Photo: Singer-athlete Paul Robeson, 1963 (AP Photo) / Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) / Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali , Dec. 3, 2009 (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
The Syracuse Eight were actually nine college football players who were pushing for an end to discrimination against African-American football players at Syracuse University. They boycotted the 1969 season.
The nine students were Gregory Allen, Richard Bulls, Dana Harrell, John Godbolt, John Lobon, Clarence “Bucky” McGill, A. Alif Muhammad (then known as Al Newton), Duane Walker, and Ron Womack.
The students later reflected on the boycott in an interview with ABC. The students presented the school and their coach with a list of changes they wanted to see to promote diversity in the program. But, said Allen, the school labeled them as “militant” and not team players. But, he noted, we were looking for fair equitable treatment.” Instead, they found themselves blackballed, but their story was picked up across the nation. Some say the students sacrificed potential professional careers to stand up for their rights.
