University of Wyoming amends to "Black 14"

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Interesting story.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/fifty-years-after-the-black-14-were-banished-wyoming-football-reckons-with-the-past/2019/11/30/fb7e9286-e93d-11e9-9c6d-436a0df4f31d_story.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 

I had never heard of this incident, which is not too surprising given I'm not a big college football fan.

It sounds as though the University of Wyoming "Cowboyed Up" so to speak and tried to do something significant and meaningful for these guys

 

I am wondering if any of the Wyoming fans we have here heard about this first hand and what was the reaction?

 

@Lieutenant Aldo Raine @The Virginian @Pokebball

[PromoTheRobot]

Do you recall the story of the 1958 Tangerine Bowl UB Bulls? They had two black players and the Bowl folks said they couldn't play, so the players said 'eff your bowl.  https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/sports/ncaafootball/16buffalo.html  Who knew it would be anpother 50 years before UB got to a bowl game again. (The 2008 International Bowl vs UCONN)

[row_33]

Ha never heard about this one until now, despite 50 years of watching and reading about the game

 

Jack Scott didn’t mention it during his heyday

 

 

[Pokebball]

4 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Interesting story.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/fifty-years-after-the-black-14-were-banished-wyoming-football-reckons-with-the-past/2019/11/30/fb7e9286-e93d-11e9-9c6d-436a0df4f31d_story.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 

I had never heard of this incident, which is not too surprising given I'm not a big college football fan.

It sounds as though the University of Wyoming "Cowboyed Up" so to speak and tried to do something significant and meaningful for these guys

 

I am wondering if any of the Wyoming fans we have here heard about this first hand and what was the reaction?

 

@Lieutenant Aldo Raine @The Virginian @Pokebball

Check out the book, The Black 14, written by Ryan Thorburn.  Ryan's a good guy, a UW graduate, was the Univ of Colo beat writer for the Boulder newspaper when he wrote the book and is now the beat writer for the Eugene newspaper, covering the Oregon Ducks.

 

Reader's digest version of the event.  This occurred in 1969,  when America was deep in it's racial strife.  Wyo had a coach, Lloyd Eaton, who recruited a number of black athletes when many colleges/universities didn't. Under Eaton, Wyoming became a regular top 25 program.  In 1968, Wyoming's only loss came to LSU in the Sugar Bowl.  BYU was in the WAC and was coming to town.  You may know that the LDS Church didn't allow blacks to become priests and this year many of the schools BYU was playing were protesting BYU and the LDS Church.  One of the ways included the football players wearing armbands during the games.  Activists were following many events at the time, including the BYU football team.  Activists arrived in Laramie early the week of the game trying to stir things up.  Eaton told his players to stay out of these politics and not to bring any of it into the program  A handful of the black players approached Eaton asking if they could wear armbands.  He told them no.  Later that week, 14 of our black players asked to talk to Eaton.  Eaton tore into them and threw all of them off the team.  Eaton was a very strict authoritarian, to the degree of being an ####### anytime anyone crossed him.  The UW President was called in.  he called in the Board of Trustees who called in the Governor.  They ultimately decided to back Eaton's decision.  This destroyed the Wyoming football program for the next decade.  Eaton ended up getting fired the following year, going 1-9.

 

The ASUW (student senate) purchased and placed a memorial in the UW student union probably 6 or 8 years ago.  A couple of the Black 14 members came to campus and spoke then.  This fall was the 50th anniversary of the event and Wyoming invited all of them to Laramie to be recognized.  I think all but one was able to make it.  I was able to attend the event.  There was a lot of reconciliation happening and this was truly a great event, and might I say long over due.

 

 

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

6 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Interesting story.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/fifty-years-after-the-black-14-were-banished-wyoming-football-reckons-with-the-past/2019/11/30/fb7e9286-e93d-11e9-9c6d-436a0df4f31d_story.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 

I had never heard of this incident, which is not too surprising given I'm not a big college football fan.

It sounds as though the University of Wyoming "Cowboyed Up" so to speak and tried to do something significant and meaningful for these guys

 

I am wondering if any of the Wyoming fans we have here heard about this first hand and what was the reaction?

 

@Lieutenant Aldo Raine @The Virginian @Pokebball

 

Yes, I believe they were officially apologized to and recognized at one of their home games this year.

[The Virginian]

They all received their lettermen jackets at the halftime ceremony.  The apology was a long time coming.

 

 

 

[JohnC]

A number of black Buffalo Bills all-stars were involved in threatening to boycotting the game and forcing the game to be moved out of New Orleans. Jack Kemp was also involved in standing with the black players who were being discriminated against as soon as they landed in New Orleans. 

https://theundefeated.com/features/when-racism-drove-the-afl-all-star-game-out-of-new-orleans/