Posted by:
mrx
(
)
Date: July 14, 2020 03:00AM
If you're not familiar with the Black 14 event in 1969, you should read this little history lesson. Essentially, 14 Black Wyoming football players considered a protest against BYU in 1969 by wearing black armbands or some sort of nonviolent protest. In the 60s, Wyoming was a football powerhouse, winning 3 conference titles in the late 60s. Coach Eaton refused to allow any protest of any kind, and told the Black players that if they didn't like it at Wyoming, then transfer to Grambling. Eaton kicked all 14 off the team and booted them out of Wyoming. On campus, there was widespread support for the 14 ex-football players, and hatred towards Eaton and the Administration.
Up until October 1969, Wyoming football was often ranked in the top 15. But 1970 turned out to be a disaster for Wyoming football. 1-9 record and Eaton was fired.
https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/black-14-race-politics-religion-and-wyoming-footballOTHER PROTESTS AGAINST BYU LATE 60S & EARLY 70S
Many schools protested against BYU due to the Black policy. Many schools refused to compete against BYU. They essentially "blacklisted" BYU and wouldn't compete. The affected sports were football, basketball, track&field, and others.
Amazingly, things calmed down a bit in the mid-70s. Maybe that was because Vietnam protests were over, many schools refused to compete against BYU, and BYU had to carefully schedule sports, aware of potential protests. In 1978, President Kimball miraculously received a revelation, and all people (well . . . all men . . ) could hold the glorious Mormon priesthood regardless of the color of their skin.
LDS leaders of the late 60s and early 70s were just plain stupid and stubborn. It should have been obvious by the 1960s that if TCOJCOLDS would survive and grow, they absolutely had to end the Black priesthood ban. It's just as obvious as slavery and polygamy. The idiots of the Confederacy fought a brutal war in the 1860s, even though it was obvious that global society was rapidly eliminating slavery, and it would not be possible to continue slavery. Likewise, Mormon polygamists of the 1870s and 1880s should have noticed that polygamy would have to end due to societal pressure, and without ending polygamy, the church would shrivel down to "on life-support" status.
U of Arizona 1970
You've gotta admire this student protest. Students staged a ONE-WEEK SIT-IN at the Administration Bldg demanding that athletics against BYU be cancelled.
MOBY ARENA RIOT - FORT COLLINS, CO - 1970
This was a wild night! Protesters brought "Bigot Young University" signs, For some reason, BYU Cougarettes unwisely performed a halftime dance routine (should have stayed in Provo). Protesters surrounded them, harassed them, called them names, and made threats. Cougarettes escaped unharmed, but the riot soon began. Protesters threw raw eggs and trash onto the court. Someone threw a big piece of metal which bounced off a security officer's helmet and injured a reporter (knocked unconscious). A flaming molotov cocktail thing was thrown, but didn't explode. Several dozen police and security officers secured the court and restored some order. Only 7 people were arrested. They managed to finish the basketball game after the rioting ended.
Sports Illustrated noted that BYU basketball had to prepare for anything: "man-to-man defense, zone defense, or even a grenade."
By the 1970s, only 4 Blacks had ever graduated from BYU.
BYU's first Black faculty member: Wynetta Willis 1970
1972 - Bennie Smith, first Black BYU football player
1974 - first Black BYU basketball player not a success story. He quit and was kicked off the team in his 1st semester. He said the recruiters were wrong about racial prejudice on campus.
This won't surprise anyone:
Up until around 1970, BYU Administrators discouraged Blacks from enrolling at BYU. They told Blacks that there would be very few Blacks enrolled, there were "no families of your race" in the community, and inter-racial dating was seriously discouraged.
June 1978 - there were 4 Black athletes at BYU when the PH ban was lifted.
1981 - 40 Black students at BYU
2011 - 176 Black students at BYU