Athletic Integration in the South

[Boomer]

Coach Shipley picked an unfortunate time to enter the basketball scene in the South. This was a period of intense racial strife. The integration movement was well underway, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was now the law of the land.

When was the law changed so that whites could play in athletic contests against blacks? Seems that the problem with the Cajuns going to the NAIA nationals were because of playing against blacks. Remember marching on the pres's. home.

[Cajuns71]

Boomer, you made a statement that caught my attention---

You said that you marched on the president's home--- In what year did this happen? My brother tells a similar story and my father told me about a midnight call from President Joel Fletcher in 1965 suggesting that my dad get his son off the president's back. My brother was SGA president that year.

[NewsCopy]

In 1958, a federal judge threw out the Louisiana law banning integrated athletic contests. The United States Supreme Court upheld this decision a year later, but many Southern universities continued to resist integration. Louisiana State did not fully comply with court orders mandating desegregation until 1964, and the school did not suit up an African-American football player until 1973. Nevertheless, despite the slow pace of integration, high profile events like the UW football controversy brought needed attention to the cause of civil rights. The rest of the story

[Turbine]

While the 1964 Civil Rights Act wasn't specifically sports related. I feel that the CRA was to UL sports what Brown vs. Board of Education was to UL Academics.

In both cases UL was either the very first or among the first to act positively.

This is just an opinion but the timeline might bear this out.

[Boomer]

While the 1964 Civil Rights Act wasn't specifically sports related. I feel that the CRA was to UL sports what Brown vs. Board of Education was to UL Academics.

In both cases UL was either the very first or among the first to act positively.

This is just an opinion but the timeline might bear this out.

I use to say that LSU stood for Let's Segragate US---Of course--it was true!!!