Before 1967, the University of Mississippi football team was the winningest program in the SEC.

Since 1967, the University of Mississippi football team is the losingest program in the SEC.

What happened in 1967?

Integration.

I’ve spent quite a bit time researching CFB integration and what got me interested was discovering that when I was four years old, my future alma mater, the University of Georgia, had never had a Black football player.

Shook me up and got me interested in learning more about it.

Great example of how relevant the study of the integration of college football can be is that the integration of SEC football is one of the primary reasons there are so few Black American major-league baseball players today. But that didn’t happen the way you might think it did.

In the mid-1980s, the big-time college football schools sued the NCAA to obtain the television rights for the sport - just as ESPN was starting to take flight. That created big money as an incentive for winning games and true integration of SEC teams followed shortly thereafter.

Loss of Federal funding stipulated in the Civil Rights Act is why Jim Crow signs came down and SEC football integration happened while also explaining the timeline of that process. Ex. Auburn integrated before Alabama b/c its operating budget was more dependent on Federal funds.

I went to UGA and lived and worked in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. Like you, I had no idea integration was so late and at first it was a shock.

For White people, this is not a messy or painful subject that should be discussed in hushed tones.

Every school barred Black football players at some point.

I've spent 5 years on this. Thoughts for White people:

Don't get offended or defend your school.

Don't call this "painful" or messy"

We're waaay behind. No victory laps.

Making it about you disrespects Black people.

Steve Spurrier won the Heisman without playing with or against a Black guy. Not singling him out, just an example of how absurd it is that you and I don't know that. We can't afford to bury this stuff anymore - it is a amazing way to bring everyone together in reconciliation.

The biggest thing is to not bury this.

Black people don't know anymore about it than you do but from experience I know they will appreciate your interest.

Isolation between the races is the root cause of our problems, this is cool way to help solve that.

I haven't been researching this for nothing. Podcast coming. On this and many other things. It's going to blow you away. This is nothing. Just follow me here and you'll be good to go.