Integration Policy on the University of Alabama Football Team - Research Paper Example

Alabama’s Role in SEC Integration March 30, Introduction Southeastern Conference football games integration is defined as the inclusion of non-White players in the roster of players1. The research delves on the evolution of the current Southeastern Conference football games2. Fritz Pollard was the first African American to play for the 1916 all American football team3. For many years, Southeastern Conference football league officers exerted efforts to prevent integration4. The emphasis of the research is the effect of the state’s forced integration policy on the University of Alabama football team. The research delves on how the University of Alabama football team shifted from their prior all white football team to the current integrated university football lineup. University of Alabama football team’s integration led to its current string of Southeastern Conference football victories. Southeastern Conference Football Integration Integration in the Southeastern conference football means African American players are allowed to play for one of the teams5. In 1966, the last sports league that allowed integration was the Southeastern Conference football league6. The integration of the Southeastern conference football, including African Americans to play in the games started as far back as February 20, 1882. The game was played between University of Georgia and the Agriculture and Mechanical College of Alabama. The game was played in Auburn University in front of an average 2,000 excited audiences. The game spurred the coaches of the different schools playing in the Southeastern conference football games to meet and draft the rules of football integration. Vanderbilt University Professor Dr. William Dudley and several faculty representatives from seven schools met in December 22, 1884. The faculty members came from such schools as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama, Georgia School of Technology, University of Georgia, Vanderbilt University, and University of the South. These pioneers set the stage for the establishment of the Southeastern Conference football league7. Consequently, the schools implemented diverse strategies to win the Southeastern Conference football games. During 1895, Auburn University hired the coaching services of John Heisman. Heisman’s services contributed to Auburn University’s 48 -0 win over University of Alabama. To outdo the performance of University of Auburn, the other schools hired full time coaches to train their universities’ football squads to the possible next season football championship8. Before 1882, football was not even known as a popular sport in the Southern United States. University of Georgia’s coach Dr. Charles Herty learned about the rudiments of football while taking his masters study at Hopkins University. Similarly, University of Auburn’s coach Dr. George Petrie also learned the basics of football while studying his advanced courses at the same Hopkins University. The two coaches started their own football teams. The two teams played against each other during 1882. The Auburn University team was called Tigers. The University of Georgia’s football players used the name Bulldogs. Prior to the 1882 game, football was never played on the South Side of Raleigh, North Carolina9. The above discussion clearly shows the importance of the two faculty members in introduction the sport of football to the Southern part of the United States. During this time period, the setting up of the regularly scheduled football games led to the growing popularity of the football game. Growing popularity included the increase in the number of fans watching the football games10. Clearly, the fans are mostly from the students of the different universities. As each student attends the Southeastern Conference football games, the cheer of the fans contribute to the excitement of each football game action. As the students of Auburn University cheer their team to winning the game against the rival University of Alabama, the students of the opposing University of Alabama football team cheer for their alma mater’s team11. Northington recalled further in his autobiography that when Northington played in the Southeastern Conference football games during 1967, some schools had not yet joined the conference games. The schools included Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, and South Carolina. Arkansas joined the conference during 1991. Missouri and Texas A & M joined the league during 201212. Further, one author reiterated the integration of Southeastern conference football games started as far back as 1972. During this year, Mississippi Governor did not stop the historic integration football game when African American Ben Williams played for Ole Misssissippi. The peaceful transition to the integration of the Southeastern conference football included several incidents. One of the incidents is the lunch counter sit-in bloody fights. Another incident is the voter registration. A third incident includes the freedom ride activities. One memorable integration Southeastern conference football game is the win of the University of Southern California’s win over University of Alabama during 1970. During the game, the University of Southern California football players, the warriors, included harnessing the prowess of several African American team members to outpoint the University of Alabama players13. One of the strong African American players of the same University of Southern California Trojans team was Sam Cunningham. Cunningham was instrumental in wreaking physical damage to the opposing University of Alabama team players. Football is a physical sport that entails physical injuries or even death to one or more of the football players. The Trojan’s coach Bear Bryant announced to the press and the football fans that Sam Cunningham is the essence of what the favorable future of Southeastern Conference integration is all about. Bryant beamed with pride as he stated that Sam Cunningham did more for the successful peaceful integration of the Southeastern conference football than what Martin Luther King accomplished within his active 20 years of street rallies. Specifically, Coach Bryant was referring to the electrifying performance of Sam Cunningham that rallied the entire Alabama football audiences and fans to accept African Americans as part and parcel of the Southeastern conference football games within only the one hour duration of each hotly contested football game. One of Coach Bryant’s football game loss was attributed to his refusal to integrate his football team. Such action resulted to Notre Dame winning the football championship.14 The integration of the Southeastern conference football was inevitable. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevented racial discrimination. Discrimination included refusing the rights of the non-white individuals or students to play in the famed Southeastern conference football games. The refusal to integrate the African American students resulted to possible stopping of all government loan grants to the universities. During the 1960s, the Southern teams were forced to play against the integrated Northern teams in order to have a chance to win national football fame. One of the critics of the non-integration of the Southeastern conference football was media reporter Jim Murray. As reporter of the Los Angeles Times, Murray described the all-white University of Alabama team as un-American and inhuman. Nine years later, University of Alabama joined the integration bandwagon. Consequently, Bill Murray congratulated University of Alabama for finally filling the need for integration of the Alabama football team.15 Bear Bryant was forced to integrate his University of Alabama team during the 1970s. First, Alabama’s all white team suffered avoidable losses from the integrated teams of the other Southeastern Conference rival football teams. Next, several African American from University of Alabama decided to file racial discrimination charges against the school’s coach Bryant. Further, Bryant realized that the world of football was now entering into an unavoidable game change, change to the more favorable integration schemes. During 1967, Bryant allowed a handful of African Americans to try out for the team in order to appease the anger of the African American students16. However, Bryant never took any of the African Americans into the University of Alabama team’s roster of qualified players. In 1968, Bryant was not able to complete University of Alabama team’s taking into its roster of qualified football players three African American high school students. Two of these unsigned African Americans were Frank Dowsing and James Owens. The two Africans decided the football team offers of the other University members of the Southeastern Conference were significantly better than the offers of Bryant’s University of Alabama football team17. In response to Bryant’s racial handling of the school’s football team, members of the school’s Afro-American Student Association formally filed a lawsuit against Bryant. The lawsuit was filed on July 2, 1969. The association finally gave up on their frustration that coach Bryant would not budge from his perception of an all white University of Alabama football team. Consequently, Bryant finally agreed to include one African American, Wilbur Jackson, to join the university’s football team. The signing of Jackson occurred in December of 1969. One biographer, Allen Barra, affirmed that Bryant’s refusal to include non-whites into University of Alabama’s football team led to Bryant’s ultimate downfall. Bryant was seen as being forced to implement the racial game policies of his generation. Bryant believed that state laws and the local tradition prevented Bryant from implementing his initial preference to integrate University of Alabama’s football team18. Recently, another autobiographer of Nate Northington who was the first African American to play in the Southeastern Conference Football games, Alex Sim’s April 24, 2013 article in the Bleacher Report that Sims personally overheard the Alabama head Coach Bryant admit to writer B. Phillips of Time Magazine three years before Bryant’s death in 1983 that Bryant favored the earlier integration of the Southeastern Conference Football games, specifically his own University of Alabama football team. However, Bryant felt the legal and customary play standards prevented Bryant from getting the aid of the great African American players. Consequently, Bryant referred the African American players for an estimated six years to football teams on the Northern part of our United States19. Bryant felt that the Southeastern Conference football fans and school administrators were not ready for the integration of the Southeastern Conference Football games during the 1940s20. To remove the legal and other impediments to University of Alabama’s integration, Bryant personally persuaded Alabama governor George Wallace to approve the integration of the University of Alabama team during late 1960s. To prove that the university must integrate, University of Alabama coach Bryant had a match between his school’s Crimson Tide and the opposing University of Southern California Trojan football team. The football fans personally saw how the integrated California team handily trounced Bryant’s University of Alabama’s all white team with the huge 42 to 21 Trojan win. The Trojans were powered to victory by an African American, Sam Cunningham. Cunningham was also aided by two other African Americans during the same fateful game. One year later, during 1971, Bryant’s persistent request for the integration of University of Alabama was approved. The University of Alabama’s 1971 Southeastern Conference Football games included the services of an African American, Nate Northington. Northington was called the Jackie Robinson of the Southeastern Conference Football games21. On record, the National College Athletic Association was able to integrate the remaining league, Southeastern Conference Football games, into the sports integration program. History shows that the integration of the Southeastern Conference Football games metamorphosed the same football conference to recently win National College Athletic Association football games for six straight years.22 Northington affirmed that another African American, Northington’s roommate (Greg Page) was next admitted to play in the Southeastern Conference Football games during 1962. Unfortunately, Page accidentally was involved in football practice accident on August 22, 1962. The accident prevented Page’s playing during the Southeastern Conference Football scheduled games during 1962. The accident resulted to Page’s death while being treated in the nearby hospital 48 hours after the accident. The following day, Northington missed the company of Page as Northington played alone during the 1962 Southeastern Conference Football games23. Further, there are some pioneers of the Southeastern Conference football games. These players contributed their own unique share to the peaceful transition into the integration of the Southeastern Conference football games. Kentucky University hired African American Nat Northington as second year defensive player during 1967. Northington is acknowledged as the first African American to play in the Southeastern Conference football games. Next, Tennessee University included another African American, Lester McClain, to bolster its football team during 1968. In 1970, Auburn University included Willie Jackson as one of its African American Southeastern Conference football game players24. During the same 1970 period, Florida University included another African American, Willie Jackson, as a second year football receiver during 1970. In the same year, the same Florida University included another African American, Leonard George, as a second year running back football player. During the same 1970 year, Mississippi State University included another African American, Frank Dowsing, into its roster of qualified football players. Dowsing played the football role of defensive tackle. Vanderbilt University took under its wings another African American, Taylor Stokes, as a third year kicker and ball receiver during 1971. Georgia University took another African American, Horace King, as one of its 1972 football players. King played the important role of wingback25. In the same year, the same Georgia University took another African American, Larry West, as one of its second year defensive back players during the same 1972 period. Louisiana University included another African American, Mike Williams, as one of its 1972 second year defensive back football players. Mississippi University included another African American, Robert William, as one of its first year student defensive tacklers. Lastly, Alabama University included another Africa American, John Mitchell, as its third year student defensive end players during 1971. In addition, another African American, Wilbur Jackson, played on the Alabama football team during the same 1971 games. Initially, the African American Tennessee University football player, Albert Davis, was fired from the school’s varsity football team due to some unresolved school academic qualification issues. Clarence Pope and Richard Appleby was able to play for Georgia University during 197326. Northington reiterated that United States Supreme Court required the integration of public schools, in the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education case of 1954. However, the schools and other organizations located in the South continued to defy the integration order of the United States Supreme Court. In fact, Louisiana State implemented a 1956 law that prohibited the all-white Southern Conference teams from competing against integrated teams of other schools or teams. However, the Supreme Court reversed the 1956 Louisiana law. Mississippi defiantly refused to it integrate its school team, just like the some other members of the Southern Conference football teams. Mississippi did not join the National College Athletics Association during 1959, 1961 and 1962 to protest the integration of the Southern Eastern Conference games. Mississippi refused to join the games in order to protest the government’s refusing to financially aid schools that do no integrate27. In Alabama University, John Mitchell was the first African American to see action in the integrated university’s football games. Another previously accepted African American, Wilbur Jackson, was not immediately given the chance to play football prior to John Mitchell28. As the first African American to play in the University of Alabama football team, the audience had different feelings. For those who preferred the previous all white University of Alabama football team, the addition of a new African American player was an awkward or unfamiliar sight. These people were accustomed to watch the all white university football team29. For other people, the change to the integration was a welcome sight. With the other Southeastern Conference football teams including non-Whites to their team, University of Alabama football team was placed under great pressure to join the integration bandwagon. As the integration was implemented, the popularity of the University of Alabama football team grew by leaps and bounds30. During 1972, the integration of Southern Eastern Conference games went into full swing. During this time period, an estimated 8 percent of the players of the Southern Eastern Conference games were African Americans. During 1982, the percentage of African Americans rose from the 1972 8 percent to the estimated very high 40 percent of the total Southern Eastern Conference game football players. Consequently, the prior era of the all white Southern Eastern Conference games was only a thing of the faint past picture31. There were other notable African Americans who played for each of the teams of the Southern Eastern Conference games. One of the players is Doug Nettles. Another player is Walter Overton Another player is Mike Williams. Further, one African American, Dowsing, was gifted in both the football arena and the classroom environment. As one of the varsity football players, Dowsing had high scholastic test scores. Consequently, Dowsing qualified for medical school when he reached his 3rd year in school. However Dowsing preferred to play for his University’s team instead of transferring to the medical school a change of environment. The Universities admitted that the football players must pass both the academic requirements and the sports performance tests. An estimated 95 percent of African American football players failed to pass the academic entrance tests given by the Universities32. There are certain Southeastern Conference football game results. In terms of winning the Morris Trophy, several schools won the trophy. The trophy is given for the best offense. During 1980, Roy Poster of University of Southern California won the award. During 1980 and 1981, Roy Poster of University of Southern California won the award. During 1987, Randall McDaniel of University of Arizona State University won the award. During 1991 and 1992, Lincoln Kennedy of University of Washington won the award. During 1998, Yusuf Scott of University of Arizona won the award. During 2002, Kwame Harris of Standford University won the award. The long list proves Alabama University did not win the award from 1980 to 200233 Formally, the Southeastern Conference football league was established in December of 1932. The league games started during 1933. The 1932 founding schools included 13 nearby universities. The schools included Auburn University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Tulane University, University of Florida, Vanderbilt University, University of the South (Sewanee), University of Georgia, University of Mississippi, University of Alabama, Louisiana State University, University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, and Mississippi State University34. During 1991, the Southeastern Conference football league divided itself between the Eastern Division and the Western Division. During 1992, the National College Athletic Association gave the Southeastern Conference league the permission to a football championship game35. As of 2012, there are many schools added to the prior list of 1932 original Southern Conference Schools. One school is University of Arkansas. Another school is University of South Carolina. Further, Several schools won the coveted championship trophy of the Southeast Conference football games. In 1933, the University of Alabama won the first Southeastern Conference football game championship. Next year, 1934, the same university retained the Championship. Louisiana University won the Southeastern Conference championship in 1935. Again, Louisiana University won the Southeastern Conference championship in 1936. Alabama University won the Southeastern Conference championship in 1937. University of Texas won the Southeastern Conference championship in 1938. Georgia Tech University won the Southeastern Conference championship in 1939. Moving fast forward to later dates, Alabama University won the Southeastern Conference championship during 1953. Alabama University again won the Southeastern Conference championship in 1961. Alabama University won the Southeastern Conference championship consecutively from 1971 to 1975. Again, Alabama University won the Southeastern Conference championship in during 1977 and 1978. Alabama University won the Southeastern Conference championship in 200936. Different schools won the best coach of the year annual awards. The first coach to win the coveted Southeastern Conference football games, 1935, was won by Auburn University’s coach Jack Meagher. During 1940, Mississippi State University’s Allyn McKeen won the coach of the year award. During 1944, University of Georgia’s Wally Butts won the coach of the year award. During 1949, Louisiana University’s Gaynell Tinsley, won the coach of the year award. Moving forward through time, University of Georgia’s Tommy Tuberville won the coach of the year award 2004. University of Kansas’ Houston Nutt won the coach of the year award during 2006. During 2007, Mississippi State University’s coach Sylvester Croom won the coach of the year award. Vanderbilt University’s Bobby Johnson won the coach of the year award during 2008. During 2009, University of Alabama’s Nick Saban won the coach of the year award. During 2010, University of Southern California’s Steve Spurrier won the coach of the year award37. During 1962,University of Mississippi sought the help of United States military troops. The troops were needed to ensure peace prevailed over the newly integrated University of Mississippi’s first game in the Southeastern conference. Riots occurred within the school’s premises. The Integration triggered the riots. It was customary during the 1960s that the integration of the Southern United States schools was prohibited38. Another research showed that prior to 1971, the University of Alabama was an all white football team during the Southeastern Conference football games. The University was forced to integrate the team in compliance with the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court in the Brown vs Board of Education case. In 1963, University of Alabama complied with the Supreme Court decision and the law to integrate. However, the University of Alabama football team delayed the integration of its football team in the Southeastern Conference football games during 1971. The school’s football team prolonged its policy to avoid the integration of the football team as long as possible. Likewise, the same university refused to play football against friendly integrated teams39. However, the resounding University of Southern California’s long integrated Trojans football team’s lopsided 42-21 victory over University of Alabama football team was the final nail on the coffin of the all white University of Alabama football team football team. In 1971, University of Alabama football team included the first African American, John Mitchell, as part of its 1971 Southeastern Conference football games’ team. The shift to integration led the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team’s many victories in the Southeastern Conference football games starting in 1971. The same author affirms that Bryant refused to buckle down from the legal pressures to integrate the University of Alabama football team because of the local community’s penchant for an all white football team. in fact, the author insists that Bryant intentionally contributed to his university’s 42-21 defeat by the Trojans in order to prove to those who oppose integration that the only way to climb back up as one of the best football teams of the Southeastern Conference football games is to include very good African American students under its roster of quality football players. As of 2010, University of Alabama football team is one of the best football teams in the Southeastern Conference football games40. University of Alabama football team’s refusal to play against opposing integrated teams started as far back as 1952. During this year, University of Alabama football team had a 9 win and 2 loss unbeatable Southeastern Conference football games record. When the university was invited to play in the Rose Bowl, played in Miami, University of Alabama football team President John Gallallee ordered his team coach Red Drew to boycott the games if the opposing team, Syracuse University, included African Americans in its football team. The statement was not needed as the Syracuse team did not include any African Americans during the scheduled playing of the University of Alabama football team’s entry of the Miami, Florida league. As a strong team, University of Alabama football team literally trounced the weaker Syracuse University team with a resounding 61 – 6 victory. In 1957, University of Alabama football team hired the coaching services of pro-integration Bear Bryant. The university pirated Bryant from another team, Texas A & M41. In fact, Jim Murray, a media columnist rightly commented on the unforgettable 1970 Univsersity of Southern California’s integrated Trojan’s football team of the all white University of Alabama football team. Murray stated that the main purpose of the game was not who won the game. The main purpose of the game is to open the eyes of the community that the integration of the Southeastern Conference football games was an inevitable reality. The winner of the said game was the entire southern community. The game resembled the day after the famous Gettysburg war where the Union soldiers completed routed the Confederate soldiers. To reiterate, the Northern soldiers winning the Gettysburg war sparked the freedom of the Slaves. In similar fashion, the trojan’s integrated team’s defeating the all white University of Alabama football team in 1970 proved to the southern residents that it is now ripe for accepting the integration concept into the popular Southeastern Conference football games42. Conclusion Southeastern Conference football games integration focuses on the assimilation of African American players into the Southeastern Conference football games lineup. The current Southeastern Conference football teams are characterized as integrated. University of Alabama football team shifted from the prior all white team to the current integrated team in 1971, signing up its first African American football player, Mitchell. University of Alabama football team’s humiliating 1970 loss at the hands of the integrated University of Southern California Trojans paved the way for the 1971 integration of the previously winning University of Alabama football team. Evidently, the University of Alabama football team’s integration led to its current string of Southeastern Conference football victories as of 2010. References: Austin, Michael. Football and Philosophy: Going Deep. (Kentucky, University of Kentucky Press, 2008), 108. Blevins, Dave. College Football Awards: All National and Conference Winners Through 2010. (New York, McFarland Press, 2012), 130 Demas. Lane. Integrating the Gridiron: Black Civil Rights and the American College Football. (New York, University Press, 2011) Eitzen, Stanley. Fair and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradozes of Sport. (New York, Rowman and Littlefield Press, 2012), 137. Geltner, Ted. Last King of the Sports Page. The Life and Career of Jim Murray. 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(New York, University Press, 2009), 129. Wallenfeldt, Jeff. The Black Experience in America. (New York, Britannica, 2010), 172. Read More