Purchase my new book: It’s the right thing to do

By TOM SHANAHAN My latest book on college football integration is available to pre-order. THE RIGHT THING TO DO The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s Foreword by Ruffin McNeill Click here for summary and to purchase from August Publications:     *** As I said when I was invited to speak at the National Sports Media Association book festival on June 23 in Winston-Salem, no two books better tell an accurate story about college football…

Continue ReadingPurchase my new book: It’s the right thing to do

The Wonders of Michigan State’s expanded worlds under President John Hannah’s leadership

PHOTO: Wonders Hall opened in 1963 as John Hannah's example of a progressive campus before the 1964 and 1965 Civil Rights Acts were signed. Visit my website homepage, TomShanahan.Report By TOM SHANAHAN Gene Washington escaped the segregated South 60 years ago, boarding Michigan State’s Underground Railroad from La Porte, Texas. His life-altering journey as a freshman football recruit for preseason practice was prior to September classes. The time frame, coincidentally, matched 250,000 Americans traveling to the nation’s capital…

Continue ReadingThe Wonders of Michigan State’s expanded worlds under President John Hannah’s leadership

Part IV: College football integration lore, in the form of traffic, was steered down a fairy tale exit

NOTE: As a Detroit Tigers and Mangum fan, this is my letter to Tom Selleck, admittedly a bit tongue in cheek. The facts vs. fiction I present, though, tell the true story of college football integration’s pioneers in the 1960s. College football integration was fait accompli by 1970, thanks to the price paid by true pioneers. They knocked down the door. Alabama coach Bear Bryant didn’t open the door. He was pointed to it after coaching segregated teams…

Continue ReadingPart IV: College football integration lore, in the form of traffic, was steered down a fairy tale exit