I thought it was a school in Illinois (which, turns out, is where Sweetness died). But you're right, Walter Payton went to Jackson State University (a primarily Black university) right next door in Mississippi (he was born in MS in '54), just like Jerry Rice went to Mississippi Valley State University (a primarily Black university) in Mississippi (he was born in MS in '62). I wonder why those two never went to Ole Miss or Miss State? Was it because it was still back in the days racism was widespread in Mississippi and its major state universities? Could you imagine if LSU had lost two such great players because they went to Southern or Grambling State (Louisiana's two most prominent primarily Black universities)?
Sweetness was from Columbia, MS...about 20 miles to my west. I don't know why he didn't go to MSU or lefire:, same with Jerry Rice. Jerry Rice's QB at MVSU was...if I'm not mistaken...Willie Totten. Totten broke all kinds of records while Rice was there...but I don't remember him doing anything in the NFL. (edit)Totten is now the Head Coach at MVSU, and the stadium is named after him and Jerry Rice...Rice-Totten Stadium. He played for the Buffalo Bills during the strike...as a replacement player.
It could be true for all I know. My point was not to tell people they know nothing, and then proceed to say nothing. Not you, of course.
don't worry about them semperfi. they've ragged on me for not linking stuff about will arnold too. you guys need to lighten the f up! :yelwink2: :lol:
I read that same wiki material that you quoted. But you have to understand wiki isn't the most reliable source in the world. I mean come on, even that wiki material you quoted claims that Jerry Rice was All-State in high school. Realistically, who would not take an All-State athlete into consideration as a recruit? And that wiki material you quote also implied that the only reason anybody heard of Jerry Rice was through an "extensive network of black high school coaches." That implies a racist environment. Sure, Jerry Rice went to college in the 80's, and when I looked into it, including reading that wiki material that you quoted, I still had a hard time believing that racism was widespread in Mississippi during the 80's. But then again, as that same wiki page on Jerry Rice pointed out, Jerry Rice took 5 or 6 lashings with a thick strap from his high school principal for skipping school one day. I would have though that corporeal punishment didn't exist in Mississippi in the 80's, but then I remembered that I knew of several high schools in Louisiana that administered corporeal punishment in the 80's. But as for Walter Payton, there is no doubt to me that racism kept him from going to one of Mississippi's two major state universities. Walter Payton went to college in the early 70's. As the wiki page on him points out, he didn't go to an SEC school because they "were accepting only a few black players at the time." You have to remember that in 1970, Bear Bryant's all-white Alabama team got crushed by a USC team with black players (including black RB Sam "Bam" Cunningham who ran all over Alabama). After that game, Bear Bryant began to start recruiting black players. That same year, Alabama gave its first football scholarship to a black football player. The next year, junior-college transfer John Mitchell became the first black to play for Alabama. Jerry Claiborne, a Bryant assistant, said, "Sam Cunningham did more to integrate Alabama in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King did in 20 years." A lot of people argue that the SEC became the most dominant conference in college football only once the South started allowing the black people that are so numerous in the South have the same opportunities at starting football positions that were only given to white people back in the day (at all levels, from high school down to pee wee football). Oh, and I've never looked into LSU football's history of letting blacks play on our team, but I do know that Herb Tyler in the late 90's (one of my favorite all-time Tigers) was the first black QB LSU has ever had in its long football history. P.S. I am more excited about RP than I have ever been over a future LSU starting QB. Gooooooooooooooooo ("Geaux") TIGERS!!!!!!!!!! Sucks that some of you think he is some sort of thug.
John...that implies that people view RP the way they do because of race...and I don't believe that's the case. RP has EARNED his reputation...and although we still root for him, and a lot of us feel the same way as you about his future at LSU (excited)...he must EARN respect by staying out of trouble. This isn't a race thing...I know personally, I would feel the same about Richard Dickson if he had gotten himself in the trouble that RP has.:thumb: By the way...does anybody else find it funny that Jerry Rice's brother's name is Tom??:lol: Tom and Jerry!!:rofl: (from Deek's post)
Dang this thread got jacked up big time. If you got issues with Wiki let them know, and nowadays they check each article, you can't just go on and post random things because it'll be deleted very soon. Corporal punishment is still in certain schools to this day. One of my friends from North Louisiana told me his high school still does it and it is common around there. That's what happens when you get in trouble with the law. Don't try to get into a casino with a fake ID, and don't get involved in altercations at bars in the middle of the night and this can be avoided.
Hey son good post, but I cant understand your graph? Did you cut n paste? Oh yea,, get a job :wink:
