Fascinating Story: The First Time Michigan Played Georgia in 1957
Fascinating bit of Michigan football history that was on Michigan Radio today. U-M has only played teams from Georgia three times in history, and two of the games involved nasty racial incidents. The first was 1934 with Willis Ward and Georgia Tech. The second was in 1957, when Michgan played Georgia for the first time.
Some Michigan legislators furiously lobbied AD Fritz Crisler to cancel the 1957 game, because the State of Georgia had just passed a law banning all race-mixing in athletic contests and other events. They said that if we played Georgia (the game was in Ann Arbor), it would be tantamount to giving a stamp of approval to that law. They also said, "What's to say they won't try to do the same thing that happened to Willis Ward in 1934?"
Also this incredible bit of information: When Michigan and Georgia meet in the Orange Bowl, it will be the first time that Michigan has played against a team from Georgia that has African-American players on it. Mind-boggling.
Here's the story: LINK.
December 10th, 2021 at 8:07 PM ^
You wonder if the kids from Georgia know about any of that.
December 10th, 2021 at 9:11 PM ^
Beat Georgia to honor Michigan’s black players from the 50s and 60s! I like it.
December 10th, 2021 at 9:51 PM ^
"Michigan won by a score of 26-0". Do that again.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:01 PM ^
That would be CRT in our schools. White kids would be feeling shame about their race. We cant have that.
December 11th, 2021 at 6:17 AM ^
No crt that has people worried would say that because of the 1950s law the 2021 white football players are white supremacists and the only way to atone for the sins of the 50s is to not tackle any black Michigan players. Which frankly would work for me considering Haskins, corum, Edwards, sanistril, Arnold hennings would be left free to score.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:21 AM ^
not sure if you're trying to be funny but if so, fail.
Also, that's not what CRT is. Also, football not politics. Also, Go Blue.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
1) I was responding to the comment above mine so he brought up the politics
2) you are clearly a supporter of crt
3) depending on how it’s defined/taught I either support or don’t crt. Teaching history from multiple perspectives is appropriate and invaluable. Supportive/corrective actions are fine but blaming today’s population and demanding penance for it is not. My opinion
4) I showed what a person who was either taught or understood crt incorrectly would think
5) yes, at the end I joked that such an interpretation that would benefit us would be ok with me - clear sarcasm
December 11th, 2021 at 10:28 AM ^
1.CRT is awful. So is “patriot” history. Teaching history in an ideological framework is incredibly toxic.
2.Whiteness and race are not real. Viewing history through the definitive lens of whiteness/blackness is also incredibly toxic and simplistic.
3. Americans are not taught that Americans of today come from a wide variety of experiences which is why the white/black paradigm does not really work in regards to the modern population. It only reinforces the myth of race.
4. Banning books and theories isn’t the way to go. Teaching different perspectives is critical.
5. Teaching history as a continuum rather than separates blocks is essential. Colonialism, slavery, imperialism , and war are essential parts of global human history. Reinforcing our collective humanity and the duality that comes with being human is critical. No group owns ingenuity, cruelty, or kindness. We all have the same potential.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
Point 2 is really the voice of white privilege speaking
it’s easy to claim there is no white/ black thing there—and ironically that is the “simplistic” thing
Its s cop out. Particularly when you look at the places Trumpers are crying about voting fraud, and all the legislation repugs are passing about voting
Floridas “Stand your ground” and Georgia’s “Citizens Arrest” laws, plus the acquittal of Rittenhouse are CLEAR racial lines drawn in the sand by whites.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:55 AM ^
White privilege is a racist term created by people lacking in self-awareness.(all Americans are privileged). Also you misunderstood what I was referring to. I was referring to actual identity. Whiteness is not a cultural, linguistic, or historical group. It’s fabrication of Christian slavers to justify enslavement of Indigenous and Africans in response to condemnation of the practice by Christian Europeans in the Middle Ages. Before that Slavs(white people!) were the primary source of slaves in Europe.(Hence, the term SLAVery)
Rittenhouse was overcharged. You should blame the DA for that. He was guilty of manslaughter.
I won’t dispute that white supremacy is still extent. The GOP is rife with it. But I will point out that the Democrats have a long history of corruption and undermining democratic institutions. This is a case of Satan vs Lucifer.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:16 AM ^
I'm really curious about these things as well. I'd like to read about a player's reaction to his team's history of racism. If anyone has links, share. Interesting thought as well with the bans on CRT in many southern states. On the other hand, people in GA have lived this history so it might be discussed openly. Not sure. Thanks for sharing.
UM and UGA are probably in the Top 5 (maybe 7?) all time programs. That they've only played three times is surprising; that they've never played a racially mixed UGA team sort of jaw dropping.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:20 AM ^
Michigan: Yes
Georgia: No
December 10th, 2021 at 8:10 PM ^
That is crazy interesting, thanks for posting
December 10th, 2021 at 8:14 PM ^
Wow, just wow! It really makes you appreciate the George Jewett story and trophy, the Willis Ward and many many other stories that Michigan and other Big 10 Universities, Players and Coaches took a stand for African American Athletes. Hard to imagine this will be the first game between the schools with African American Players on the roster of a Georgia team…. Just astounded to find that out.
Thankfully so much has changed and continues to change.
December 10th, 2021 at 9:36 PM ^
Fully agree with you on this, but just a few generations ago Georgia was as racially backwards as anywhere in the deep south. My father-in-law, who just passed away a year ago, grew up in rural central Georgia; the violent death of his dad in 1948 led to one of the more famous civil rights cases of the 1950's, the death row case involving Rosa Lee Ingram and her sons.
https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/rosa-lee-ingram-case/
Without going into all the details, the Ingram family was convicted by an all-white jury in a case that was decided in less than one day; it took until 1959 for the Ingrams to properly be freed after numerous rounds in court.
Upon any amount of research, it was very clearly a case of self-defense. Unfortunately though, essentially all the evidence that could have immediately cleared them was instead suppressed. And legal representation for them was non-existent until just a day before their trials. Only because of it becoming a cause celebre in the early days of the civil rights movement, the Ingrams finally found justice.
Sad to say, racial inequality/injustice was still the norm in Georgia back in 1957 and it's no surprise whatsoever to me that the decision to play the Bulldogs was controversial.
December 11th, 2021 at 2:33 AM ^
It is interesting looking at those cases. Sometimes they just got a racist jury, but other times they presented false evidence or only presented small bits of evidence and the jury found them guilty because the evidence they were shown was all BS.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:27 AM ^
These are true facts. Facts shouldn't scare people. And facts don't say this applied to every situation or person. But these are still facts.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:24 AM ^
TRUE! Coolest trophy is CFB
December 11th, 2021 at 9:33 AM ^
Well nothing can beat the Little Brown Jug. It started it all. But for a new trophy it’s one of the best.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:00 AM ^
Michigan - Northwestern. There is a reason it has football AND books.
December 10th, 2021 at 8:24 PM ^
Also Michigan won 26-0.
Time to repeat history.
December 10th, 2021 at 9:37 PM ^
To be fair, 1957 and 1965 were long ago for most folks who hail from Georgia today. And every corner of this country, including Southeastern Michigan, has had its own reckoning with racial injustice.
While I think these episodes are historically interesting and important to remember, I hope we can enjoy a special rivalry with the Georgia Bulldogs this holiday season without focusing on our past transgressions. Go Dawgs and Go Blue!!
December 10th, 2021 at 9:52 PM ^
Go Dawgs and Go Blue!!
December 10th, 2021 at 10:33 PM ^
I say win it for Ahmaud Arbery, myself.
December 11th, 2021 at 2:37 AM ^
UGA has as a lot of black players. I think it is unfair to say this is some type of racial battle. Is some of UGA’s fan base probably racist? Yes for sure, but you can say that about every team in the country probably. (Maybe not HBCU’s)
December 11th, 2021 at 8:32 AM ^
(Maybe not HBCU’s)
You can delete that statement. Racism cuts all ways, not just in one direction. But any direction it rolls in is wrong.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:45 AM ^
Maybe time to put a little more thought/effort/reflection into what your definition of racism is.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:36 AM ^
Maybe you should. Also you need to spend some time on understanding what race is.
Anyone can be racist. What you refer to is institutional racism. Furthermore, race has different meaning in different cultures with different histories.
Rwandan genocide was an act of racism though both groups were black. In that instance the “race” was different ethnic groups.
The Nazis were undeniably racist although groups they targeted were white. Again, race here are different ethnic groups.
Ultimately we all descend from a single female in the Great Rift Valley so these discussions are inherently problematic.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:51 PM ^
From Merriam-Webster:
"racism noun
rac·ism | \ ˈrā-ˌsi-zəm also -ˌshi- \
Definition of racism
1: a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
also : behavior or attitudes that reflect and foster this belief : racial discrimination or prejudice
2a: the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another
b: a political or social system founded on racism and designed to execute its principles"
I think the definition of racism speaks for itself...
December 11th, 2021 at 3:12 AM ^
Burning the south, almost like General Sherman intended. Start by torching Georgia, then Alabama.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:30 AM ^
We're not the only fanbase to have this thought
December 11th, 2021 at 10:55 AM ^
Be careful here --- William Tecumseh Sherman was born in New Lancaster, Ohio, on February 8, 1820. Although tOSU was yet to raise its ugly head in Columbus, one could argue that his Ohio birth still makes Sherman a Buckeye, well, sort of.
December 10th, 2021 at 9:38 PM ^
I’ve got some general Sherman memes on deck for after the game provided it goes the right way…
December 11th, 2021 at 10:42 AM ^
The irony here is that Sherman was an avowed racist.
December 10th, 2021 at 9:43 PM ^
First UM game I saw was Georgia at the Big House in 1965-
coming off 64 Rose Bowl season with one loss, 22-21 to Purdue.
I remember the GA fans had a confederate flag card show.
Had to be an all white team.
Times have changed for the better.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
Ole Miss fans had Stars and Bars at the Gator Bowl in the early 90’s.
December 10th, 2021 at 10:36 PM ^
It's hard to fathom that UGA didn't allow Black players until 1971.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:22 AM ^
Yes, it was true that Georgia, a State University that was forced to desegregate in 1961 (almost 100 years after the 14th Amendment required equal treatment by States), still did not permit Black students to play on their football team until 5 freshmen broke the color line in 1971. Racism is clearly not ancient history. When I was a kid in the 50’s and a teenager in the 60’s I personally experienced segregated bathrooms, water fountains, restaurants, etc., while we drove from Chicago through Georgia to a winter vacation in Miami.
December 11th, 2021 at 5:19 AM ^
Same with Alabama.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:31 AM ^
Here's some background on number 43, Jim Pace.
GO BLUE!
December 12th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
To me it's more disappointing that we still have these biased views today. Even with all we have learned people still struggle to look past skin color.