SBN's Black College All-American Awards — "One Tradition-One Goal."
“Up! You mighty race, you can accomplish what you will.”
— Marcus Mosiah Garvey
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SBN Sports 1992 Defensive Player of the Year, Texas Southern’s Michael Strahan, ended his pro career at the top as a member of the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants. |
Black College football’s roots sprouted five years after Marcus Garvey was born. So it is safe to assume that his uplifting exhortation had nothing to do with that historic Biddle-Livingstone gridiron confrontation that took place in a cow pasture in North Carolina in 1892. Yet there is meaning in his mantra that exemplifies the institution that Black College football has become over the last 117 years. He advocated oneness, togetherness, solidarity, in order to achieve success.
In the spirit of Garvey’s commitment to the elevation and unification of people of color, the Sheridan Broadcasting Network has, for the past 36 years, devoted its efforts to chronicling, celebrating and rewarding the progeny of that legendary Biddle-Livingstone contest. Their goal: to preserve the tradition. And so it is, Orlando, Fla., will play host to the SBN Awards Weekend Feb. 12-13, a celebration that has reached mythic proportions.
The tradition of recognizing the best and the brightest gridders of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) began in 1927. That’s when Bill Nunn Sr. and a phalanx of literary visionaries at the Pittsburgh Courier — then the voice of people of color and the conscience of white America — compiled the first Black All-America Team.
They viewed it as an obligation to the schools, coaches, players and fans to publicize the exploits of those at HBCUs who continued to play the sport at a high level, despite being virtually ignored because of America’s intractable racial chasm.
Mind you, at the time of the inception of Black College football, the country was only three decades beyond the Emancipation Proclamation. Moreover, the pervasive mindset of the country was that educating people of color bordered on criminality. So the very development of HBCUs was no small achievement for a race that had been ‘buked and scorned’ virtually since Plymouth Rock. And play football, too!
In Michael Hurd’s definitive work, Black College Football: One Hundred Years of History, Education and Pride, Louise Rountree expressed the climate of the times. “Most of the people then had a struggle getting an education,” said the former librarian and author of Bear Trax, which chronicled the history of Livingstone football.
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Grambling State University and Hampton University were crowned SBN co-national champions following the 2005 season. At the ceremony from left to right are: Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Coach Melvin Spears of Grambling, Coach Joe Taylor of Hampton, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Harry Carson. |
“They were hardworking people who didn’t have that kind of [leisure] time.”
And that was putting it mildly, to say the least. Merely trying to survive and maintain human dignity in the face of such overwhelming obstacles that America presented at the turn of the century was a daunting challenge. That HBCUs existed and flourished were achievements of immense proportions.
With each succeeding decade the importance and contributions of those HBCU standouts would become increasingly apparent to all. Few would realize that when Eddie Robinson sent Paul (Tank) Younger from Grambling to the National Football League, the game, as we knew it, would never be the same.
SBN, previously known as the Mutual Black Network, stepped in when the Courier discontinued naming its All-America Team. It was their effort to maintain and preserve a treasure trove of men, moments and memories. “In the 1970s we came along to carry on that great tradition,” Jerry Lopes, President of Program Operations and Affiliations, said. “Just think of all those great players who had been selected over the years.
“So we wanted to bring much-needed exposure to these institutions and players so that they get their just rewards as they move forward.”
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Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, Harry Carson played defensive end at South Carolina State. Carson’s stellar career included one Super Bowl championship and nine Pro Bowl appearances. |
The importance of SBN’s commitment to maintaining this tradition cannot be overstated given the origins of Black College football and where it has come since Biddle-Livingstone. Ronald R. Davenport, who ultimately would take over full ownership of MBN, once recalled a conversation he had with John Stallworth, the Alabama A&M product, four-time Super Bowl champion, successful businessman and part owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, regarding the annual All-American weekend and its meaning.
“I remember talking with him back then and he told me just how important an event it was to him,” said Davenport.
It is a refrain that is often heard — and with good reason. Year after year, players who have been honored as Courier All-Americans, SBN All-Americans, and NFL Hall of Famers return to show their heartfelt appreciation for the opportunity to share their experiences. Whether it be on the collegiate or professional levels, the annual event is usually a gathering of the Who’s Who of the HBCU pipeline. A Rayfield Wright meets with a Robert Brazile. A Mel Blount commiserating with an Everson Walls. Billy (White Shoes) Johnson and Doug Williams speaking about days of yore. It’s known as “giving something back.”
Adding to the lustre of the event is the itinerary that SBN has provided for this showcase of stars, past and present. New York and Pittsburgh served as early venues with stops in Richmond, Baltimore, Winston-Salem and New Orleans. But for a long time Atlanta served as a beachhead.
“Atlanta proved to be the ideal location,” said Davenport, “because of the growing support we were receiving from the people there. Moreover, Atlanta was a very important for Black people and Black colleges. And this banquet, after all, is a celebration of Black colleges.”
And while the locations may change in the future, the goal will remain the same: to continue to illuminate the Black College tradition!
“Up! You mighty race, you can accomplish what you will.”
