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this reminded me of an article a few years back about bama's first black players.

this first part of this excerpt was really interesting to me. link to article

In the winter of 1967, before there was a single black athlete in any sport at Alabama, and precious few in the SEC overall, Dock Rone worked up the courage to visit Bryant in his office and announce his intention to join the football team as a walk-on.
Rone told Dunnavant that Bryant replied this way: "You'd have to be proud of yourself for making this step. It takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing."
Rhone and four other black walk-ons started spring practice in 1967. None made it to the fall for different reasons, but it was another indication that Bryant's mind was open on the subject.
Pat Dye worked on Bryant's Alabama staff from 1965-73. He helped land Wilbur Jackson, the first black football player to sign with Alabama. But Jackson wasn't the first black player Alabama recruited.
"We tried to recruit a number of black kids that we didn't get," Dye said.
One of them was Bo Matthews, an All-State fullback from Huntsville's Butler High School. Alabama thought it would sign Matthews, and he went to Memphis the week the Crimson Tide played Colorado in the 1969 Liberty Bowl. But after spending time with a number of Colorado's black players, Matthews signed with the Buffaloes. He became an All-American there and the No. 2 pick in the 1974 NFL draft.
Another recruit that got away was Condredge Holloway, a three-sport star from Huntsville's Lee High School.
"We recruited Condredge Holloway as hard as we could recruit him," Dye said.
But one page in the history book had yet to turn. There still hadn't been a starting black quarterback in the SEC. Holloway would be the first but at Tennessee. As Holloway told AL.com's Mark McCarter
As Holloway told AL.com's Mark McCarter in 2011, Bryant had told him that Alabama wasn't ready for a black quarterback and wanted him to play another position.
"I respect Bear Bryant for telling me the truth," Holloway said.

Cincydawg, I appreciate you starting this thread. I recalled Iowa had issues playing Missouri when Iowa had a black player in the 1800s, and almost never played Missouri, a bordering state, thereafter. Your attachment is right, Iowa's first black player was Frank Holbrook. And this from Wikipedia:

"[In 1896] Missouri alumni demanded that Iowa play the game without Frank Holbrook. Coach Bull refused and stated that there would be no game if Holbrook were not allowed to play. The Iowa City Vidette-Reporter (the University of Iowa's student newspaper) reported, "When Missouri’s team came on the field, they were heartily cheered with the Tigers’ yell, followed by appeals from the rooters to individual players to ‘kill the ~unacceptable racist term~’."^[3]
During the game, there were several physical confrontations. The Vidette-Reporter continued, "There was hardly a man on Iowa’s team who did not receive a cowardly blow from the Tigers. Several were hit while on the ground. One man received at least three blows from the fists of the Tigers. Not for ten seconds did one of Iowa’s men forget himself or lose his temper. At all times they placed themselves near and about Holbrook."^[4]
Iowa won the game, 12-0, on two touchdowns, one by halfback Joe Meyers and one by Frank Holbrook. Iowa refused to play Missouri again until 1902. Before a 1910 game with Missouri, Missouri officials warned Iowa coach Jesse Hawley not to bring black tackle Archie Alexander to the game. Hawley reluctantly agreed to Missouri's demands and Iowa lost 5-0. But Hawley later vowed that his teams would never face Missouri again, and the schools did not meet again on the football field until the 2010 Insight Bowl.^[5] "

Duke Slater was an Iowa All American from the 1920s, after whom Slater Hall, a University of Iowa residence hall built in the 1970s was named. He is regarded as one of Iowa's all-time greats. Duke Slater became a judge in Illinois.

Ozzie Simmons, black Iowa player from the 1930s (as told, in part, by Ronald Reagan) spawns Floyd of Rosedale (from Wikiepedia):
Ozzie Simmons is probably best known as the central figure in the story that spawned the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. As a talented black player in the 1930s, Simmons was a target of opposing players, which accounted for many of his numerous injuries. During a run against Northwestern University, he was punched. In another game, a newspaper account says a player "rammed his locked hands into Simmons' face." ^[6]
Ronald Reagan, then a radio sportscaster in Des Moines and later the 40th President of the United States, said, "The problems were when you played another team that did not have a black. For some reason or another, then they would pick on this one man." Reagan then recounted a game against Illinois when Ozzie was injured twice. Reagan said, "I saw (Iowa players) Dick Crayne and Ted Osmaloski walk over to the Illinois huddle during a timeout, and after the game I found out...they said, 'Do that to (Simmons) once more, and we're going to run you right out of the end of your stadium.'" ^[7]
But the worst treatment for Ozzie came in the 1934 game against Minnesota. Just 12 years earlier, Iowa State's first black player, Jack Trice, was killed by injuries sustained in a game against the Gophers. In 1934, Simmons was knocked out of the Minnesota game three times due to injuries. Simmons did not play in the second half in a blowout Gopher win. "The Minnesota game was the most blatant attack. They were blatant with their piling on and kneeing me. It was obvious, but the refs didn't call it. Some of our fans wanted to come out on the field," Simmons said in 1989.^[8]
The following year, Minnesota was scheduled to play at Iowa. While talking to a reporter, Iowa's governor stated, "If the officials stand for any rough tactics like Minnesota used last year, I'm sure the crowd won't." Minnesota's coach Bernie Bierman requested extra security for his team, and tensions were high. To defuse the situation, Minnesota's governor wagered Iowa's governor a prize hog that the Gophers would win the game.

In the 1890s the "butt cut" was apparently such popular hairstyle at OSU that even the black player had one.

In the 1970s I thought this would be a cool style. It is against nature, and my cowlick, and would require more Brylcream than I, and just two guys in this photo from the 1890s, can afford. My straits are worse than my 122 year old memory can even recall.

Sometimes it's good to remember where "we" have been, as well as where we perhaps need to go.

SPORTS OF THE TIMES; ALABAMA'S BRYANT AND RACIAL ISSUE

Quote(s) from Dr. Frank Rose, who was the President of the University of Alabama who had hired Coach Bryant.

''In the fall of 1963, Bull Connor, the police chief in Birmingham, called me to the mayor's office there. It concerned an upcoming Alabama football game that was going to be played there. Bear came with me. Connor told us that no tickets were going to be sold to blacks. Bear and I told him that we'd never play any more football games in Birmingham. Connor said, 'Well, I guess I really didn't mean it.'

''Bear said to him, 'And if any black person is hurt or a rock thrown at him, we'll never come back.' The game was played, and blacks came and there were no incidents.''

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/02/sports/sports-of-the-times-alabama-s-bryant-and-racial-issue.html

SPORTS OF THE TIMES; ALABAMA'S BRYANT AND RACIAL ISSUE

Quote(s) from Dr. Frank Rose, who was the President of the University of Alabama who had hired Coach Bryant.

''In the fall of 1963, Bull Connor, the police chief in Birmingham, called me to the mayor's office there. It concerned an upcoming Alabama football game that was going to be played there. Bear came with me. Connor told us that no tickets were going to be sold to blacks. Bear and I told him that we'd never play any more football games in Birmingham. Connor said, 'Well, I guess I really didn't mean it.'

''Bear said to him, 'And if any black person is hurt or a rock thrown at him, we'll never come back.' The game was played, and blacks came and there were no incidents.''

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/02/sports/sports-of-the-times-alabama-s-bryant-and-racial-issue.html

Microsteps toward progress.

I've always heard that it was Sam Cunningham who sped up the integration process of the SEC.  It's good to know that the wheels of progress were already starting to turn by the time that game happened in the early 70s.

The Bear was certainly open-minded for his day, but being one man he was still no match for the big-time Alabama alumni and boosters (many of whom exerted significant influence on state-level politics, and certainly had prejudiced views).  The integration process was going to be a slow and gradual one, and he was shrewd enough to accept that.