California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

When one athlete from a California sports team is inducted into the hall of fame, you know that the team was at least okay. But when there are five members of a Vulcan football team in the hall of fame, you know that team was excellent.
“I played with (Elmo) Natali, (Steve) Tselepis, (Mitch) Bailey and (Duke) O’Hara, who are all in the hall of fame,” said Leslie Nagg, a member of the second class of inductees. “It is just about my whole team from 1951.”

Nagg was an offensive center and sometimes a defensive linebacker for the 1951, 1942 and 1956 football teams.
“When they got into a little bit of difficulty, I went in as a linebacker. I played both ways,” Nagg said.

The 1951 team was the only group of guys in Cal history that made it to a bowl game; they played in the Pythian Bowl, which was a predecessor to today’s Peach Bowl.

That Vulcan football squad, aided by Nagg’s skills, held their opponents to an average of only 9.2 points per game while Cal scored an average of 22.4 points. They ended the season with an impressive 7 and 2 record.

“It was quite an experience playing for the 1951 team,” Nagg said.

And playing in the Pythian Bowl ended up to be an experience that many players, including Nagg, will never forget, even though they ended up losing a close game.

“It was exciting because at that time I had never flown in an airplane before, and that was my first airplane ride,” Nagg said. “It was so cold that we didn’t practice. We just fooled around in the gym.”

During his time at Cal, Nagg was an all-conference and an honorable mention all-sate player, and he played football for three years.

Nagg began his playing days at Brownsville High School where he participated in both football and track. In football, he earned many accolades such as Outstanding Senior Athlete, an all-Fayette County player and a member of the all Big Five.

Nagg came to Cal in January 1951 after first trying things out at Waynesburg.

“I took the semester off because I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do,” Nagg explained. “I went to Waynesburg and didn’t particularly like that. I came to California to get started, and I liked it.

“I knew some of the people there, and Mr. Sepsi and my high school coach talked me into going there. So, I think that I came to California because of the coach and the proximity to my house,” Nagg continued.
Nagg volunteered for the draft, left school and went to the Army in 1953. He was there until 1955 and returned to Cal that same year.

“We were exempt (from the draft) because we were in college, but everyone I knew was going, so I went down and volunteered too,” Nagg said. “I was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Korean War had ended and rather than send us home, they sent us to North Carolina.”

Nagg graduated from Cal in 1957 with a degree in secondary education geography and a minor in history. He then went on to coach junior high and high school football and track teams at East Huntington Township, which is now Southmoreland.

From that job, Nagg moved to Delaware where he is now a guidance counselor and an administrator in Newark. To be a counselor, Nagg had to get a masters degree, which he got from West Virginia University. He also has taken more classes along with counseling high school students.

“I have gone to the University of Delaware, so I now have my masters plus 45,” Nagg said. “For the pay, it wasn’t worth going back to get the rest of the doctorate.”

All of Nagg’s hard work is paying off soon. At the end of this school year, he will be retiring.

“This is my last year, and I am looking forward to retiring,” Nagg said.

Also, Nagg’s hard work efforts on the football field have paid off for him, although he said that he is surprised that he was selected to be in the hall of fame.

“I am thrilled to be there, and excited about it,” Nagg said. “I am glad they asked me to be in it. It was a total surprise.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at California, and all of the people that I met. With the football team, it was quite an experience in 1951, 52 and 56; there was more camaraderie than anything else,” Nagg said. “It was a long time ago.”
Leslie Nagg was the epitome of the old-time, hard-nosed football player and was a dominating two-way lineman for the Vulcans in the 1950's. Nagg was the starting offensive center and a defensive linebacker on the 1951 football team which went 7-2 overall and advanced to the Pythian Bowl. After the 1951 season, Nagg was an all-conference selection as well as honorable-mention all-state pick from Pennsylvania schools at all levels. Aided by Nagg's superior line play, the '51 Vulcans outscored their opponents by an average of 22.4-9.2 a game. Nagg also paved the way for Cal Hall of Famer Elmo Natali to rush for 1,035 yards in 1951, which remains the only 1,000 yard single season rushing performance in school history. Defensively, Nagg helped the Vulcans hold four opponents to a touchdown or less, and the most points allowed by the '51 squad in one game was 13. Overall, Nagg played on the Cal football team in 1951, 1952, and 1956. Nagg served in the United States Army from 1953 through 1955 before returning to Cal.

Originally from Brownsville, Pa, and a graduate of Brownsville High School, Nagg was a teacher, counselor and football and track coach at East Huntington High School (Southmoreland) before accepting similar positions in Newark, Delaware. He resides in Newark with his wife, Emma, and the couple has two children- Darcy and Roak.