CBS Sports Documentary: "Forward Progress"

[Kampus Korner]

My apologies if there has been a previous post and discussion about the CBS Sports documentary: "Forward Progress" which reviews the challenges faced by University of Kentucky players' Nate Northington and Greg Page when they became the first African Americans to play football in the Southeastern Conference. I just saw it on the CBS sports cable channel. It is a compelling story and I recommend it to your attention.

For all of the negative national image problems that UK suffered for years for not integrating its basketball team sooner than it did, there has been relatively little national recognition that in 1966, UK was the first SEC school to sign African Americans to football scholarships. Attached is a link which previews the documentary.

Freshmen were not eligible to play in 1966 so Page and Northington played on the freshmen team. Tragically, Page suffered a severe injury in practice at the beginning of his sophomore season and he died before he could ever play a game for the UK varsity. I was 17 when Nate Northington played his first SEC game against Ole Miss. I became a freshman at UK in 1968. I can only imagine the difficulties that Northington faced back then. Greg Page's death was devastating to Northington and he subsequently transferred to Western Kentucky.

The documentary also discusses the strong leadership of then Kentucky Governor, Ned Breathitt and UK President John Oswald in integrating UK Athletics. Since I was a student at the University of Kentucky at the time, this documentary is particularly relevant and meaningful to me. Looking back on those days, now almost 50 years ago, I find myself being even more impressed by the courage of Nate Northington, Greg Page, John Oswald and Ned Breathitt.

CBS Sports Documentary Preview

 

[jauk11]

Thanks for posting, your link gives a very good summary, but I saw the show some time ago and it is a great one. They arrived at UK just after I graduated, but I did see a lot of the effects of Bradshaw, although without the internet most of it sailed under the radar. He had GREAT talent with Norton, Bird, Kestner, Ball, Davis, Windsor, Seiple, Antonino (never realized his potential, saw him score six TDs in a 73-0 romp over TU's frosh team) etc but the lack of depth killed them, particularly when they had to play the starting DB at QB when Norton was injured.

Ironically, integration hurt UK a great deal in football, just a fact, all of those great players above were from Kentucky and of course white and integration opened the floodgates to all the talent the deep south had while Kentucky had (and still does) very little of it.

Tragic how it turned out for those two pioneers, but I was particularly impressed with him urging the two great players that followed him to get the job done that he and Page started (a real tragedy there) and they certainly did, outstanding representives of our state and one an All American.

Great to see that he rebounded from his personal tragedy and had a good and productive life.

 

[camron]

I was in medical school at the time of Page's injury. Every afternoon I would see him in the corner of the ICU on a respirator, unable to move a muscle below his neck. I thought then and now what a waste. He was injured in a drill where the players had to clasp their hands behind the back and tackle with their head. Another player got a similar neck injury in the same drill, but I don't recall his name. Bradshaw was an idiot!

 

[jauk11]

Another huge indictment of Braadshaw.

They just started the huge emphasis on "spearing" about the time I officated my first high school high level game in about 1975, the new rule was that spearing was an automatic ejection (but spearing at the time was only if the player was down and the "tackler" hit him late AND leading with the helmet) and as the BJ there was a classic example of it right in front of me, so I called it. Unfortunately the player was about the only really good player they had on both O and D, and the HC erupted, they didn't compete after that. I''m not sure my Referee was very happy either, LOL, the player went on to be a big star at UNR.

 

[jrburt]

The best teams in western kentucky history is a direct result of the mad man at the helm at that time. I know one individual that literally ran himself into a wall to knock himself out so he could get out of the madness that was happening in practice.

Dave

 

[jauk11]

Dale Lindsay probably the best example of a great player Bradshaw ran off, an AP (the All American team back then) first team All American as a junior, and that from a small college, then went to the Browns early before his senior year. Only the fourth WKU player to have his jersey retired at the time (maybe still?), had an outstanding nine years with the Browns when they never had a losing season and made the playoffs six times.

 

[vhcat70]

Saw Greg Page play for Middlesboro in 1965 playoffs. What a waste that injury created.

 

[BobbyK49]

When they devoted most of a segment to rehashing the inaccurate crap about Rupp I turned it off.

 

[jauk11]

Originally posted by BobbyK49:

When they devoted most of a segment to rehashing the inaccurate crap about Rupp I turned it off.

I haven't seen the actual Documentary yet, but I can agree that there is a lot of that around.