The 1962 Rose Bowl’s 60th anniversary: UCLA’s Black students and players stared down Bear Bryant with Jim Murray’s break from 1960s media customs

PHOTO: The 1961 UCLA football team that won the AAWU title to earn a Rose Bowl berth. My story was awarded first place for 2021 season Enterprise stories by the Football Writers Association of America. Visit my website homepage, TomShanahan.Report By TOM SHANAHAN The 1962 Rose Bowl established a college football Civil Rights milestone, but the 60th anniversary of the New Year’s Day game came and went without attention or even a fractional accounting. What should be remembered as…

Continue ReadingThe 1962 Rose Bowl’s 60th anniversary: UCLA’s Black students and players stared down Bear Bryant with Jim Murray’s break from 1960s media customs

Walton, speaking from experience, heartened college athletes are protesting and urges ‘to keep going’

By TOM SHANAHAN Bill Walton’s mind cheerfully hums songs illuminating life’s complexities, but he burst out with renewed hope last spring and summer. The chord struck was college athletes outspokenly supporting Black Lives Matter protests. “I’m all for it,” Walton said. “It’s fantastic -- a dream come true. It’s what I grew up hoping the future would be; now it’s here.” What Bob Dylan song might Walton be singing to himself? Maybe, “Blowin’ in the Wind.” How about…

Continue ReadingWalton, speaking from experience, heartened college athletes are protesting and urges ‘to keep going’