Penn State Sports Magazine
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P walk-on freshman in 1965 who never made the varsity. Paterno believed deeply in racial inte- gration, and when he became head coach in 1966, there were only two black players on the team. He intensified the recruitment of black athletes, starting that year with Pittman and linebacker Jim Kates, and in 1969 there were more black players with football scholarships than ever before. If Paterno told anyone else what the actual vote count was at that fateful meeting, it's still a secret. However, players and coaches say they would not be surprised if Paterno made the final decision himself on behalf of his black players, even knowing the ugly repercussions that would follow. "We lived in an era where racism was prominent in the news," Pittman told me a few years ago, "and we also thought we didn't have anything to gain by going down there and playing Texas [virtually] on their home field because we thought Ohio State was going to win the national championship. We knew the Orange Bowl was more amenable to having blacks than the Southwest Conference was. I remembered Jerry Levias at SMU [which is located in Dallas] had to go to games in an armored car. And I said, 'I don't want to go down there and play under those conditions.' " Two years later, Penn State was again invited to the Cotton Bowl to play a Texas team that now had its first black player, a reserve offensive lineman named Julius Whittier. With the help of two black running backs – All-American Lydell Mitchell and future NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris – the Lions demol- ished the favored Longhorns, 30-6, in what Paterno later called "one of the greatest victories in Penn State history." Booker Brooks, a former high school coach in Ohio, had been a graduate as- sistant for the '69, '70 and '71 teams, and in 1972 he became the Nittany Li- ons' first black assistant coach. The dif- ficulty that black players had encoun- tered to play football at major colleges was being repeated with assistants, but this time, experience more than racism was the primary barrier. Black players were reluctant to go into coaching because, as Dave Robinson pointed out, it didn't seem like a good career path. In 1983, Paterno added for- mer All-American defensive tackle Randy Crowder to his staff. When Brooks departed after the season for the University of Buffalo and Crowder be- fore 1985 for a noncoaching job, Pater- no brought in two experienced assis- tants in Ron Dickerson (1985-90) and Caldwell (1986-92). Dickerson left to be defensive coordinator at Clemson and Caldwell to be head coach at Wake Forest. It wasn't until the last decade that there were three black assistants on Pa- terno's nine-man coaching staff (2000- 03, 2007), and since 2012 there have been four, including Franklin's new as- sistants. Pittman is not surprised by either Franklin's hire or the number of black assistant coaches in college football. He said he thought that the hiring of a black head coach at Penn State "would even- tually happen." "I know it's historical, but I think we're at a point in our lives where it shouldn't be a big deal," he said from South Bend, Ind., where he just retired after a career as a corporate newspaper executive. "Sports has taught people many lessons, in how to truly compete to be the best and how the playing field should be leveled for people of all colors, race and ethnicities. "There are five black head football coaches in the SEC. I remember when black players couldn't even play in the SEC. I don't think it's a coincidence that there are more black players and more black head coaches and the SEC is the best football conference in the country. "We've reached a point where people understand the most qualified candidate should get the job. It should be based on their ability to coach and win football games. I'm happy to see Penn State take that step forward. I know all they want to do is win and win the right way. And from what I know about James Franklin, he will deliver for them." ■ The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions A diary by Lou Prato, author of the Penn State Football Encyclopedia and four other Nittany Lion books Personalized autographed copy available through Lou Prato and Associates Call 814-692-7577 or email louprato@comcast.net Price: $19.95 plus tax and shipping