Read more about the article September 12, 1970: STANFORD vs. ARKANSAS at LITTLE ROCK

September 12, 1970: STANFORD vs. ARKANSAS at LITTLE ROCK

Cover photo (L-R): Stanford's all-minority backfield in 1970: Jackie Brown, Hillary Shockley and Jim Plunkett. Visit my home page, TomShanahanReport *** “History writes people out of the story. It's our job to write them back in.” --- David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer. BY TOM SHANAHAN We’ve been misled by myths surrounding the 1970 USC-Alabama game’s racial impact, but the deception doesn’t stop there. The revisionist history has cost the true 1960s pioneers of college football integration their due.…

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Read more about the article Auburn’s James Owens and overshadowed history as state of Alabama’s first Black player

Auburn’s James Owens and overshadowed history as state of Alabama’s first Black player

By TOM SHANAHAN The old adage “History is written by the victors” validates any thoughts to add an epilogue to the James Owens story. Owens, who died in 2016, was Auburn’s first black football player (1970-72). He arrived a year prior to Alabama’s first black player, Wilbur Jackson (1971-73), but try explaining that to those in the state and beyond that believe Jackson -- through no fault of his own -- was the first through the door. Alabama…

Continue ReadingAuburn’s James Owens and overshadowed history as state of Alabama’s first Black player