big old bear wasnt trying to be a civil rights leader he knew he would be left in the dust if he wasnt proactive about getting some big strong fast black fellas on his team
I was an Alabama fan (actually a Bear Bryant fan) back in those days and I remember this game. I lived in a little town, Columbia and that season we had my classmate and childhood friend starring on our football team. His name was Walter Payton. At Southern Miss there was a black man named Willie Heidleberg (not sure of spelling) who had a great game against an all white Ole Miss and USM won in a game that also featured a 99 yard punt by Ray Guy. So yes the barriers were starting to be broken, but the game that broke it in the SEC was this Alabama vs. USC. I remember the older people talking about how they realized the blacks (they didn't say blacks) were taking over everything, and they were starting to realize their old racial hatred was not the order of the day. I watched Walter gain fans in Columbia and then people not believing USM wouldn't sign him because they thought he was a showboat, even though Coach Boston of Columbia tried to tell Underwood that was not true. Racism is still alive, but it went way down until the last 10 years when I notice it has started to come back. I hope it won't because I saw too much pain and suffer by all people due to that silly and wasteful time called Jim Crow. Oh for the record I turned up going to college at the University of Southern Mississippi during the time the first black QB Reggie Collier played the position for the Golden Eagles.
The point is, this was a fabricated story. The game happened, like the one the next year when Bama beat USC in L.A., but the rest of it was just made up. It's never good to pass a lie off as the truth, no matter how good the intent is.
I'm no Alabama fan. The Buckeyes are my team. However you have to give the Bear credit. He always wanted to integrate and even went to schools in the south that were all black and told the coaches he wanted to recruit black players. He needed this game to help change minds.
How the hell can you say the Pac 10 is the worst conference in the nation when one, everyone knows the Big 10 is and two, the Pac 10 is tied with the SEC in wins amongst the two conferences? USC would not have a problem winning the SEC has much as Florida does. With our talent that is a fact.
In 1964 Wake Forest became the first Major College in the deep South to integrate a sports program. Bob Grant, Ken Henry and William Smith were the the three Black players that were brought in that year. I should know because I am Bob Grant. Because of that I became the first Black Player out of any major Southern College to play in the NFL. Daryl Hill was up at Maryland but as he has stated many times he did not have the exposure to and risk from segregation that we did every week. Some how it seems as if Smith, Henry and myself are always never mentioned when the integration of College Football and Sports comes up.
RIP Mr. Cunningham. I remember listening to you talk about this game back in the late 90s, when I was a student at SC. You will be missed. God speed🙏🙏🙏
Yeah, it really was after integration when Southern teams started dominating their northern & western competition. It would be the 90s before the SEC itself really galvanized and became the face of premiere Southern football schools but you could see the tide turning below the Mason Dixon line by the 70s and 80s. Alabama and Oklahoma dominated the 70s; Miami owned the 80s and FSU came along shortly thereafter; and the SEC adding Arkansas & South Carolina to become the nation's first 12 team conference with a postseason championship game changed EVERYTHING. Today conference championship games are just accepted as part of the season but this was completely new territory in 1992 when the SEC started it. No one had ever seen anything like that before.
This is all well and good but the game that should be highlighted occurred the year before when Tennessee beat Alabama. The Vols had black players Jackie Walker and Lester McLain as starters. Walker scored a touchdown in that game. I guess it makes a better script if it's a west coast team coming to the south to show 'em how it's done.
USC had two players from Alabama on that team Clarence Davis who went on to play with Oakland Raiders and Alabama’s Kenny Snake Stabler and Charles Young also played NFL with LA Rams and others
Wow!! What a treat to see all the coaches and ole friends from Bama. As a student athlete, history never entered my mind. I simply wanted to win and graduate. Silly me.
big old bear wasnt trying to be a civil rights leader he knew he would be left in the dust if he wasnt proactive about getting some big strong fast black fellas on his team
I was an Alabama fan (actually a Bear Bryant fan) back in those days and I remember this game. I lived in a little town, Columbia and that season we had my classmate and childhood friend starring on our football team. His name was Walter Payton. At Southern Miss there was a black man named Willie Heidleberg (not sure of spelling) who had a great game against an all white Ole Miss and USM won in a game that also featured a 99 yard punt by Ray Guy. So yes the barriers were starting to be broken, but the game that broke it in the SEC was this Alabama vs. USC. I remember the older people talking about how they realized the blacks (they didn't say blacks) were taking over everything, and they were starting to realize their old racial hatred was not the order of the day. I watched Walter gain fans in Columbia and then people not believing USM wouldn't sign him because they thought he was a showboat, even though Coach Boston of Columbia tried to tell Underwood that was not true. Racism is still alive, but it went way down until the last 10 years when I notice it has started to come back. I hope it won't because I saw too much pain and suffer by all people due to that silly and wasteful time called Jim Crow. Oh for the record I turned up going to college at the University of Southern Mississippi during the time the first black QB Reggie Collier played the position for the Golden Eagles.
The point is, this was a fabricated story. The game happened, like the one the next year when Bama beat USC in L.A., but the rest of it was just made up. It's never good to pass a lie off as the truth, no matter how good the intent is.
The Trojans were great back than
I'm no Alabama fan. The Buckeyes are my team. However you have to give the Bear credit. He always wanted to integrate and even went to schools in the south that were all black and told the coaches he wanted to recruit black players. He needed this game to help change minds.
USC was NOT the number one team of the 60s. Bama had 3 championships and should have gotten another in 66.
Grambling was the most dominant football team in all of college football back then.
I'm glad this video got posted on CZcams, to help this part of history be remembered and not forgotten.
How the hell can you say the Pac 10 is the worst conference in the nation when one, everyone knows the Big 10 is and two, the Pac 10 is tied with the SEC in wins amongst the two conferences? USC would not have a problem winning the SEC has much as Florida does. With our talent that is a fact.
Fight On Trojans Fight On!
In 1964 Wake Forest became the first Major College in the deep South to integrate a sports program. Bob Grant, Ken Henry and William Smith were the the three Black players that were brought in that year. I should know because I am Bob Grant. Because of that I became the first Black Player out of any major Southern College to play in the NFL. Daryl Hill was up at Maryland but as he has stated many times he did not have the exposure to and risk from segregation that we did every week. Some how it seems as if Smith, Henry and myself are always never mentioned when the integration of College Football and Sports comes up.
RIP Mr. Cunningham. I remember listening to you talk about this game back in the late 90s, when I was a student at SC. You will be missed. God speed🙏🙏🙏
The power of Southern Cal!
Yeah, it really was after integration when Southern teams started dominating their northern & western competition. It would be the 90s before the SEC itself really galvanized and became the face of premiere Southern football schools but you could see the tide turning below the Mason Dixon line by the 70s and 80s. Alabama and Oklahoma dominated the 70s; Miami owned the 80s and FSU came along shortly thereafter; and the SEC adding Arkansas & South Carolina to become the nation's first 12 team conference with a postseason championship game changed EVERYTHING. Today conference championship games are just accepted as part of the season but this was completely new territory in 1992 when the SEC started it. No one had ever seen anything like that before.
This is all well and good but the game that should be highlighted occurred the year before when Tennessee beat Alabama. The Vols had black players Jackie Walker and Lester McLain as starters. Walker scored a touchdown in that game. I guess it makes a better script if it's a west coast team coming to the south to show 'em how it's done.
USC had two players from Alabama on that team Clarence Davis who went on to play with Oakland Raiders and Alabama’s Kenny Snake Stabler and Charles Young also played NFL with LA Rams and others
FIGHT ON USC ✌️🏈🌴😎
Wow!! What a treat to see all the coaches and ole friends from Bama. As a student athlete, history never entered my mind. I simply wanted to win and graduate. Silly me.
Thanks for sharing this vid.Great Job.
"Hi paul"