Football
Football
Garwin DeBerry
Phylissa Mitchell
“It was the first time I had experience white hostility in such an organized fashion.”
Phylissa Mitchell
Garwin DeBerry
“They don’t think we need a Black football coach here.”
Garwin DeBerry
“Now, do I have to show you everything in black and white?”
Julia Shields
“We didn’t win a lot, but we had no problem.”
Steve Helvin
“The Daily Progress called us the Lane Lonesome 11.”
Steve Helvin
“UVA had no Black football players. And then here I come and others.”
Kent Merritt
Kent Merritt
“I remember Burley had some great teams, and we all rooted hard for them.”
Kent Merritt
Kent Merritt
“He was scared to death about his first day at Clark Elementary School.”
David Sloan
David Sloan
“It was hard playing football for Tommy Theodose and Joe Bingler.”
David Sloan
“She was on the field cheerleading, and they were just calling her the N-word.”
James Bryant
George Foussekis
“And we didn’t care about race or color, only if you could help the football team win.”
George Foussekis
“You’re the best player, you play. That’s the way it should be.”
George Foussekis
Dickie Tayloe
“He said, “You can’t sit here. The whites only section is down on the 10.””
Dickie Tayloe
“Is he good enough to be on the team?”
Frankie Allen
“Eighth grade was awful because you couldn’t play sports.”
Frankie Allen
Lloyd Snook
“There wasn’t any sense of segregation.”
Jim Blackburn
“Some neighbors had called concerned because all these Black kids were running around.”
Jim Blackburn
“Don’t you dare start getting Black athletes on our football team.”
Jim Blackburn
“He was not interested in tokens.”
Jim Blackburn
“When there was a football game everybody was focused on cheering for the team.”
Rod Gentry
“I mean you just didn’t associate with them.”
Peyton Humphrey
“We’d get dressed for the game and everything.”
Mary Johnson
Mary Johnson
William Redd
“I wanted to just walk off the field right then but I said, “That’ll really cause a scene.””
William Redd
“I look back and the crowd that was in the stand is attacking the players from Maggie Walker.”
William Redd
“He opens up his coat and he’s got a pistol in his hand.”
William Redd
“We became the Cox’s Row Red Devils. We had our own team.”
William Redd
“Other communities had gangs, we had football games.”
Robert King
“We had a fairly large Black team.”
Robert King
“We had to move on and do things right. Integrate schools.”
Robert King
“So yeah, we had helmets. It’s all whatever you could find.”
Robert King
“But what’s embarrassing, I didn’t put myself in their place.”
Andy Minton
“I didn’t see any prejudice on the team.”
Byrd Leavell
Tommy Theodose
“I think we were still fairly successful, and after even losing the number of kids to Rock Hill.”
Tommy Theodose
“Burley had pretty good football teams, but we never played against each other.”
Tommy Theodose
“I was disappointed, because I wanted them to play for me, and the administration turned them down.”
Tommy Theodose
Tommy Theodose
“Integration, you know, far as they were concerned didn’t even exist.”
Tommy Theodose
“And far as the Black and White kids playing, they got along great.”
Tommy Theodose
“Didn’t know it then, but clearly it was racism that was a part of that.”
David Sloan
“If he were coaching today the way he coached then, he would be in jail.”
David Sloan
“At Burley, there never was an empty seat.”
Jimmy Hollins
“We just all got along great.”
Keith Franklin
“We just all got along well I thought, but of course, I could have just been blind to it all.”
Keith Franklin
“And so it was always kind of a neat feeling that you got an apple.”
Keith Franklin
“I don’t remember the football games as being especially hostile.”
Chip German
“It was enjoyable to have them there.”
Brock Strickler
“Shut the door, start the engine, and let’s get out of here.”
Brock Strickler
“It was the only integrated team in the state.”
Brock Strickler
“I am proud of what we had done.”
Brock Strickler
“The marching band was thought to be top drawer, absolutely.”
Wade Tremblay
“This was their place, their team. You weren’t necessarily welcome there.”
Wade Tremblay
“Hardly be anybody at Lane. Everybody would be over at Burley.”
David Wyant
“I just think the coach didn’t want a Black kid on the team.”
David Wyant
Larry Kent
Larry Kent
“I think sports did help overcome racial tensions.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
“Coach was the cohesive part that kept everybody together.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
“I just want to shake the hand to the guy whose feet never touches the ground.”