To Shane Gillis: Funny stuff on Alabama/Bear Bryant hypocrisy but please add USC to script
PHOTO: Comedian Shane Gillis.
Visit my homepage: TomShanahan.Report.
Click here for THE RIGHT THING TO DO, The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s
***
By TOM SHANAHAN
Comedian Shane Gillis is a funny guy who scoffs at Alabama’s history of racist, hypocritical football fans. He’s a bright guy.
I recently came across a Bing video of one of his standup routines, “Shane Gillis History Lesson on Alabama football.”
I laughed as I listened.
He understands the absurdity of praising Alabama and coach Bear Bryant as if he was at the forefront progress with his first Black player, in 1971. In Gillis’ routine, he explained he had watched a documentary about the 1970 USC-Alabama game.
“The whole documentary is like celebrating Bear Bryant,” Gillis summarizes.
“Way to go, Bear. You did it. What a hero.”
Pause.
“And then you find out it was 1971.”
The audience laughs.
SHAND GILLIS VIDEO: Shane Gillis History Lesson on Alabama Football
Gillis adds, “A little late for high fives for this one, fellas. Holy s—, 71. We had been to the moon. There were people on the moon before Alabama had Black guys in their secondaries.”
But as much as I appreciate Gillis mocking Alabama fans who cheer for African Americans wearing a Crimson Tide football uniform but then vote against their rights in the ballot box, the ending to his routine disappointed me.
Shane, I hope you’re listening.
Gillis unwittingly reaffirmed the 1970 USC-Alabama game’s myth. The false narrative claims Bryant scheduled USC as a game to lose at Legion Field in Birmingham. He wanted Alabama’s bigoted fanbase so embarrassed by the defeat it would allow him to begin recruiting Black players to remain competitive. USC fullback Sam Cunningham, an African American, provided the denouement, leading a 42-21 victory.
Gillis says, “USC came down to Alabama with a bunch of black dudes from LA and beat the f— out of Alabama. After the game, Bear Bryant gave a speech, ‘Hey y’all. Come on.’
“That was it. Everybody said, ‘Yeah, we get it, we’ll be less racist if it means we can win.’”
Gillis draws appropriate laughs, but it’s important to clarify that’s not how the night played out. Shane, keep delivering your routine, but add a rewrite that credits the true pioneers of college football integration in the 1960s.
The facts are a long list of Black players led college football integration when they desegregated southern programs. Alabama was the seventh of 10 Southeastern Conference football programs to desegregate and by the1970 season 33 of 37 major southern programs included Black players. Bryant wasn’t leading. He was playing catchup.
The pioneers representing schools ahead of Alabama included Darryl Hill, Maryland, 1963; Bob Grant, Wake Forest, 1964; Warren McVea, Houston, 1964; Jerry LeVias, Southern Methodist, 1965; Nate Northington and Greg Page, Kentucky, 1966; Lester McClain, Tennessee, 1967; and James Owens, Auburn, 1969.
The 1960s wave followed the model Michigan State coach Duffy Daugherty set with college football’s first fully integrated rosters throughout the decade. In 1964, Michigan State was the first fully integrated team to play in the South when the Spartans faced North Carolina at Kenan Stadium in segregated Chapel Hill.
But those stories aren’t as well known as the 1970 USC-Alabama game spread ingot college football lore two decades after the game was played.
The problem remains Bryant hagiography has led to books and documentaries conveniently ignoring 1960s milestones. Anyone watching the 2013 Showtime documentary, “Against the Tide;” two ESPN films that aired in 2019 or 2020; or a 2021 University of Alabama film, “Barrier Breakers: The Story of Wilbur Jackson and John Mitchell,” has been fed conclusions ranging from misleading to erroneous.
College football integration was a fait accompli by 1970. Bryant signed Jackson as his first Black player in the 1970 recruiting class nine months before USC arrived in Birmingham. But in those days, the NCAA didn’t permit freshmen eligibility on the varsity, so Jackson didn’t play on the varsity until 1971 when Mitchell, a junior college transfer, joined him.
But there’s more that’s wrong with the myth. In the Gillis punchline he stated, “a bunch of Black dudes from LA.”
Of USC’s four Black starters in 1970, only one was from a Los Angeles high school. USC wasn’t a model integrated program in the 1960s, and the Trojans dominating start to finish has been misrepresented. The myth, in a journalism failure, has gone unchallenged in a national media subservient to Bryant’s legend.
— USC senior tailback Clarence Davis, a junior college transfer, was the only Black starter from a Los Angeles-area high school.
— The other three starters were junior quarterback Jimmy Jones, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; senior defensive lineman Charlie Weaver, a junior college transfer from Richmond in northern California; and senior transfer Tody Smith, a four-year school transfer from Beaumont, Texas.
— Charlie Evans, a White player, was USC’s senior returning starting fullback. He scored one of USC’s five touchdowns and went on to play five NFL seasons. Sam Cunningham was a sophomore backup making his varsity debut.
— Evans’ touchdown came after Alabama had closed the deficit to a one-score game, 15-7, late in the second quarter.
— The reason USC numbered only four Black starters was the Trojans were shedding their years following an unwritten quota limiting Black athletes to a half-dozen or so. The Trojans numbered only five Black players on their 1962 national title team and seven on their 1967 national championship team.
— Although the 1970 roster did number 18 Black players, 11 of them were transfers who arrived in 1969 or 1970. Nine were junior college transfers and Smith was one of two transfers from a four-year school.
The bottom line, though, is thanks Shane for exposing Alabama hypocrisy. Now add the USC hypocrisy with a rewritten ending. That won’t be hard for you. After all, you get it.
You’ll find enough Alabama and USC hypocrisy to keep us laughing. And, hopefully, spread the story of the true 1960s pioneers.
-30-
Tom Shanahan is an award-winning sportswriter and frequent contributor to Spartanamag.com. His new book on Michigan State leading college football integration is, “THE RIGHT THING TO DO, The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s.” His first book was “RAYE OF LIGHT, Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the Integration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans.”
I invite you to follow me on Twitter @shanny4055
Below are links to click on to purchase my books focused.
My books tell the true story of college football integration in the 1960s and address the myths and fiction that allowed a false narrative surrounding the 1970 USC-Alabama game to usurp the credit from the true pioneers. As I said when I spoke at the National Sports Media Association book festival, no two books provide an accurate portrayal more than RAYE OF LIGHT and THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
I’ll put my facts up against anybody, anytime, anywhere. Watch here.
Click here for my story on the 1962 Rose Bowl and Segregation awarded first place by the Football Writers Association of America. I tell untold stories on Michigan State’s leading role and the true pioneers of college football integration. Click here to read the summary as a first-place story.
***
Click here to purchase The Right Thing To Do
THE RIGHT THING TO DO
The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s
Foreword by Ruffin McNeill
***
Click here to purchase Raye of Light.
RAYE OF LIGHT
Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the 1ntegration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans
Foreword by Tony Dungy
***
Click here to purchase my children’s book, Bubba’s Dad, Duffy and College Football’s Underground Railroad
The book for now is only a Kindle version on Amazon. Print and audio platforms available soon.
