Trail blazer
In 1969, Wendell Hudson made history by becoming the first black athlete at the University of Alabama
By Tommy Deas Sports Writer August 03, 2003
" Breaking the racial barrier in coaching a work in progress <http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030803/NEWS/308030353/1007>
" Jackson's stint at UA made an impact historically, personally <http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030803/NEWS/308030354/1007>
One of Wendell Hudsons first encounters as an athlete at the University of Alabama created a lifelong impression. Hudson, a native of Birmingham, arrived on the UA campus late in the summer of 1969. It was the summer of the first lunar landing, Woodstock and Californias Manson murders. Hudson was making history closer to home as the first black athlete at Alabama -- six years after Vivian Malone and James Hood became the first black students to successfully enroll at the university.
The 6-foot-5 basketball player went through freshman orientation without a hitch, then moved into the athletic dormitory. The first time he went to eat in the dining hall, the Alabama football team was eating. All of them were white, and all of them reacted to the new presence in the room.
Youve heard the expression, ëYou could hear a pin drop; well, you could have heard a pin drop," Hudson said. I realized all the chatter had stopped. Everybody is looking at me.
I knew that I was the only black person, but I knew Im supposed to be here. I never thought I wasnt supposed to be there."
Hudson got a different reaction when he rounded the corner to go through the food line.
The people who were serving were black, and every one of them had a smile on their face," Hudson said. Whatever nervousness I had, it all went away.
By the time I got through that line, I was carrying as much food as you can possibly carry on a tray."
Hudson blazed the trail for future black athletes at Alabama. He helped recruit John Mitchell, a junior college transfer who became the first black player to play for the UA football team, and Wilbur Jackson, the first black signee.
Hudsons impact, however, went far beyond athletics.
The integration of athletics did more for integration in the South than anything else," Hudson said. Whether people like it or not, athletics has more attention on it than anything else."
C.M. Newton, Alabamas head basketball coach at the time, wasnt looking to make a social statement when he opened the doors for black athletes at the school. He was trying to turn the program into a winner.
I wasnt a sociologist, I was a basketball coach," Newton said. I was very pragmatic about it. I wanted to bring in people who could help us compete in the SEC, and I wanted people who would be strong academically and graduate. I really didnt give any thought to integrating the program in any way.
I got the usual number of dirty letters. Youve got to remember, my first year, we only won four games. I wasnt the most popular person in town."
Hudson helped turn Alabama basketball into a winning program. He led the team in scoring and rebounding for two seasons, winning All-Southeastern Conference honors in his junior and senior years. He was the leagues Player of the Year as a senior.
Hudson didnt think of himself as a pioneer so much at the time. As a standout player at Birminghams Parker High School, he was not recruited by any other SEC school. Other league schools were just beginning to integrate black athletes into their basketball programs, and Hudson was excited about the opportunity to play at his home state school.
At the time, Hudson knew what he was doing was important, but he didnt realize just how big a step he was taking.
When youre 18 years old, you dont look at an historical perspective," he said. I knew there were no other black athletes at the University of Alabama. Everybody knew that.
The fact that this was the opportunity people had marched for and been beaten for and died for, I had that opportunity and I was going to take it."
Hudson had no problems fitting in with his new teammates. Farra Alford, a native of Kentucky who played at a private high school in Virginia, had no previous experience playing with or against black athletes.
It never crossed my mind that Alabama was all-white [athletically]," Alford said. I just wanted to play basketball. The race issue was never thought about from my standpoint at all.
Wendell was just one of us. It was a big deal for Wendell, but not for any of us."
Freshmen were not eligible for varsity competition at the time. Hudsons first experiences playing for Alabama came in freshmen games, which usually preceded the varsity contests. Thats where he got his first taste of how others in the South would react to his presence on the court.
I had some bad experiences on the road," Hudson said.
Those hostile environments gave other Alabama players first-hand experience with what Hudson was going through.
You had some really horrible redneck comments," Alford said. I dont know if it made Wendell any madder than it did Paul Ellis and Farra Alford and the other guys.
We were the ones ready to go into the stands, but Wendell wouldnt have it. He said, ëForget it. "
The players bonded with Hudson even more after sharing those experiences.
I was a teammate," Hudson said. The way I was treated on the road, they had to face some things.
The language and the things that they called me, the other guys on the team, they knew the people who said those things didnt know me and were wrong about what they were saying."
Hudson tried hard not to show how much the jeering from opposing fans hurt.
My deal was, I was going to prove to you how good I am," he said. Im going to show you on the court.
I didnt ever turn around and acknowledge what they were saying about me."
Newton was impressed with how the young player dealt with the situation.
We had some incidents on the road," Newton said. He just played and handled it well.
As I got to know him, I felt like he was the right person to come into our program at that time."
Hudson paved the way for the first generation of black athletes at Alabama. He encouraged them to follow in his footsteps, and was a major factor in luring black football players to the school.
Because I was there, I had a part in recruiting those guys," Hudson said. I can remember telling the black athletes, the young ones, that if youre an Alabama football player, Coach [Paul W. Bear"] Bryant is going to look at you as a football player just like everybody else.
When I went to Alabama football games and basketball games, they were cheering for you because you were playing for Alabama. It didnt matter if you were black or white."
By the time Hudson graduated, the face of Crimson Tide athletics had changed. Alabama was fielding a starting lineup in basketball with more than one or two black players.
We were the first [in the SEC] that started recruiting black players and playing a bunch of them at one time," Newton said. The success we had probably made other schools start staying at home and recruiting black athletes in their area."
Hudson and other black athletes had an impact on the community that supports Alabama athletics.
My four years at Alabama, we went from all-white to majority black in basketball. I dont think the fans in the stands gave a damn about color. They were concerned about winning basketball games," Alford said.
Hudson is now athletic director at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, a large two-year school with more than 7,000 students. He often takes the opportunity during orientation sessions to tell incoming students about his trials in integrating Alabama athletics.
Looking back on it, yes, I am a pioneer," he said. Would I do it again, the answer is yes. I felt like I did something." [...]
kurt
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