First and Five: Monument Erected to UGA’s First Black Players

Five young men brave enough to sign on with the University of Georgia when it was one of the last three SEC teams to integrate have finally received permanent on-campus remembrance for changing the course of UGA football. A monument to them was unveiled Friday at Reed...

Harold Franklin: A History-Changing Life

When Harold Franklin was growing up in Talladega, Alabama, during the Depression and WWII, his parents always told him and his nine siblings, “When you do something in life, try to do something that will help others as well.” Saturday, Franklin will be returned to the...

50 Years Ago, Jackson and Mitchell Changed Alabama’s Future

On this date 50 years ago – Sept. 10, 1971 – Wilbur Jackson (far right) and John Mitchell became the first African Americans to suit up for an Alabama varsity football game – a 17-10 Friday night upset of Southern Cal in Los Angeles. The game was much more significant...

Tennessee Unveils Statues of Black Football Pioneers

The University of Tennessee will honor its Black history Thursday by unveiling larger-than-life statues of African American football pioneers Lester McClain, Jackie Walker, and Condredge Holloway – and, additionally, Tee Martin, a latter-day “first.” The statues were...