tallying a career-best mark of 47-9 in 1950. Samuels also threw the discus, breaking the school record in March 1950 during a year in which he was a team co-captain, with a toss of 140 feet, 5.5 inches in a dual meet victory over Saint Mary's.
Samuels placed second in the shot put at the CCAA Championships as a sophomore with a mark of 46-10, recorded another runner-up finish as a junior at 45-3.25 and fourth as a senior at 45-2.5 en route to also earning the MVP award for track and field.
Meanwhile in 1948, Samuels also supervised the "Knothole Gang," which allowed local children to attend Cal Poly baseball games free of charge the entire season.
Prior to coming to Cal Poly, Samuels played football for three years at Phillis Wheatley High School in San Antonio, then entered the U.S. Army Air Corps, stationed at Randolph Field just outside his hometown. He played on the Randolph Air Force Base football team and once intercepted a Tillotson College pass, returning it 40 yards for a touchdown in front of over 35,000 fans.
Samuels earned a tryout with the San Francisco 49ers in September 1950 before a brief stint in the Canadian Football League.
Sam Guyton
The first Black Cal Poly student to play football since the school was founded in 1901 is believed to be Sam Guyton, in the falls of 1919 and 1920, as a left end and flanker.
First classes offered for an enrollment of 20 students at California Polytechnic School were held beginning on Oct. 1, 1903. Cal Poly became a junior college in 1928, a three-year school in 1933, and four-year courses were established in 1940.
Guyton, from Pacific Grove, Calif., also played baseball as a center fielder for the Mustangs in 1920 and was a member of the Nabisco's, or California All-Stars, a traveling baseball team, as a third baseman.
In addition, Guyton also played snare drums in band and was a singer with the Glee Club. He passed away in 1983.
Basil Perkins
Basil Perkins did it all during his short stay on the Cal Poly campus.
He came to San Luis Obispo as an All-Los Angeles City center in 1935 from Polytechnic High School, where he played in the Los Angeles Metro League.
At Cal Poly, not only did Perkins play basketball, but he also was a standout high jumper, officiated San Luis Obispo city league basketball games and exhibited hogs with Future Farmers of America.
Perkins scored 51 points, fourth-most on the team, to help the 1935-36 squad to a 9-7 record inside Crandall Gym, playing as a center and guard for head coach Howie O'Daniels.
While he didn't enter many track and field meets at Cal Poly, the Telegram-Tribune noted that he was the winner in the high jump in a March 11, 1936 meet at Cal Poly and once scaled 6 feet, 11 inches as a senior in high school. Additionally, he even participated in a boxing match in November 1935 in Crandall Gym, resulting in a draw with Manual Garcia.
In addition to FFA, Perkins was a member of the Heron Hall Club, the Boots and Spurs Club and Basketball Strips. He was one of several Cal Poly students who exhibited a carload of light-market hogs at the 1936 Annual Great Western Livestock Show held in Denver.
Willard Moore
After World War II, Willard Moore traveled from his home in Kansas City to play basketball for the Mustangs.
He was a center on the 1945-46 squad under head coach Robert A. Mott and, in his debut against Fresno State in January 1946, scored 11 points. Moore also tallied a career-high 15 points in a game versus the House of David and finished the year with a team-leading 144 points.
During his second season with the Mustangs, however, the 6-2 post player injured a foot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association opener against UC Santa Barbara and had to sit out the rest of the season. He scored 13 points prior to the injury.
Note: Alumni, fans or community members with further information or photographs prior to the late-1940s are encouraged to please email any historical contributions to eburdick@calpoly.edu. Information pertaining to Sam Guyton was contributed by Cal Poly historical researcher and author Shereese Cutler and Kennedy Library Archives coordinator Laura Sorvetti.
For more stories celebrating Black History Month, continuing on Thursday with how to support Cutler's upcoming book, be sure to check back at GoPoly.com throughout the month ahead!
Sam Guyton is believed to have been the first Black student-athlete to compete with Cal Poly, playing football and baseball from 1919-21. After the school became a college, Basil Perkins played for the Mustang basketball team in 1935-36, followed by Willard Moore in 1945-46 (also in basketball) and then Marshall Samuels (Team MVP in football) in the fall of 1946.
Below, we highlight each of their careers:
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Marshall Samuels moved from San Antonio, Texas, to San Luis Obispo, Calif., because he wanted to attend a college which offered a course in air conditioning.
He arrived at Cal Poly in September 1946, initially with no intention of playing football, but, "I watched the boys work out for a few days and decided to try out for the team," he later said.
Samuels (pictured above and at right) made the squad, was listed second on the depth chart at defensive tackle early on, quickly moved up to the front of the line and eventually earned Team MVP honors. He was selected for the top honor through a vote by his teammates, receiving the Clarence Brown Award, commemorated by a gold watch, in December 1946.
Later in his career, Samuels was also voted as a team captain in 1949 and went on to earn All-California Collegiate Athletic Association recognition.
Said the 1950 Cal Poly physical education (today, kinesiology) graduate, after he was told at the time he was the first African-American Mustang football player: "I'm glad I came out for the team."
That's the story of Cal Poly's first Black football player since the school became a four-year institution prior to the 1941 season, according to a Telegram-Tribune article in October 1946.
At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Samuels insisted that his 1946 Mustang teammates call him Marsh, leading to his nickname, "Mighty Marsh," as he helped the Mustangs coached by Howie O'Daniels to a 6-2-1 record.
He also competed in track and field, posting a season-best mark of 42 feet, 3 inches in the shot put as a freshman in 1947, before tallying a career-best mark of 47-9 in 1950. Samuels also threw the discus, breaking the school record in March 1950 during a year in which he was a team co-captain, with a toss of 140 feet, 5.5 inches in a dual meet victory over Saint Mary's. Samuels placed second in the shot put at the CCAA Championships as a sophomore with a mark of 46-10, recorded another runner-up finish as a junior at 45-3.25 and fourth as a senior at 45-2.5 en route to also earning the MVP award for track and field.
Meanwhile in 1948, Samuels also supervised the "Knothole Gang," which allowed local children to attend Cal Poly baseball games free of charge the entire season.
Prior to coming to Cal Poly, Samuels played football for three years at Phillis Wheatley High School in San Antonio, then entered the U.S. Army Air Corps, stationed at Randolph Field just outside his hometown. He played on the Randolph Air Force Base football team and once intercepted a Tillotson College pass, returning it 40 yards for a touchdown in front of over 35,000 fans.
Samuels earned a tryout with the San Francisco 49ers in September 1950 before a brief stint in the Canadian Football League.
Sam Guyton
Football and Baseball, 1919-21
The first Black Cal Poly student to play football since the school was founded in 1901 is believed to be Sam Guyton, in the falls of 1919 and 1920, as a left end and flanker. First classes offered for an enrollment of 20 students at California Polytechnic School were held beginning on Oct. 1, 1903. Cal Poly became a junior college in 1928, a three-year school in 1933, and four-year courses were established in 1940.
Guyton, from Pacific Grove, Calif., also played baseball as a center fielder for the Mustangs in 1920 and was a member of the Nabisco's, or California All-Stars, a traveling baseball team, as a third baseman.
In addition, Guyton also played snare drums in band and was a singer with the Glee Club. He passed away in 1983.
Basil Perkins
Basketball, 1935-36
Basil Perkins did it all during his short stay on the Cal Poly campus. He came to San Luis Obispo as an All-Los Angeles City center in 1935 from Polytechnic High School, where he played in the Los Angeles Metro League.
At Cal Poly, not only did Perkins play basketball, but he also was a standout high jumper, officiated San Luis Obispo city league basketball games and exhibited hogs with Future Farmers of America.
Perkins scored 51 points, fourth-most on the team, to help the 1935-36 squad to a 9-7 record inside Crandall Gym, playing as a center and guard for head coach Howie O'Daniels.
While he didn't enter many track and field meets at Cal Poly, the Telegram-Tribune noted that he was the winner in the high jump in a March 11, 1936 meet at Cal Poly and once scaled 6 feet, 11 inches as a senior in high school. Additionally, he even participated in a boxing match in November 1935 in Crandall Gym, resulting in a draw with Manual Garcia.
In addition to FFA, Perkins was a member of the Heron Hall Club, the Boots and Spurs Club and Basketball Strips. He was one of several Cal Poly students who exhibited a carload of light-market hogs at the 1936 Annual Great Western Livestock Show held in Denver.
Willard Moore
Basketball, 1945-47 
After World War II, Willard Moore traveled from his home in Kansas City to play basketball for the Mustangs. He was a center on the 1945-46 squad under head coach Robert A. Mott and, in his debut against Fresno State in January 1946, scored 11 points. Moore also tallied a career-high 15 points in a game versus the House of David and finished the year with a team-leading 144 points.
During his second season with the Mustangs, however, the 6-2 post player injured a foot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association opener against UC Santa Barbara and had to sit out the rest of the season. He scored 13 points prior to the injury.
Note: Alumni, fans or community members with further information or photographs prior to the late-1940s are encouraged to please email any historical contributions to eburdick@calpoly.edu. Information pertaining to Sam Guyton was contributed by Cal Poly historical researcher and author Shereese Cutler and Kennedy Library Archives coordinator Laura Sorvetti.
For more stories celebrating Black History Month, continuing on Thursday with how to support Cutler's upcoming book, be sure to check back at GoPoly.com throughout the month ahead!
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