The University of Wyoming marks the reversal in 1969 of black players for wanting to protest their match against BYU

University officials planned to unveil a commemorative plaque at Black 14 Friday at War Memorial Stadium. The brand will join a wall mural from a driveway in downtown Laramie that was dedicated last year. The ceremony marks five days of ceremonies and discussions about the infamous dismissal of all black university players in 1969.

They are now recognized as leaders in the tradition of protest in sport. It's a pantheon that brings together American athletics athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised their fists on the podium of the 1968 Olympics to protest racism and injustice.

More recently, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick accused the NFL of kneeling for kneeling in the previous national anthem of matches to protest police violence against African Americans.

The protest is for athletes who want to use their fame and visibility to be heard, said Tony Gibson, Black member 14.

"You can judge them as you wish, but when they say important things or try to draw your attention to issues that may require intervention, I think it's very important," Gibson said. .

On October 17, 1969, Wyoming head coach Lloyd Eaton sacked the players and canceled their purses after meeting him to offer him to wear a black armband in an upcoming match against Brigham Young University.

The players wanted to protest the racism that some of them had experienced in previous games against BYU and how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had at that time excluded African-Americans from the priesthood. Eaton would have no idea of ​​this – and was seconded by the University Board of Trustees and by Governor Stan Hathaway.

They never had the opportunity to mention the armbands before Eaton explained to them that they came from fatherless families and said that they would only be accepted by traditionally black colleges. that they were not at the University of Wyoming, they said.

"Our team is coming out, all these years, everyone thought we protested and it never happened," said Black member Ted Williams.

Healing and reconciliation are not over for some of the men who returned to campus this week. Some have struggled for years after being labeled as Black 14 members.

Lionel Grimes said the episode was mentioned several times during job interviews, and he wondered how many job opportunities had escaped him . Anger took years to overcome, he said.

"I was angry at the fact that I had to pay to go to school. I was angry at the way the coach had insulted not only my teammates, my ancestors," he said. said Grimes.

Above all, not being able to know why Eaton acted as hard as he disturbed the 14 black members. Eaton could have defused the situation simply by telling the players that they could not wear the armbands, Grimes said.

"We would have just played football, he never gave us the opportunity to sit down and talk to him," Grimes said. "We were very respectful then."

Wyoming had won the Sugar Bowl the previous year and had gone 4-0 before that day. The Cowboys, now all white, beat BYU and San Jose State, but have lost their last four games.

After Wyoming finished years 1-9 in 1970, Eaton was demoted to the position of assistant director of sports. He died in 2007, leaving the Black 14 without excuses or explanations.

"For me, the disappointment, my biggest disappointment, is that I never clearly understood her state of mind, I never clearly understood what had forced her to act, as I had years later, some of the wishes of his coaches, "Guillermo Hysaw, Black member 14, said.

Eight of the 14 were starters. Eaton's legacy is not limited to the episode of Black 14, said John Griffin, a member of Black 14.

"He's been destroying the Cowboys football team for a dozen years, it's him who has stopped the blue-chip players from coming here," Griffin said. "It was on him, not us."

Griffin and some of the others have returned to campus over the decades, including for an event held in 1993 in honor of the best players of each of the previous decades, but until recent years, Black 14's reception was lukewarm, Griffin said.

"Now we are very sincere:" We are happy to see you again and we are sorry, "Griffin said.