Racism has been a problem throughout history and still is a problem today. Georgia Tech like most other southern colleges was one of the last colleges to desegregate, because they were one of the last colleges to desegregate other schools being desegregated affected them specifically in sports.Football in particular was affected tremendously by segregation.
The main controversial game and most known way that has to do with segregation at Georgia Tech was the Sugar Bowl of 1956 in which Georgia Tech played the University of Pittsburgh who had one African American starting player on their team. The name of the player was Bobby Grier who is credited for being the first African American to play in a Deep South bowl game. Before the Sugar Bowl game however Tech had already played Notre Dame and desegregation team and Blake Van Leer the current President of Tech and the Athletic Association had no problem with it and saw the contract for the game as acceptable. But the Brown v. Board of Education, with which said state laws that established separated schools for blacks and whites where unconstitutional, raised racial tension in the south. Although the Governor, Marvin Griffin at the time, privately gave the head coach of Georgia Tech, Bobby Dodd, permission to play the game he changed his mind. On December, 1955 he succumbed to the segregationist and send a request to the Georgia Board of Reagents chairman that not only can Georgia Tech play the game but all Georgia schools were no longer allowed to play desegregated teams. The Tech students were outraged and organized a protest rally on campus where they hung the Governor in effigy and made a bonfire. They went to Five Points, the Georgia State Capitol and Georgia Governor’s Mansion and protested at each. Van Leers comment on December third to this was that he had never broken a contract and would not break on now. The next Monday the Board of Reagents decided they would allow Georgia Tech to play at the Sugar Bowl but made a new policy. The policy was that Georgia Tech couldn’t play any desegregated teams in Georgia but would abide by the teams in other states policies and laws. In most non-south states blacks had the same opportunities as whites. The game was played and Georgia Tech beat Pittsburgh 7 to 0.The touchdown was controversial because Pittsburgh got pass interference called on them in the end zone so Tech got the ball on the one yard line. The person who the penalty was called on was, Booby Grier who said that it should have been called the other way because he was pushed from behind onto the ground.
As seen Tech’s athletics had a big problem with desegregation and was affected by it greatly especially in football. They almost were not able to play in the Sugar Bowl game because of racism and afterwords could only play desegregated teams in the opponents state because of racism. Although most of society allowed segregation and participated in sports events and other activities with blacks , Tech did not because of the hate people possessed in the Deep South.Although it was still bad that Tech couldn’t play desegregated teams in Georgia I believe the Sugar Bowl incident changes the people’s views on segregation and I believe the new policy was a step towards desegregating. By allowing some contact with desegregated teams the gate was being opened to full acceptance of African Americans.Because of Tech protesting against the Sugar Bowl and wanting to play desegregated teams it contributed or was one of the main reasons why the law was changed to even allow Georgia Teams to play desegregated teams. In 1961 Georgia Tech became the first University in the Deep South to desegregate without a court order and the students voted on ending segregation. Tech was an example to other Georgia colleges in the field of racial discrimination and has been an example of diversity sense then.
The main controversial game and most known way that has to do with segregation at Georgia Tech was the Sugar Bowl of 1956 in which Georgia Tech played the University of Pittsburgh who had one African American starting player on their team. The name of the player was Bobby Grier who is credited for being the first African American to play in a Deep South bowl game. Before the Sugar Bowl game however Tech had already played Notre Dame and desegregation team and Blake Van Leer the current President of Tech and the Athletic Association had no problem with it and saw the contract for the game as acceptable. But the Brown v. Board of Education, with which said state laws that established separated schools for blacks and whites where unconstitutional, raised racial tension in the south. Although the Governor, Marvin Griffin at the time, privately gave the head coach of Georgia Tech, Bobby Dodd, permission to play the game he changed his mind. On December, 1955 he succumbed to the segregationist and send a request to the Georgia Board of Reagents chairman that not only can Georgia Tech play the game but all Georgia schools were no longer allowed to play desegregated teams. The Tech students were outraged and organized a protest rally on campus where they hung the Governor in effigy and made a bonfire. They went to Five Points, the Georgia State Capitol and Georgia Governor’s Mansion and protested at each. Van Leers comment on December third to this was that he had never broken a contract and would not break on now. The next Monday the Board of Reagents decided they would allow Georgia Tech to play at the Sugar Bowl but made a new policy. The policy was that Georgia Tech couldn’t play any desegregated teams in Georgia but would abide by the teams in other states policies and laws. In most non-south states blacks had the same opportunities as whites. The game was played and Georgia Tech beat Pittsburgh 7 to 0.The touchdown was controversial because Pittsburgh got pass interference called on them in the end zone so Tech got the ball on the one yard line. The person who the penalty was called on was, Booby Grier who said that it should have been called the other way because he was pushed from behind onto the ground.
As seen Tech’s athletics had a big problem with desegregation and was affected by it greatly especially in football. They almost were not able to play in the Sugar Bowl game because of racism and afterwords could only play desegregated teams in the opponents state because of racism. Although most of society allowed segregation and participated in sports events and other activities with blacks , Tech did not because of the hate people possessed in the Deep South.Although it was still bad that Tech couldn’t play desegregated teams in Georgia I believe the Sugar Bowl incident changes the people’s views on segregation and I believe the new policy was a step towards desegregating. By allowing some contact with desegregated teams the gate was being opened to full acceptance of African Americans.Because of Tech protesting against the Sugar Bowl and wanting to play desegregated teams it contributed or was one of the main reasons why the law was changed to even allow Georgia Teams to play desegregated teams. In 1961 Georgia Tech became the first University in the Deep South to desegregate without a court order and the students voted on ending segregation. Tech was an example to other Georgia colleges in the field of racial discrimination and has been an example of diversity sense then.
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