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K2C Sooner

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Without looking, what was the late great, racial pacesetter Prentice Gautts jersey number?

Just to make it interesting, ask another question you think would be relevant, interesting.
Eh?


I don't know. Before my time. If I had to narrow it down I would guess it is a number in the eighties. Why? Because in those days each position was defined. Centers were in the fifties, guards in the 60's , tackles in the 70's, or at least that what I remember. Gautt was a flanker as I remember, so he could have had a number in the teens?

Someone will get it......Good post...........
 

Soonersincefitty

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I don't know. Before my time. If I had to narrow it down I would guess it is a number in the eighties. Why? Because in those days each position was defined. Centers were in the fifties, guards in the 60's , tackles in the 70's, or at least that what I remember. Gautt was a flanker as I remember, so he could have had a number in the teens?

Someone will get it......Good post...........
I know SS knows this one.
She may have dined with him.
She's special.
 

Senior Sooner

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I know SS knows this one.
She may have dined with him. She's special.
Thank You, fitty...Dine with him, I did...Many Times. He and my husband were on the FCA Banquet 'Circuit' together, and we traveled all over Oklahoma to many Dinners, and Events. You want to say Special...Say it about #38. He was a Gentleman...Scholar...Athlete.

I'm posting this unique picture which truly speaks 1000 words. It is Historically Significant...There will never be another one like it. It is 1957, the year Prentice broke the Racial Barrier and Desegregated the Sooners. He was the only African American on the team. There is no measure for what this man attempted, and achieved. He paid the price...A Very BIG Price...

 

Soonersincefitty

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Yep, as I understand it, Bud was under a lot of pressure from the alumni 'red neck cracker factor' not to offer any blacks a scholly.
So some local black businessmen funded Prentice and they gave the scholly to an academic black non athlete.
 

Senior Sooner

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Yep, as I understand it, Bud was under a lot of pressure from the alumni 'red neck cracker factor' not to offer any blacks a scholly.
So some local black businessmen funded Prentice and they gave the scholly to an academic black non athlete.
But there is MORE to that story, fitty...When former Sooners coach Bud Wilkinson was pressured against giving Gautt a scholarship, a group of black doctors and pharmacists gave him money to attend the school. Within a year, Gautt had an OU scholarship and the donated money was given to another black student.

That second black student was Wallace Johnson, in 1958. And then there were two...
 

virgie76712

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After the 1960 Cotton Bowl, 4 winning black Syracuse football players were not permitted to join their team mates at a local golf club to accept the Cotton Bowl Trophy.
 
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Soonersincefitty

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Doesn't surprise me one bit, considering it was during the early 60s. Wasn't the Heisman Trophy winner, an African American, on that Syracuse team?
You're right, Ernie Davis, first black Heisman winner, Texas, still arrogantly all white and losing the game.
Perfect storm for the horns to be a-holes.
From what I've read they were indeed that.
 

CTOkie

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Probably wasn't too hard for the horns to live up to their reputation. ;)
Texas did not integrate until 14 years after OU...I believe the time frame was 1956-1971...long before Austin became known as "Moscow on the Colorado".
I'm waiting to see if UT bans any memorials to DKR, who early in his Texas coaching career excluded blacks from his team and is said to have used racial slurs according to the book "Meat on the Hoof" by former Texas player Gary Shaw in 1972. Liberal sensitivity has an opportunity here.
 

OklaBama

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After the 1960 Cotton Bowl, 4 winning black Syracuse football players were not permitted to join their team mates at a local golf club to accept the Cotton Bowl Trophy.

That was Ernie Davis' sophomore
year in which he lead Syracuse to an undefeated national championship. The movie based on his life at Syracuse didn't paint a very good picture of DKR. I'm sure it was fairly accurate. Davis' illness and subsequent death at such a young age was truly a tragedy.
 
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Senior Sooner

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Now that's a blast from the past! I'm thinking more of the bell-bottom era. lol
Better go back to the Books, Lost...;)

Gene, was the Starter, but got injured. Some kid named Jimmy Harris stepped in for him, and the Rest Was History. Those were the Best of Times...Jimmy never lost a game...
 
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Lost Chickasaw

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Better go back to the Books, Lost...;)

Gene, was the Starter, but got injured. Some kid named Jimmie Harris stepped in for him, and the Rest Was History. Those were the Best of Times...Jimmie never lost a game...

Gene was the starter in 54, when he broke his shoulder and then Sophomore Jimmy replaced him.... Gene would have been a Senior at that point and would have missed the 55 and 56 championships.

The guy I'm thinking of played as a freshman and according to some stories was supposed to be the next great one. He didn't play the following year at all, and was on the roster the remaining 2 years to see his backup win 2 titles.
 
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Senior Sooner

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Gene was the starter in 54, when he broke his shoulder and then Sophomore Jimmy replaced him.... Gene would have been a Senior at that point and would have missed the 55 and 56 championships.

The guy I'm thinking of played as a freshman and according to some stories was supposed to be the next great one. He didn't play the following year at all, and was on the roster the remaining 2 years to see his backup win 2 titles.

Right you are...Big, Bad, Senior Moment, here...One of My MANY, these days!
 
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Gene was the starter in 54, when he broke his shoulder and then Sophomore Jimmy replaced him.... Gene would have been a Senior at that point and would have missed the 55 and 56 championships.

The guy I'm thinking of played as a freshman and according to some stories was supposed to be the next great one. He didn't play the following year at all, and was on the roster the remaining 2 years to see his backup win 2 titles.

Kerry Jackson?
 
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virgie76712

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Ernie Davis' number was retired by the Cleveland Browns, although he never played a down in the NFL.
 
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K2C Sooner

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I sure would like to know who Senior's husband is, I would like to Wikki him. I understand all the secret stuff but, wouldn't it be fun to know? It's a different world, you need to protect identities in this time and era................
 
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