The Tennessean sports section today has a great, positive article on the VFL program and its history and evolution, with a very interesting account by Antone Davis of the program's evolution.
But everyone should hear the account by VFL Lester McClain from Nashville's Antioch High School. Lester was the 40th and final scholarship player signed by Doug Dickey in 1967. According to him, he was to be Albert Davis' roommate. His other offers were from TSU and MTSU.
When Davis was denied admission, Lester roomed by himself. As everyone knows, he was the first African American football player at Tennessee.
His sophomore year John Rippatoe from Johnson City Science Hill, a white player, became his room mate. The McClains and the Rippatoes are close friends to this day. The article quotes Lester as saying the guys would do anything for each other.
I don't know what difficulties they faced. I know that Perry Wallace is bitter about the racism he experienced as the first black basketball player at Vanderbilt in the same era.
McClain, who has served on the UT Athletics Board, feels that progress has been made. But he remains skeptical about how far we have come in race relations in the almost 50 years since he and Rippatoe were roommates. We need more men like John and Lester who have for decades looked past color and whose bond transcends race.
I hope those who fail to choose their words wisely here will at least recall that a significant majority of our players and of the young men we are recruiting are black. If we can't bond over anything else (and I doubt in this dark climate we can), can't we all be Vols?
But everyone should hear the account by VFL Lester McClain from Nashville's Antioch High School. Lester was the 40th and final scholarship player signed by Doug Dickey in 1967. According to him, he was to be Albert Davis' roommate. His other offers were from TSU and MTSU.
When Davis was denied admission, Lester roomed by himself. As everyone knows, he was the first African American football player at Tennessee.
His sophomore year John Rippatoe from Johnson City Science Hill, a white player, became his room mate. The McClains and the Rippatoes are close friends to this day. The article quotes Lester as saying the guys would do anything for each other.
I don't know what difficulties they faced. I know that Perry Wallace is bitter about the racism he experienced as the first black basketball player at Vanderbilt in the same era.
McClain, who has served on the UT Athletics Board, feels that progress has been made. But he remains skeptical about how far we have come in race relations in the almost 50 years since he and Rippatoe were roommates. We need more men like John and Lester who have for decades looked past color and whose bond transcends race.
I hope those who fail to choose their words wisely here will at least recall that a significant majority of our players and of the young men we are recruiting are black. If we can't bond over anything else (and I doubt in this dark climate we can), can't we all be Vols?
