Suggested Research Topics - Black Football Players in the Yost Era

It is a well known fact that there were no black lettermen in football between George Jewett in 1892 and Willis Ward in 1932. Both Behee and Sudarkasa cite the segregationist policies of Fielding Yost in describing the "color barrier" in Michigan football. Yet a portrait of the 1923 football team "Includes a black player. This was not the "official" team portrait taken by Rentschler's Studio, in which the black player is not present, but a group photo taken on the practice field and used in at least one game program. A photograph of the 1924 freshman team also includes a black player. Who were these players? Did their presence on the team get any notice in the Michigan Daily or Ann Arbor News? Did they ever get into a game? What does their presence on the team say about Yost's policy? Why did each apparently play only one year?

This topic will require considerable "detective work" that may turn up nothing but dead-ends. Even so, it could serve as a lead-in to a general discussion of the "color barrier" in Michigan football.

Sources:

Printed Secondary Material:

University Records and Manuscript Material:

Primary Printed Sources


In an effort to encourage creative thinking about possible research topics for students unfamiliar with archives and their inevitable complexities, archivists and student employees of the Bentley Historical Library have authored "suggested research topics ." The purpose of these is not to define a topic but rather to stimulate thinking about a topic where the holdings of the Bentley Library are particularly strong.