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hen the Cotton Bowl inducted Wally Triplett into its 2018 Hall of Fame class in late De- cember for being one of two black play- ers from Penn State to integrate its historic game on Jan. 1, 1948, it snubbed Triplett's lesser-known African-Ameri- can teammate, Dennie Hoggard. Hoggard was mentioned in a Cotton Bowl news release that highlighted Triplett's 6-yard touchdown on a recep- tion that tied the score, 13-13, against Southern Methodist early in the third quarter. There was no further scoring, and the game ended in a tie. However, there was nothing in the release about Hoggard almost winning the game on a tipped pass in the end zone on the last play. "They broke down racial barriers in Texas," the news release stated. "The final score aside, Triplett, Hoggard and Penn State had taken a stand that New Year's Day, one for a more just society." What Triplett and Hoggard did was momentous, thanks to the compelling support of their teammates and SMU head coach Matty Bell and his players, led by sophomore halfback Doak Walker, the 1947 Maxwell Award winner. There were only four major bowl games back then, all on New Year's Day. Only the Rose Bowl had been integrated, starting three decades earlier with the legendary Fritz Pollard of Brown in the 1916 and '17 Tournament of Roses games. No African-Americans played in the Sugar Bowl until 1952, when starting halfback Bobby Grier of Pitt broke the color line, or in the Orange Bowl until 1955, when reserve halfbacks Jon McWilliams and Sylvester Harris of Nebraska did it. So, the 1948 Cotton Bowl game was a significant milestone that transcended sports. Yet, the Cotton Bowl executives who select the Hall of Fame inductees could not add Hoggard's name to their prestigious list. One also has to wonder why those Cotton Bowl impresarios who started the Hall of Fame in 2008 took so long to honor Triplett for that landmark. We know Triplett is famous and Hog- gard is an obscure figure even among dedicated Penn State fans, and that is a shame. Triplett's renown has acceler- ated in recent years in conjunction with his belief and vigorous campaign that his 1947 team captain Steve Suhey HISTORY MAKER Hog- gard came to Penn State from West Philadelphia and later joined Triplett as the first black players to appear in the Cotton Bowl. Photo courtesy of the Pattee and Paterno Library Archives A FORGOTTEN PIONEER Dennie Hoggard deserves to be recognized for the pivotal role he played alongside Wally Triplett in helping bring down racial barriers W

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