As players and fans enjoy the start of the University of Georgia’s football season, the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the integration of the Georgia Bulldogs football team with a new exhibition, “Not Only for Ourselves: The Integration of UGA Athletics.”
With a focus on the first five men to integrate the Bulldogs football team—Richard Appleby, Horace King, Chuck Kinnebrew, Clarence Pope and Larry West—as well as celebrating lesser-known pioneers, the exhibition tells the story of the integration of athletics at the University of Georgia through photos and other artifacts. The narrative will continue through the past five decades of UGA athletics to present day.
“This story is so important to pass along to all Bulldogs, but especially those students and fans who are too young to have experienced the integration of our teams,” said Jason Hasty, Hargrett Library’s UGA athletics history specialist, who curated this exhibit. “All Bulldog fans should keep the efforts of these pioneers in mind when cheering for our favorite players of today.”
Fans can kick off their football weekends with a free tour of this exhibit at 3 p.m. on Fridays before each home football game this season. This tour is free to the public with no prior registration required.
“Not Only for Ourselves: The Integration of UGA Athletics” will remain on display in the Rotunda Gallery of the Special Collections Libraries through spring 2022. The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, call 706-542-6170 or email hasty@uga.edu.
In addition, several UGA sports desegregation milestones are marked in the exhibition “Georgia Trailblazers: Honoring the 60th Anniversary of Desegregation at UGA,” on display in the Main Library. For more information about hours at both locations, visit libs.uga.edu.