Iceland12
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From yesterday's B1G Blog on ESPN:
Michael from Los Feliz writes: Hey Adam, I enjoyed your article about Michigan State in honor of Black History Month. However, as a Gopher fan I hope you take some time this month to check out the Gophers' legendary 60s teams. Sandy Stephens was the first African American QB to play at the collegiate level, and he led the Gophers to a National Title and 2 Rose Bowl appearances (1 win). He finished 4th in Heisman balloting at a time when America was still segregated. That is astonishing. Other All-Americans on those teams include Bobby Bell and Carl Eller. All those players remarked on how little racism they found in Minneapolis in comparison to their respective hometowns. This is an important legacy.
Adam Rittenberg: Completely agree, Michael. Minnesota came up a lot while I was doing my reporting for the Michigan State story. Although other Big Ten teams recruited blacks from the South and provided tremendous opportunities for these players, Minnesota and Michigan State certainly were ahead of the curve. Former MSU quarterback Jimmy Raye, who faced the two obstacles of being black and being a black quarterback from the South, told me, "I wanted to go to school at the University of Minnesota because Sandy Stephens had played quarterback there and taken them to the Rose Bowl. He was the first black All-America quarterback, so I knew if I was being recruited by Minnesota, I would have a chance to play quarterback there." Players like Raye were very aware that Minnesota had brought in Bell and Eller from the same state (North Carolina). I agree that it's a very important legacy.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten
Michael from Los Feliz writes: Hey Adam, I enjoyed your article about Michigan State in honor of Black History Month. However, as a Gopher fan I hope you take some time this month to check out the Gophers' legendary 60s teams. Sandy Stephens was the first African American QB to play at the collegiate level, and he led the Gophers to a National Title and 2 Rose Bowl appearances (1 win). He finished 4th in Heisman balloting at a time when America was still segregated. That is astonishing. Other All-Americans on those teams include Bobby Bell and Carl Eller. All those players remarked on how little racism they found in Minneapolis in comparison to their respective hometowns. This is an important legacy.
Adam Rittenberg: Completely agree, Michael. Minnesota came up a lot while I was doing my reporting for the Michigan State story. Although other Big Ten teams recruited blacks from the South and provided tremendous opportunities for these players, Minnesota and Michigan State certainly were ahead of the curve. Former MSU quarterback Jimmy Raye, who faced the two obstacles of being black and being a black quarterback from the South, told me, "I wanted to go to school at the University of Minnesota because Sandy Stephens had played quarterback there and taken them to the Rose Bowl. He was the first black All-America quarterback, so I knew if I was being recruited by Minnesota, I would have a chance to play quarterback there." Players like Raye were very aware that Minnesota had brought in Bell and Eller from the same state (North Carolina). I agree that it's a very important legacy.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten
