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re: On this date in 1967, the SEC's first black football player took the field
Posted on 9/23/13 at 5:16 pm to SunHog
Posted on 9/23/13 at 5:16 pm to SunHog
quote:
Us and Texas were late to the party.. (1969)
Texas actually had a freshman who was on scholarship and was black in 1969, but in those days, freshmen were not eligible to play with the varsity. He was a TE named Julius Whittier.
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Posted on 9/23/13 at 8:38 pm to I-59 Tiger
Pretty interesting stuff. Definitely sad. 
Posted on 9/23/13 at 9:28 pm to CatFan81
Mizzou's first black football player, Norris Stevenson, entered the school in 1957.
"When Stevenson arrived in Columbia from Vashon High in January 1957, he encountered a community unwelcoming to blacks and a school where the band played "Dixie" and a fraternity waved a Confederate flag for MU touchdowns.
Developing "a second skin" and "ear muffs" helped Stevenson and, months later, Mel West from Jefferson City, both cope with slurs and other harsh words, Stevenson said in 1990.
But so, too, did several white players Stevenson said went against the grain to offer support and friendship, particularly Danny LaRose, Jim Miles, Donnie Smith and Ron Taylor."
LINK
"When Stevenson arrived in Columbia from Vashon High in January 1957, he encountered a community unwelcoming to blacks and a school where the band played "Dixie" and a fraternity waved a Confederate flag for MU touchdowns.
Developing "a second skin" and "ear muffs" helped Stevenson and, months later, Mel West from Jefferson City, both cope with slurs and other harsh words, Stevenson said in 1990.
But so, too, did several white players Stevenson said went against the grain to offer support and friendship, particularly Danny LaRose, Jim Miles, Donnie Smith and Ron Taylor."
LINK
Posted on 9/23/13 at 9:36 pm to TigerMattSTL
Early 70's, I believe Ole Miss had "Gentle" Ben Williams (DE)Yazoo City, and MooState had Frank Dowsing, DB from Leland.
MooState may have been one year ahead of Ole Miss.
Gentle Ben was voted "Colonel Reb" by the student body if I am not mistaken.
The chant from the students when Ben was on the field: "Kill, Ben, Kill."
MooState may have been one year ahead of Ole Miss.
Gentle Ben was voted "Colonel Reb" by the student body if I am not mistaken.
The chant from the students when Ben was on the field: "Kill, Ben, Kill."
Posted on 9/23/13 at 9:38 pm to BluegrassBelle
For what it is worth, Mizzou's first black football player to be granted a scholarhip, Norris Stevenson, joined MU in 1958. While that was a good deal earlier than the SEC, it was also a good deal later than Jackie too. Edit - was typing this stuff while TigerMattSTL was already posting it above, sorry for the repeat.
Missouri, as with Kentucky I'm sure, was an initial testing ground for a lot of those barriers in sports but our state still faced a lot of that perception through the same time period. Wilt Chamberlain on his trip to ku was spontaneously "recruited" at the Kansas City airport by what he thought was a Mizzou assistant coach (it was just a booster, turned out) and Wilt was rather blunt in saying he would never consider Missouri because of the perceived cultural barrier that stood between the kansas and Missouri state line at the time. The fact the Missouri band still played Dixie probably didn't help. Oklahoma and Missouri were usually lumped together in that category in our league as being slower to progress than the rest.
Missouri, as with Kentucky I'm sure, was an initial testing ground for a lot of those barriers in sports but our state still faced a lot of that perception through the same time period. Wilt Chamberlain on his trip to ku was spontaneously "recruited" at the Kansas City airport by what he thought was a Mizzou assistant coach (it was just a booster, turned out) and Wilt was rather blunt in saying he would never consider Missouri because of the perceived cultural barrier that stood between the kansas and Missouri state line at the time. The fact the Missouri band still played Dixie probably didn't help. Oklahoma and Missouri were usually lumped together in that category in our league as being slower to progress than the rest.
This post was edited on 9/23/13 at 9:43 pm
Posted on 9/23/13 at 9:54 pm to BluegrassBelle
This is why every claimed NC <1970 is totally irrelevant....cough cough ALABAMA cough
Posted on 9/23/13 at 10:40 pm to matthew25
quote:
The chant from the students when Ben was on the field: "Kill, Ben, Kill."
I'm sure he heard "Kill Ben, Kill Ben, Kill Ben..."
Posted on 9/23/13 at 11:03 pm to blacknblu
quote:
1967 - I thought this was surely a typo, and that Arkansas had to have beat that!
We may be thinking of the same guy.
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo wrote a really good article of Arkansas first black player a few years back. I can't recall his name but I thought he was the 1st in the SEC and was there before Bear integrated Bama. He basically decided he wanted to play football and enrolled at Arkansas with no NAACP or outside support. He caught hell while there and you can't read the article without coming away with a bad taste in your mouth regarding Frank Broyles
IIRC correctly he went on to become a very successful attorney and his daughters I believe ended up at Arkansas but it took him a while to get over his experience.
Posted on 9/23/13 at 11:08 pm to I-59 Tiger
This is good stuff I-59
Posted on 9/23/13 at 11:36 pm to I-59 Tiger
Who was the very first Chinaman to take the field in an SEC uniform? What year?
Posted on 9/23/13 at 11:40 pm to BradPitt
quote:
Chinaman
Be careful with that term as it can be received as a pejorative, just fyi.
Posted on 9/23/13 at 11:42 pm to undecided
A walk-on named Darrell Brown -1965
Yahoo Sports Article
He never got to play a varsity game. Jon Richardson came later. It wasn't an easy transition for blacks at Arkansas.
Darrell Brown's story makes me angry and sad the way he was treated but it has a much happier ending. He since has been recognized and honored for his contribution to Arkansas sports.
Yahoo Sports Article
He never got to play a varsity game. Jon Richardson came later. It wasn't an easy transition for blacks at Arkansas.
Darrell Brown's story makes me angry and sad the way he was treated but it has a much happier ending. He since has been recognized and honored for his contribution to Arkansas sports.
This post was edited on 9/24/13 at 12:41 am
Posted on 9/23/13 at 11:54 pm to Porky
this may be the best thread ive ever seen on here. 
Posted on 9/24/13 at 12:05 am to crimsontater
quote:
this may be the best thread ive ever seen on here.
It's a great thread.
I first read the story about Darrell Brown in Nolan Richardson's book "Forty Minutes Of Hell". For anyone interested in sports related books, it's a great one IMO.
Posted on 9/24/13 at 1:48 am to MetryTyger
quote:
I thought Carl Roaches caught that pass from Lex James? Maybe I'm mistaken...
It happens! Carl Roaches' senior year ('75) was my freshman year. Hugh McElroy is correct - it was... umm... Hugh McElroy.
Posted on 9/24/13 at 5:16 am to Porky
quote:
Darrell Brown's story makes me angry and sad the way he was treated but it has a much happier ending. He since has been recognized and honored for his contribution to Arkansas sports.
I agree.
Thanks for the link, I couldn't remember his name but the fact that he was a walk-on and endured everything with little outside support is what stuck out to me.
I'll also have to check out Richardson's book
Posted on 9/24/13 at 7:44 am to dlc83
quote:
We're proud of the role UNC played in integrating major southern sports. Charles Scott, in 1966, became the first black athlete to participate in a major southern sport when Dean Smith forced the administration to allow him to join the basketball team. He was the Jackie Robinson of his era, handling insults and name calling in a professional, classy manner.
Scott went on to have a wildly successful career, and the rest is history. His success, and the manner in which he seamlessly fit into the team, helped the rest of the South integrate their sports teams. Plus, it didn't hurt that he was a fabulous player and other coaches soon wanted "their Charlie Scott's" for their teams.
I've seen several places where Michael Jordan said he looked up to Scott when he was growing up.
Posted on 9/24/13 at 7:52 am to I-59 Tiger
Not to sound racist, but could you imagine how dominate Manziel would be if the league was still segregated? 
Posted on 9/24/13 at 8:04 am to Mizz-SEC
quote:
Still, it seems almost unfathomable that it took TWENTY YEARS from Jackie Robinson to integrate southern college football. Wow. It's a different world today.
not really, our forefather's southern generation was always last to the progress party
Posted on 9/24/13 at 8:31 am to Lordofwrath88
Some of you have mentioned some books in this thread.Mr. Northington had a book published just this summer about his experiences:
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