Blood, sweat, & tears :

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Title :

Blood, sweat, & tears : Jake Gaither, Florida A & M, and the history of Black college football / Derrick E. White.

Title:

Blood, sweat, & tears :

Varying Form of Title:

Blood, sweat, and tears

Author:

White, Derrick E.

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

303 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

ISBN:

9781469652443

Production / Publication Information:

Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, [2019]

Contents:

The color line of scrimmage and sporting congregations -- Florida A & M develops a sporting congregation -- A double-v campaign on the field and off -- The golden age of black college football begins -- Championships and civil rights -- Black gold -- Desegregation, decline, and black power -- Jake Gaither's last season and the end of an era -- Chasing ghosts: HBCU football at the end of the century.

Summary:

"Blood, sweat, and tears explores the legacy of black college football, taking as its central figure one of the most successful coaches in its history, Jake Gaither. A paradoxical figure, he was leader of the most feared and respected black college football program in the country, and yet many questioned his racial loyalties during the height of the civil rights movement ... a ... story of black college football that complicates the heroic narrative of integration and grapples with the complexities and contradictions of one of the most important sources of pride of black life in the twentieth century"--

Bibliography note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Language:

English

Corporate Subject:

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University -- Football.

Personal Subject:

Gaither, Jake, 1903-1994.

Subject Term:

Football coaches -- United States -- Biography.

African American universities and colleges -- Sports.

Football -- Social aspects -- United States.

College sports -- United States -- History -- 20th century.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	796.332 WHI	31330008860789	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Dracut - Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Library	796.332/WHI	31482002900259	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Black college football began during the nadir of African American life after the Civil War. The first game occurred in 1892, a little less than four years before the Supreme Court ruled segregation legal in Plessy v. Ferguson . In spite of Jim Crow segregation, Black colleges produced some of the best football programs in the country. They mentored young men who became teachers, preachers, lawyers, and doctors--not to mention many other professions--and transformed Black communities. But when higher education was integrated, the programs faced existential challenges as predominately white institutions steadily set about recruiting their student athletes and hiring their coaches. Blood, Sweat, and Tears explores the legacy of Black college football, with Florida A&M's Jake Gaither as its central character, one of the most successful coaches in its history. A paradoxical figure, Gaither led one of the most respected Black college football programs, yet many questioned his loyalties during the height of the civil rights movement.

Among the first broad-based histories of Black college athletics, Derrick E. White's sweeping story complicates the heroic narrative of integration and grapples with the complexities and contradictions of one of the most important sources of Black pride in the twentieth century.

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

Football at historically Black colleges and universities was at its peak in the 25 years after WWII, and the leading team virtually every year was Florida A&M (or FAMU), led by legendary head coach Jake Gaither. White includes plenty of football action, but he is more concerned with the larger issue of the relationship between segregation and integration and the role played by Black colleges. Gaither compiled a record of 204-36-4 from 1945 through 1969, one of the best college records of any coach at any school, but his public life was difficult. His success raised expectations for the program to almost unsustainable levels. Tallahassee, where FAMU is located, was swept up in the mid-fifties civil rights movement with sit-ins at local restaurants and clashes with the police. Gaither, like many teachers and administrators at Black colleges, whose jobs were dependent on state government funding, stayed clear of the conflict, drawing criticism from activists that he didn't use his stature to advance the cause. Sensitively analyzing the issues, White delivers a full-bodied portrait of a coach who found himself in a difficult position. This fascinating social history effectively uses mid-twentieth-century Black college football as a microcosm through which one can understand the larger civil rights struggle. An important contribution to sports history.--Wes Lukowsky Copyright 2010 Booklist

Choice Review

In the post--WW II era, Gaither (1903--91) coached football at Florida A&M--a historically black institution--and became a force in college football, with one of the winningest records of any collegiate coach. He established the Rattlers as the face of black football, with multiple perfect seasons, and earned coach of the year accolades. He founded the Orange Blossom Classic, a nationally acknowledged bowl game for premier black schools that provided both exposure and revenue. He developed successful coaching clinics attended by white as well as black high school and college coaches. Gaither's reputation, coaching clinics, and personality helped him recruit Florida's best black talent. He matched his Rattlers against so-called predominantly white institutions and won, furthering his record and standing. The civil rights successes of the 1960s, however, resulted in the decline of historically black college and university football dominance, as star players found opportunities at prestigious white institutions previously unavailable to black players. Gaither was caught in the middle. He sought the continuation of black identity and self-assurance but did not openly and avowedly support the assertive Civil Rights agenda, and this led to cries of Uncle Tomism. White (visiting professor of history, Dartmouth) does a masterful job of balancing black football and civil rights. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. --Duncan R. Jamieson, Ashland University