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Post by professorjackson on Oct 20, 2021 13:27:05 GMT -5
As a fan of the CFL, I've read some things about the Johnny Bright Incident. It happened 70 years ago today in Stillwater, Oklahoma when a player for Oklahoma State named Wilbanks Smith broke the jaw of Drake's African American QB Johnny Bright, who went on to a great career with the Edmonton Eskimos. Photos of the incident won the photographers the Pulitzer Prize. Poking around today it seems that Oklahoma State's very next game was at U of D on October 26, 1951. The Titans lost 20-7. It seems the Titans played at Drake that year on October 12, and lost 26-6. So there are our Titans right in the midst of one of the famous incidents in college football history. It also seems that the incident kind of wrecked the MVC, as Drake and Bradley both quit the conference over it. So, these are some things I learned today. I hope they are correct, and would appreciate any clarification or additional thoughts...
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Post by ptctitan on Oct 21, 2021 7:24:44 GMT -5
It's an interesting story of an era that I'm glad has passed.
Looking at some more records, it appears that both U of D and OK State left the MVC in 1956 to go independent. We were replaced by Cincinnati.
Drake and Bradley quit the conference. Bradley returned in 1955 for everything but football. Drake returned in 1956 replacing Oklahoma A&M.
Thirty-five years later, OK State fans were cheering an African-American running back named Barry Sanders who ended up providing the Detroit Lions one of its few "bright" eras after the Lions were purchased by William Clay Ford on November 22, 1963, a date infamous for another reason.
Willie McCarter, our men's BB head coach from 1979-82 was an All-American player at Drake from 1966-69.
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Post by professorjackson on Oct 21, 2021 11:56:04 GMT -5
Excellent reply ptctitan!
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