'Outside the Lines' to look back at 1958 Buffalo team
"Outside the Lines" has what sounds like a great story for Sunday about the 1958 University of Buffalo football team that turned down a Tangerine Bowl invitation - its first and still only bowl bid - because its black players were unwelcome to participate.
Here is a text version of the story.
I found out about this not from the ESPN p.r. machine but from a friend from Buffalo who forwarded an email alert that went out to UB-affiliated people.
Which makes this post cooler.
I often talk about moving someday to Buffalo, one of my favorite cities. Mrs. WatchDog promises to call me regularly to say hello if I do.
(UPDATE: The p.r. machine saw my post and pointed out it did send something earlier this week on the Buffalo segment. Click below to read it.)
University of Buffalo’s Anti-Discrimination
On the 50th anniversary of the University of Buffalo’s best football season, Outside the Lines looks at the 8-1 team which won the Lambert Cup as the best small school in the Eastern U.S., and earned an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla., its first and only bowl bid in 102 years of football. However, when it was discovered that a rule instituted by the Orlando High School Athletic Association, which held the lease to the field, prohibited interracial events -- Buffalo had two African-American players on the team – the Bulls voted unanimously to reject the bowl bid. ESPN.com’s Eric Neel reports. Excerpts:
“I went to the store to get a newspaper; I discover my picture on the front page along with Mike Wilson and the article suggesting that Mike and I would not be able to play… It was dumb people making dumb decisions. How can you dislike someone because the way they look?” -- Willie Evans, one of the two African-American players on the team
”In unison, we all stood up and looked at each other and said that we aren’t going anywhere without our brothers, without Willie and Mike.” -- Joe Oliverio, Buffalo quarterback
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Comments (4)
It is great that 50 years later UB has the chance to make their first bowl appearance ever.
A friend of mine who is an alum emailed me the story yesterday. I've been following the team for the past few years as they have started working their way towards this year's bowl game.
I know it will bring a ton of pride to all UB alumni. They have waited a long time.
Buffalo's only good for three things:
1) Hockey. Sabres winning esp. against Toronto, Boston and Montreal. Less so against Rangers, Islanders, Devils. Great throwback uniforms. Good broadcast team.
2) When the US-Canadian dollar exchange rate is in our favor, and the rate is higher than Canadian taxes of apx. 16-18%. Bargains abound. Like now.
3) Tim Horton's hot chocolate. Anchor Bar wings and local beef on weck delicacy overrated.
In the words of the immortal Chicago Norm......
Buffalo is dead to me.
Until the city fathers (okay, okay...and MOTHERS) come up with a city name appropriate to the locale's history or geographic area (Mule City? Oxen Town?) I cannot take that city seriously.
I get the whole story about it being named after Buffalo Creek...but c'mon....how the hell did the creek get it's name?
The original (Anglo-Saxon) settlers had probably never even seen a buffalo (bison).
Bison never got within 700 miles of Lake Erie.
Lewis and Clark were most likely drawing sketches of the Great American Beast (in between attempts at wooing Sacajawea), while the 1st formal governing body of that area was pulling names out of a coonskin cap.
And to make matters WORSE......The Triple A baseball team is called The Buffalo BISONS......BISONS!!!!
There is no such word as BISONS!!!
Bison is already plural....like Deer or Moose.
I'm petititioning Obama to get the name of that city changed to something more politically correct. It's my right....right?
If the city parents and sports moguls are so fixated on animal name for their city then a AAA baseball team called the Mule City Jackasses works for me.
Just my opinion.....from the HOMELAND of the Bison, where the deer and the antelope play.
Where seldom is heard a......eh, never mind.
(but unlike BUFFALO.......
AND THE SKIES ARE NOT CLOUDY ALL DAY)
Thanks for the local love. You know you're always welcome to make Chez Ray your base of operations while checking out a gig here.
There's a delicious irony in the developments from the past 24 hours or so concerning UB's current team, which finally will be making it to a bowl game. Since I'm sure you were watching the Sabres-Flyers suckage as I was last night, here is the story known locally as The Miracle, and probably cited in Ohio as "The Collapse."