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Posted on 3/30/15 at 11:30 pm to Masterag
I would be a bit surprised initially and then pull out my csb during the appropriate gatherings.
Posted on 3/30/15 at 11:31 pm to Masterag
Jackie Walker, Masterag. This is old hat to us. Jackie (LB) was known/out on campus and in Knoxville looooooooong before Michael Sam was a twinkle in his Daddy's eye. He was also one of the best LBs to ever play in the SEC. Bear Bryant designed an entire play around him where two Bama OLs would stand him up and the third would beat the hell out of him. One of those, Bama's center was voted GOAT NFL Center of all time. Jackie never quit tho.
--First Black SEC ALL-AMERICAN
--First Black SEC Team Captain
--One of two Black players to integrate Legion Field/Bama (where TSIO was played). This was BEFORE Southern Cal played them and somehow got the credit for what we'd already done.
--Although UK gets credit for the very first black player, UT's Jackie Walker and another teammate played in the Deep South not just at home which was BIG at the time.
--One of the very first black SEC players at ANY position
--And overall badass.
He was drafted even tho' it was known he was gay. He was cut (they said because he was a tweener at LB) but Jackie never believed it nor do I. FWIW, this is why a lot of UT and Bammer fans are snarky about Sam. As good as Sam was he was not the first (pisses me off he got credit and Walker has been forgotten) nor was Sam a better player despite being good.
And on given what Jackie did to trailblaze on other fronts like integration, it's a godblessed shame he's been forgotten by so many.
--First Black SEC ALL-AMERICAN
--First Black SEC Team Captain
--One of two Black players to integrate Legion Field/Bama (where TSIO was played). This was BEFORE Southern Cal played them and somehow got the credit for what we'd already done.
--Although UK gets credit for the very first black player, UT's Jackie Walker and another teammate played in the Deep South not just at home which was BIG at the time.
--One of the very first black SEC players at ANY position
--And overall badass.
He was drafted even tho' it was known he was gay. He was cut (they said because he was a tweener at LB) but Jackie never believed it nor do I. FWIW, this is why a lot of UT and Bammer fans are snarky about Sam. As good as Sam was he was not the first (pisses me off he got credit and Walker has been forgotten) nor was Sam a better player despite being good.
And on given what Jackie did to trailblaze on other fronts like integration, it's a godblessed shame he's been forgotten by so many.
This post was edited on 3/31/15 at 12:00 am
Posted on 3/30/15 at 11:32 pm to Masterag
This would be an Aggy thread...
Posted on 3/30/15 at 11:32 pm to Masterag
so who was it? he obviously doesnt GAF if people know if they are introducing themselves as married.
Posted on 3/30/15 at 11:53 pm to Masterag
I'd tell him "why is it that you really think it is important that I and everyone else know that you put your mouth on other men's penises?"
Posted on 3/30/15 at 11:54 pm to Masterag
quote:
What would you do if one of your guys came out? Support him? Shun him? Indifferent?
quote:
It depends how hot he is
Posted on 3/31/15 at 12:20 am to Masterag
How is he one of your players?
Posted on 3/31/15 at 12:40 am to Masterag
quote:
Met a really cool ex football player not named Michael Sam who started on an SEC team in his day this past weekend. Didn't know who he was, then we got to talking about football and he was pretty knowledgable. Come to find out he played in college and pro for a couple years before quitting.
Had he not introduced the guy he was with as his husband, I'd have never known. Especially considering they both were D1 athletes.
What would you do if one of your guys came out? Support him? Shun him? Indifferent?
Wouldn't matter ... so-long as he is a decent human being.
Mizzou is not gay because of Michael Sam. Mizzou is gay because of the mizzourites.
You cannot force a human being to love or not love something or some thing for one reason or another. To each his own.
Posted on 3/31/15 at 12:44 am to Prof
Interesting stories as always. To be gay and black back then, he must've had some strong will. I give him props for not going insane with not only racism, but homophobia to deal with as well. Wow.
Posted on 3/31/15 at 12:53 am to Masterag
Ole Miss is actually expecting several players to come out after the 2015 season. Treadwell, Nkemdiche, and Tunsil are all potential first-rounders.
Posted on 3/31/15 at 12:54 am to MC5601
quote:
This would be an Aggy thread...
I guess the stereotype is real.
Posted on 3/31/15 at 2:02 am to MC5601
quote:
This would be an Aggy thread...
Incredibly original and unexpected. I did not see this coming, I mean completely blindsided by a Mack truck full of originality.
Posted on 3/31/15 at 2:06 am to Masterag
I've actually met more gay UF fans than aTm fans
Posted on 3/31/15 at 2:42 am to Masterag
quote:
Interesting stories as always. To be gay and black back then, he must've had some strong will. I give him props for not going insane with not only racism, but homophobia to deal with as well. Wow.
He was amazing. I absolutely have loved learning his story!
I think it helped him that he was from Knoxville and never knew a segregated school and was already a hometown hero (his brother was there for the transition and wound up at an HBCU to play football. But East, Tennessee was the first to integrate by many years (we have a very different racial history than the rest of the South and nation) and have typically been pretty mellow. Even the haters were mellow in Knoxville.
Even knowing that I was kinda shocked when our local black civil rights leaders were interviewed on Selma's Anniversary. They pointed out that not only were our problems different but he said something that really struck me "unlike every place else the white community supported us." Again not all, some were dickheads, but there was also open support and participation.
And that's definitely not to say it was cheery or all sunshine and roses because it wasn't. We had our own issues both then and now. Jackie and other black players took abuse and got called the n-word from fans but it was mild in comparison to elsewhere both in terms of living and the abuse take in other southern state. There were also racial incidents when looking at our full history but they were very mild in comparison and it wasn't uncommon for the black children of white citizens to be somewhat openly acknowledged (sometimes raised and/or quite well known) and those sons, in particular, rose quite high - higher in jobs and power than a lot of white folks even before integration.
But back to Jackie... When he was offered a scholly to UT he wasn't worried about Knoxville. He knew he could deal with things here as he'd gained acceptance in white schools before and again we were laid back compared to elsewhere. BUT he told his brother in private he was terrified of playing in the Deep South which he knew was a part of the deal.
But Jackie never let anything stop him. Knoxville was mellow and he already had a great support system and many friends in both communities. His Daddy was a HUGE UT fan and burst with pride to see his son on the field.
I worry sometimes that Knoxville has gone backwards since but then I visit areas where I'm surprised if I *DON'T* see an interracial couple. And I look around and see the the mellowness of the area and realize how lucky we are on this score compare to soooooo many other places big and small. I pray it continues as a few outlying areas are much more apt to be dicks - no violence but open dickwaddery from a vocal few.
And of course, there are still bad places even in Knoxville. But generally it's live and let live even there and without open animosity, unless you encounter some hardcore shitheads.
But Jackie was also special. He was adored by a majority white HS, adored by UT, and was just that special. It enabled the hate that was still open to just roll off him, imo, although I know the Deep South places bothered him. They were sorta foreign land given where our area was.
This post was edited on 3/31/15 at 2:48 am
Posted on 3/31/15 at 5:56 am to NIH
quote:
It depends how hot he is.
Posted on 3/31/15 at 6:09 am to Prof
He belongs in the CFB Hall of Fame, and that's not because I'm a Tennessee fan, ask any Bama fan who saw him play and they'll say the same thing.
Posted on 3/31/15 at 8:10 am to Masterag
quote:
What if one of your players came out?
In Tennessee we are 40 years ahead of the rest of the nation. We had a two time All-American named Jackie Walker.
Before there was No. 52 Michael Sam, there was No. 52 Jackie Walker
Posted on 3/31/15 at 8:20 am to SavageOrangeJug
quote:
Before there was No. 52 Michael Sam, there was No. 52 Jackie Walker
Weird. Love coincidences like this.
This post was edited on 3/31/15 at 8:22 am
Posted on 3/31/15 at 8:20 am to Masterag
Who cares?
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