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Mississippi is unlikely place for breaking racial barriers (God forbid such a thing)
, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Tuesday, December 09, 2003 | By Chuck Finder

Posted on 12/09/2003 1:59:48 AM PST by WKB

Edited on 04/13/2004 2:35:27 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

John Mitchell knows about breaking down doors of racism so others may enter. He knows about college football and Deep South mores and the collision between them.

First African-American player at the University of Alabama. First African-American co-captain for the same Crimson Tide. First African-American assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference.


(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Mississippi
KEYWORDS: sylvestercroom
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To: WKB
This time, a white AD and president sought a career coach deserving of their job, and he turned out to be an African American. Or vice versa.

That's how it should be. The best man should get the job.

21 posted on 12/09/2003 10:22:30 AM PST by Dan from Michigan ("if you wanna run cool, you got to run, on heavy heavy fuel" - Dire Straits)
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To: Cowboy Bob
You'll think I'm crazy, but I still think Ty Willingham will do alright.
22 posted on 12/09/2003 10:24:48 AM PST by Dan from Michigan ("if you wanna run cool, you got to run, on heavy heavy fuel" - Dire Straits)
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To: mhking
Just ask Trent Lott
23 posted on 12/09/2003 10:24:57 AM PST by JustPiper (Teach the Children to fight Liberalism ! They will be voting in 2008 !!!)
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To: onyx
I stand by my statement that Croom was more qualified for the Bama job. I have no idea why Mal Moore and PBJr chose Shula.

I looked up the Mitchell quote in the original ESPN story. He admits to being prejudiced against Mississippi because of the past. I believe that he knows very well about how the best should get the opportunity to play/coach over the lesser qualified. He played at a Junior College in Arizona because Alabama would not recruit black players. When Bear Bryant stuck his neck out and recruited Mitchell to play for him, he did so knowing that Mitchell was a superior player for his team. He was right. Mitchell could have said no to Bear Bryant and not played for Alabama. But he didn't. And he lived up to Bear Bryant's expectations very well. Mitchell apparently refused to be baited by this reporter, and the reporter had to take a quote from another writer's interview.
24 posted on 12/09/2003 11:01:32 AM PST by petitfour
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To: bourbon
You may very well be correct about Mitchell being more fair-minded than the author of this piece, which is why I added the provision to my statement regarding Mitchell.

25 posted on 12/09/2003 11:05:19 AM PST by onyx
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To: petitfour
I have no idea why Mal Moore and PBJr chose Shula.

Good. Me neither, but I do not think the decision had anything to do with race. I suspect the Shula name carried the day.

26 posted on 12/09/2003 11:13:43 AM PST by onyx
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To: petitfour
Mal Moore is such a dunce. I'm convinced nothing will work at Bama unitl he is bounced out of T-town on his a$$.
27 posted on 12/09/2003 11:24:17 AM PST by bourbon (I brought all this so you can survive when law is lawless.)
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To: petitfour
He admits to being prejudiced against Mississippi because of the past.

By "the past," I assume you mean the racial problems in the South.

Now, how about telling me why it's OKAY for blacks to still hold the beliefs they held about "the past," while any reference or monument to "the past" favored by white people MUST be removed?

Why is that, huh?

And while you're at it, how about explaining why you believe it's fine for Bear Bryant to pick on merit, but other schools can't hire who they want as coaches?

28 posted on 12/09/2003 11:24:54 AM PST by Howlin
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To: Howlin
Did I say anything about schools not being able to pick on merit? I believe that Alabama should have picked Croom based on merit. That is my opinion. I don't believe they should have picked him because he is black. I went to Bama, and so I talk about the decisions made there. My brother went to Ms State, so I talk about them.

My reference to "the past" was to John Mitchell's description of what happened to black people such as he in 1970. He was discriminated against. Do you think he hasn't experienced racism since he was an All-American National Champion at Alabama?


29 posted on 12/09/2003 11:52:36 AM PST by petitfour
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To: bourbon
Mal Moore is such a dunce. I'm convinced nothing will work at Bama unitl he is bounced out of T-town on his a$$.

Yep. I agree 100%. He needs a strong tongue-lashing from his old boss. That's fer sure.

30 posted on 12/09/2003 11:55:06 AM PST by petitfour
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To: petitfour
Do you think he hasn't experienced racism since he was an All-American National Champion at Alabama?

Do you know that he has been?

Do you know that he doesn't LOOK for discrimination in every single thing he perceives as a failure in his life?

31 posted on 12/09/2003 12:04:07 PM PST by Howlin (Punt, Bama, Punt!)
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To: Howlin
Do you know that he has been?

Has been what? An All American National Champion at Bama?

Do you know that he doesn't LOOK for discrimination in every single thing he perceives as a failure in his life?

I do not know of any failuress in his life. I do not know that much about him. I don't know anything about any failures he may have had.

32 posted on 12/09/2003 12:14:05 PM PST by petitfour
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To: Skooz
The Deep South (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama) is almost evenly split black and white. We work together, socialize together, and generally get along far better than any place else in the US (when's the last time anyone has heard of any racial tension or race riots down south? Anyone in LA and Cincinnati want to answer that?). On the whole, a dispassionate observer would find less racism in the South than anywhere in the US.

Well said. Which region is most integrated?:


33 posted on 12/09/2003 12:15:40 PM PST by Sloth ("I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" -- Jacobim Mugatu, 'Zoolander')
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To: petitfour; Howlin
lol Delete one of those sentences in that last section there. I think I'm a bit redundant.
34 posted on 12/09/2003 12:16:28 PM PST by petitfour
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To: petitfour
But yet you assume he's been discriminated against? Interesting. Just because he's black?
35 posted on 12/09/2003 12:17:48 PM PST by Howlin (Punt, Bama, Punt!)
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To: Howlin
Yep. I assume he's been discriminated against based on his race. I think it would be a safe bet.
36 posted on 12/09/2003 12:27:21 PM PST by petitfour
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To: petitfour
Well, there you have it: he's black so he must have been discriminated against.

And people wonder why nobody takes that stuff seriously.
37 posted on 12/09/2003 12:32:15 PM PST by Howlin (Punt, Bama, Punt!)
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To: Sloth
That's an excellent post, sloth. This one map IS better than a thousand words.
38 posted on 12/09/2003 12:36:19 PM PST by onyx
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To: Howlin
I take it seriously. My husband takes it seriously. The President takes it seriously. Trent Lott takes it seriously now. I could name more.

It's not always the case that someone who claims discrimination based on race was actually discriminated against. But that doesn't mean racial discrimination isn't happening. I don't have a solution for it either.

You're terribly naive if you think a 50+year old black man has not experienced racial discrimination since he went to college.
39 posted on 12/09/2003 12:49:49 PM PST by petitfour
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To: Howlin
I just looked up whether or not Mr. Mitchell actually was a part of a team that won the National Championship, and he was not. He was an All American in 1971 and 1972. Alabama won the SEC in those years, but they did not win the National Championship. They won in 1973.
40 posted on 12/09/2003 3:21:59 PM PST by petitfour
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