sun bowl controversy sun bowl controversy refers student protests pennsylvania sun bowl invitation extended football team condition african american player play november college invited play days later november faculty voted turn bid allow play bid rejection led large student demonstration campus city segregation later accepted bid rejection sun bowl played january west_virginia defeated score sun bowl segregation history segregation policies sun bowl effect sun bowl game played january texas 1940s case orange bowl african american players participate local police department rules incidents expected occur allowed play reasoning synonymous sun bowl major bowl games 1940s orange bowl game people began forth argument ideals democracy important football game sun bowl established mid-1930s dallas miami new_orleans sun bowl historically followed southern racial segregation policies sun bowl major contribution future college sports football season season successful years football team led captain standout running team record seven wins losses starting year beating score suffered large loss following game army losing won games average scoring margin points soon lost touchdowns defeating set crucial bout rival november day game received phone inviting team participate bowl game invitation essentially rendered season finale meaningless went defeat score regular season african american prominent player football season decision exclude game race led rejection sun bowl invitation subsequent student protests college student demonstrations november college faculty held meeting vote accept football team invitation sun bowl faculty voted turn bid result decision exclude formal announcement rejection college officials contain reason sun bowl bid students excited football team sun bowl announcement goal discover reason school abrupt change plans approximately seven clock night november news began spread campus students traversed school grounds recruit protesters soon mass nearly students holding newspapers hand way college central housed materials previously constructed rally held football game rival rain storm student mob ignited fire continue demonstration students visited home president arrival president told students invited play bowl game african american explained decision exclude ultimately led faculty rejection bowl game bid student asked acceptance bid long allowed play athletic director arrived house agreed place chairman texas athletic director stated want lieutenant army served texas wants boys college couldn responsibility anxious accept play wouldn able accept despite let play hearing answer frustrated students marched downtown held protest rally racial number students rushed local office wire news protests prominent individuals refusal include recipients president telegram read denied sun bowl game negro team democracy signed college students sent join cause following telegram sent president students broke rally ended protest downtown following day november morning students assembled hall approximately students pass formal resolution stating opposition racial discrimination student resolution stated protest racial discrimination fellow students declare firm resolve americans equal rights law subsequently informed media cover civil rights resolution coverage press newspapers shed light controversy surrounding sun bowl november press conveyed conflicting accounts turned invitation play sun bowl officials maintained rejection invitation large discrimination team black football player saying texas law forbade participation new year day bowl game article new_york_times quoted president college time saying state acting president chairman informed repeatedly play proposed game according newspaper article chairman offered story president claims stating jumped conclusion soon explained texas law bar field play papers went great detail officials claimed simply got wrong article november stated law question required negro players separate lodging according reporter evening november believes officials injected negro question sun bowl picture going merely rejected bid grounds impractical accept articles focus placed fact sun bowl officials reached schools interest receiving college original rejection bid seen article november calling claim paper focused fact arrangements officials reached schools impact college football sun bowl events created significant media buzz national scale withdrawal sun bowl residents fight racial exclusion bowl game team face racism september regular season game los_angeles cancelled policy excluded black players playing finally october officials took vote allowed texas college include black players games location year grant passed hosted integrated football game integration college football sun bowl bowl game involve racial exclusion football games twentieth century impact integration collegiate football sports general addition games played led integrated football games time schools conducted studies monitor treatment african american players schools reacted certain situations involving segregation prejudice teams favor african americans participating football gave players chance speak racism took place sport result protests communities coming support black football players college football slowly integrated
1949 Sun Bowl controversy