First African American Student and Football Player

In the decades leading up to 1962, schools were segregated so white people and African Americans could not attend the same school. African Americans had to drink from different water fountains, go to different movie theaters, and so much more. Until 1962, African Americans were not allowed to attend the University of Mississippi. That changed when James Meredith applied to the University of Mississippi in 1962. Riots ended in two people dying, many more people hurt, and more still arrested.

James Meredith had applied to the University of Mississippi multiple times to no success, but he never gave up. Once Meredith was accepted into the university, he had to be joined by “the protection of federal forces, including U.S. marshals” because there was “a mob of more than 2,000 students and others formed to block his way.”[1] After Meredith, one of the most memorable events to happen at the University was the recruitment of Robert Jerry “Ben” Williams. James Meredith was the man who paved the way for more and more African Americans to slowly apply to the University of Mississippi. 

Back around 1970, Coach John A. “Junie” Hovious became the first coach at Ole Miss to recruit the first African American football player. Hovious played football from 1939-1941 at Ole Miss. In ‘45 he played for the New York Giants and in ‘57 he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Hovious went out and looked for recruits, he was not told to go and look for a recruit of color. He went out and just looked for someone who was the best, skin color was not a thing in his mind. Hovious saw Ben Williams and immediately jumped on it. Introduced himself to Williams and his grandmother and the rest was history. When being interviewed, Williams had this to say “How can you be worried about ‘Dixie’ when you have a 6-foot 5,300 pound white boy foaming at the mouth across the line ready to kick in your teeth?” He went on to state, “If I play a good game, those white fans are going to stand up and cheer for me.”[2] I would like to agree with what he said because no matter what race or sex or ethnicity one is, a good player is a good player; no matter the sport. 

This entry was written by Brianne Saunders. 

[1] History.com Editors. “James Meredith at Ole Miss.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 Feb. 2010, www.history.com/topics/Black-history/ole-miss-integration. 

[2] Oxford Eagle Contributors Email the author Published 6:00 am Sunday. “Ole Miss Recruits First Black Player.” The Oxford Eagle, 5 Feb. 2016, www.oxfordeagle.com/2016/02/07/ole-miss-recruits-first-Black-player/.