Actually, Sidney Williams’ distinction was being the first black quarterback to start in the Big Ten. Where? Duh. Because your great-grandfather played at Wisconsin nearly 100 years ago going to Badger football games was a given for me. I know I saw Sidney Williams play. Probably 1957 and/or 1958. Wisconsin had decent teams. I think one ended up in the top 10 of the final season rankings. There wasn’t much passing going on in those days. Yet, even at that young age I knew that the quarterback was the team leader.
As an 8th or 9th grader at that time I was becoming aware of the impact for civil rights that a black man was starting at quarterback for the Badgers. The same had been true a few years earlier when I saw Jackie Robinson play after the Braves moved to Milwaukee. And, I knew that there was a big difference of blacks playing sports up north versus in the south. I believe I wrote on this blog about a family trip to New Orleans and my being shocked on overhearing a disgusting comment about a lynching. I also remember being incensed that Billy Bruton and Henry Aaron could not stay at the same motel as white teammates during spring training in Florida.
What a contrast between north and south in those days. I can’t say I was connecting all the dots to include minorities outside of sports as a youngster but I feel I was on the right track back then. News junkie that I was, the events in Little Rock in 1957 were also in my sights. Interesting that the democrat party (Gov. Orval Faubus) was up to its usual tricks; defying the U.S. Supreme Court. (Brown decision), Add in shielding violence in local trials/juries it is no wonder civil rights barely advanced after the Civil War in the south. President Eisenhower had to step in with federal troops/mobilization to enforce Brown. It’d be years before my vision extended beyond the feel good extension of intergration in sports to the real issues of discrimination and housing problems in the north. I’ve always credited the nuns in grade school with opening the mind on civil rights.
Sidney Williams wa much more than a one time hero on the football field. He was a top notch scholar. I believe he was in engineering at UW. Papa doesn’t hold it against him that he went on to obtain a law degree and had a successful career as a patent attorney. He was a kid from Little Rock who went north to play football and have a better life. He died a few days ago at age 88.
In the 1950’s football trading cards also made me aware of other black players. (i.e. Tank Younger, Marion Motley) The most impressionable story was that of Ollie Matson of the U. of San Francisco. He was also an olympian. Rumor was that the football team could have gone to a bowl game (Most held in the south.) if it didn’t bring its black players. Nope said the team. Later, as a player for the Chicago Cardinals, Matson was traded for 9 players. Almost a whole team for one guy I thouht at the time. He was a great player and the Cardinals didn’t fare much better the next season. In fact the team left town in 1960.
It’s good for you to remember that no matter another’s race, gender or differences most everyone is doing their best to have a good life and pursue goals not disimilar from yours. There is an up and down quality to people, their circumstances and personalities. Best not to judge others as either good or evil. Being overly judgmental does not enhance the soul.