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The Syracuse Eight were 9 college football players who advocated for an end to discrimination against African American football players at
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
and for other reforms to the program. They eventually boycotted a practice and then the 1969 season. In 1969 a group of nine African American student-athletes boycotted Syracuse University's football program to demand change and promote racial equality. Popularized erroneously in 1970 by the media as the “Syracuse 8,” the nine students behind the boycott were Gregory Allen, Richard Bulls, Dana Harrell, John Godbolt, John Lobon, Clarence “Bucky” McGill, A. Alif Muhammad (then known as Al Newton), Duane Walker, and Ron Womack. The student athletes drafted a list of four demands, three of which were advocating for the betterment for all student athletes at the university, were access to the same academic tutoring as their white teammates; better medical care for all team members; starting assignments based on merit; and racially integrating the coaching staff, which had been all white since 1898.


Timeline

The boycott began after Floyd Little (who at that point was with the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
) made critical comments in an interview published in ''
The Daily Orange ''The Daily Orange'', commonly referred to as ''The D.O.'', is an independent student newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. It is free and published once a week during the Syracuse University academic year. It was one of the first college ...
''. Floyd, intending to boost morale, commented that several players on the upcoming Syracuse team could be drafted if they were to come up with total efforts, something he said they had not been doing. He left after saying he thought the black players were bitter and that he had never known the coaches to mistreat anyone. This name-calling included several black athletes and led to a walkout by 10 black varsity players. Little never retracted his words. This incident set off a longer boycott that lasted for a year. Facing what they believed to be unfair treatment and discrimination, the group decided to boycott Spring practice, which would later turn into, the boycott of the 1970 football season when a list of demands was not met. Head coach
Ben Schwartzwalder Floyd Burdette Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 – April 28, 1993) was a football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained future National Football League (NFL) stars such as Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Ernie Davis, the first ...
's authoritarian handling was criticized by Dr. Johnson, in-charge of the Afro-American Center at Syracuse.


List of demands and Boycott

The list of demands was written to enhance the experience of all student athletes at the university, not just the black ones. The first demand was for equal access to tutors and academic advisors. Black athletes were pushed to take basic reading, writing, and physical education classes, while their white teammates had access to every course within their major of study. Many black athletes did not have the classes they needed to graduate with the degree they attended the university for. This demand was based on their awareness of how their academic potential exceeded the university's expectations. The second demand for better medical treatment was rooted in the fact that the team medical doctor, Dr. William E. Pelow, was a practicing
gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...
by training and was hesitant to touch black bodies. The team doctor's primary recommendation for every injury (regardless of how serious) was ice and rest. Demand three boils down to fairness. Black players wanted an equitable and transparent system for determining when Black players traveled to away games and received playing time. There were “unwritten rules” about how many black athletes were going to play in each game. The thinking of coaching staffs at the time was to not let a team “go black.”. It was reported that Black players saw discrepancies in whether they would play or not. As one player described it, “One week you'd be the second-string fullback, and then it'd be time to travel to an away game, and all of a sudden, you'd be the third string defensive end, and left off the team bus. They wanted coaches to stop calling them "boy" and referring to their hair as "fuzz". The fourth demand was to diversify the coaching staff. Since 1893, Syracuse did not have a coach of color in any sport sponsored by the university. Discriminatory behavior and racist language by their head coach,
Ben Schwartzwalder Floyd Burdette Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 – April 28, 1993) was a football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained future National Football League (NFL) stars such as Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Ernie Davis, the first ...
, and his assistant coaches left Black players on the team feeling as if they did not belong. During practices, a limit was placed on the number of black players who could be on the field at the same time. They believed this behavior restricted their talents and decreased the team's likelihood of winning games. The players believed that many of these issues could be remedied by hiring a Black coach.
Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American professional American football, football player, civil rights activist, and actor. He played as a Fullback (gridiron football), fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the ...
, Syracuse alum and now member of the
Pro Football Hall Of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
, was brought in to try to mediate between the Nine and the head coach. In a phone interview with the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in 2006, Brown quoted the coach as saying, “Ben had no clue, he had no understanding of what they (the Nine) were doing. He told them they were football players; they weren't Black and all that other stuff, they were football players. He didn't budge.” A black assistant coach, Carlmon Jones, was freshly hired out of Florida A&M, but coach Schwartzwalder then called in his black players and told seven of them they were off the team. Others quit in protest saying that if the others couldn't play, then neither would they. In response to the Syracuse 8 boycott, a counter-boycott was staged by 68 white players opposed to reinstatement of the Black players. They signed a petition in full support of coach Schwartzwalder. When their list of demands was not taken seriously by head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the nine players continued the boycott into the 1970 season.


Legacy

After a 10-week study, the committee concluded in December that “racism in the Syracuse University Athletic Department is real and chronic, largely unintentional, and sustained and complicated unwittingly by many modes of behavior common in American athletics and longstanding at Syracuse University.” In the 39-page report released on Dec. 9, 1970, said that the “Athletic Department showed an unwarranted insensitivity to attempts by black players to question (offensive) treatment,” and criticized the “long-standing
authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
role of Head Coach Schwartzwalder”. After the release of the report, there was hope that since their claims were confirmed, change was imminent. Unfortunately, the small victory was short lived when the head coach of the team still did not have any interest in the report or its findings. A silver lining that came from this announcement was that the nine players, that have been effectively removed from the team at this point, would be permitted to keep their scholarship for the remainder of their academic careers at
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
. Only one of the nine players to boycott during the 1970 season ever suited up and played for the Orange again. During the 2006 football season, the "Syracuse 8" were invited back by Chancellor
Nancy Cantor Nancy Ellen Cantor (born February 4, 1952) is an American academic administrator who is currently President of Hunter College. She was previously the chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark, in Newark, New Jersey from 2014 to 2024 and the firs ...
to receive the "Chancellor's Medal", the university's highest honor, and their Letterman jackets. The university also formally apologized to the nine and commended them for their courage and willingness to speak up when faced with injustice. Dana Harrell and Gregory Allen recall the day as such: "They had us in the tunnel, and they wanted us, when they called our names, for us to run out of the tunnel, like we did in our playing days," Dana says. "And we looked at them like they were crazy. We don't have two good knees between us. But the satisfaction was immeasurable." "There were nothing but smiles and old men welling up in tears.” Gregory says. “I almost don't have the words to describe it. It was a cleansing, a lifting of this baggage that I had been carrying around for years to have someone finally acknowledge that we didn't do this, you know, to spite the university or to hurt the university. We were trying to make the university and this world just a better place."


National Impact

America was on the heels of one of the most divisive times in its history. The American Civil Rights Movement which scholars cite as lasting from 1954 through 1969 (give or take). Pillars of the movement such as
Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, in defiance of Jim Crow laws, which sparke ...
, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and
Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...
were all still fresh in the minds of Americans and certainly in the media for the time. Although the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
was signed into law by President Lydon B. Johnson, many behaviors and society “norms” that had come to be common place in America during the “
Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...
era” were hard to unlearn and adopt new, progressive policies by many states and cities. The Civil Rights Act was a major victory for the movement, but in many ways, its signing was just a symbolic one. Much work still needed to be done in reversing Jim Crow laws at the local and state level for its
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
citizens to see real change. Even after this landmark Act, the resistance by "pro-Jim Crow" lawmakers, politicians, and some white Americans, particularly in the southern states, led to the further unwilling to adapt a changing America.


International Influence

1968 Summer Olympic Black Power Salute
Tommie Smith Tommie C. Smith (born June 6, 1944) is an American former track and field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83 sec ...
and
John Carlos John Wesley Carlos (born June 5, 1945) is an American former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he displayed the Black Power salute on th ...
, who had won gold and bronze respectively, agreed to use their medal wins as an opportunity to highlight the social issues happening in the United States at the time. Racial tensions were at an all-time high, and the Civil Rights movement had given way to the Black Power movement by the late 1960s and early 70's. African-Americans like Smith and Carlos were frustrated by what they saw as the passive nature of the Civil Rights movement. They sought out active forms of protests and advocated for racial pride, Black nationalism, and dramatic action rather than incremental change. It was only months after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and protests against the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
were gaining steam as well. In the lead-up to the Olympics, Smith and Carlos helped organize the “
Olympic Project for Human Rights The Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) was an American organization established by sociologist Harry Edwards and multiple Black American athletes, including noted Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on October 7, 1967. The pu ...
”, a group that reflected their Black pride and social consciousness. The group saw the 1968 Summer Olympic Games as an opportunity to communicate for better treatment of Black athletes and Black people around the world. Its demands included hiring more black coaches and rescinding Olympic invitations to
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, both of which practiced
apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English:  , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
. Though the project initially proposed a boycott of the Olympics altogether, Smith and Carlos decided to compete in the hopes they could use their achievements as a platform for social movement. As the American athletes raised their fists, atop the medal stand, the stadium hushed, then burst into racist sneers and angry insults. Smith and Carlos were rushed from the stadium, suspended by the U.S. team, and kicked out of the
Olympic Village An Olympic Village is a residential complex built or reassigned for the Olympic Games in or nearby the List of Olympic Games host cities, host city for the purpose of accommodating all of the delegations. Olympic Villages are usually located clos ...
for turning their medal ceremony into a “political statement”. Carlos and Smith returned home to the United States, only to face serious backlash, including death threats. Muhammad Ali's boycott of the Vietnam War On April 28, 1967, with the United States at war in Vietnam,
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
refused to be inducted into the armed forces, saying “I ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong.” On June 20, 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison, fined $10,000 and banned from boxing for three years. He stayed out of prison as his case was appealed and returned to the ring on October 26, 1970, knocking out
Jerry Quarry Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 – January 3, 1999), nicknamed "Irish" or "The Bellflower Bomber", was an American professional boxer. During the peak of his career from 1968 to 1971, Quarry was a popular figure in boxing, featured on the cover ' ...
in Atlanta in the third round. On March 8, 1971, Ali fought
Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...
in the “
Fight of the Century Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as The Fight of the Century or simply The Fight, was an undisputed heavyweight championship boxing match between WBA, WBC, and '' The Ring'' heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and Lineal champion Muhammad ...
” and lost after 15 rounds, the first loss of his professional boxing career. On June 28 of that same year, the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
overturned his conviction for evading the draft. The Syracuse 8 still has an impact on sports and other fields today. Their protest served as a catalyst for a bigger, still-active movement for racial justice in sports. The Black Lives Matter movement and Colin Kaepernick's protests against police brutality are just two examples of how sportsmen have recently used their platforms to promote social and political causes. Additionally, the activism of the Syracuse 8 showed the effectiveness of group efforts in bringing about change. The legacy of the Syracuse 8 goes beyond athletics. They paved the way for other oppressed groups to fight for their rights and demand equal treatment because of their advocacy. Diverse populations continue to be active today, including the LGBTQ+ movement and the fight for immigration rights. In conclusion, the Syracuse 8 continues to have an influence on cultural development. Their tenacity paved the path for a more just and equal society, and their brave actions upended the status quo. Their activism reminds us that change is possible when we get together and demand it.


Today's Impact

Athletic trainers at the Syracuse football program have undergone significant changes from the 1970s to the present day. In the 1970s, trainers primarily focused on injury treatment and rehabilitation, while today they play a more proactive role in injury prevention and management. With advances in technology and sports medicine, trainers now have access to a wide range of tools and techniques to help athletes stay healthy and perform at their best. With the lack of practice back in the 1960s, trainers now have standards they must adhere to. Certification for trainers in Syracuse require the successful completion of the BOC exam by the start of employment, a New York Athletic Training Certification at the start of employment, and successfully pass a background check. Since then, the program has had a number of different coaches, including Paul Pasqualoni, Greg Robinson, Doug Marrone, Scott Shafer, and Dino Babers. They added assistants like Carlmone Jones each year to accommodate the racial problems they had on staff. Other head coaches of color were also hired like, Willie E. Jeffries Ritcherson, and W.C. Gorden helped fight these problems. With all this change there was one thing that wasn't addressed, and that was the education the players were receiving. Since the 1970s, the Syracuse football program has placed a greater emphasis on academic success for student-athletes. This has led to the creation of academic support programs and resources, including academic advisors and study halls. In recent years, Syracuse has also implemented a comprehensive Life Skills Program to help student-athletes with personal development and career planning. Additionally, Syracuse has consistently been ranked highly in the Academic Progress Rate (APR) rankings, reflecting the program's commitment to academic excellence. Also, academics began to advocate for reform in college athletics, arguing for greater accountability, transparency, and a renewed emphasis on the educational mission of universities after the 1960s in all major college programs. We can also see that the activism of the era, including the civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement, had a profound impact on universities and academic institutions. These movements challenged traditional hierarchies and power structures within academia and encouraged the emergence of more diverse and inclusive academic communities. Additionally, the activism of that era paved the way for greater student participation in university governance and decision-making processes, which can be seen after Syracuse 8 took a stand.


Further impacts

America is once again reckoning with forms of racism, dehumanization, discrimination. The murder of
Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor (June 5, 1993 – March 13, 2020) was an African-American woman who Killing of Breonna Taylor, was shot and killed while unarmed in her Louisville, Kentucky home by three police officers who entered under the auspices of a No-kn ...
,
George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit tw ...
, and Jonathan Price along with the international pandemic due to
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
in 2020 has brought social justice and health care disparities to the forefront of the national and international conversation. Athletes today such as
LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...
,
Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and former professional football quarterback. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he gained na ...
, and
Megan Rapinoe Megan Anna Rapinoe (; born July 5, 1985) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. She spent most of her career playing for Seattle Reign FC, OL Reign of the National Wom ...
, frequently use their platform to speak out against racism, sexism, and police brutality. In the book titled “The Heritage” by
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
contributor and host,
Howard Bryant Howard "Howie" Bryant (born November 25, 1968) is a sports journalist, and radio and television personality. He writes weekly columns for ESPN.com and ''ESPN The Magazine'', ESPN, and appears regularly on ESPN Radio. He is a frequent panelist o ...
, The Heritage refers to the plethora of athletes from the past that also used their heightened visibility, due to sports, to speak out against social injustice issues. "The Heritage" refers to the linage and the duty for athletes today, to not grow silent in their million dollar contracts and gated homes, but to continue to use the platform that they have, that so many athletes of color before them had to fight for, to continue meaningful work in the community, uplift Black citizens, and be role models for those who come after them.


Further reading

* * *A People's History of Sports in the United States: 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play By: Dave Zirin


References


External links


Digital Exhibition
A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8
Greg Allen on 'Cuse Conversations Podcast in 2020
{{Syracuse University Culture of Syracuse University American civil rights activists Syracuse Orange Athlete activism in the United States History of Syracuse University