1973 signing class broke barriers at UA

Former University of Arkansas football players Johnnie Meadors (left) and Dennis Winston (right) talk to the Washington County Historical Society on Monday night about their experiences of being among the first black players to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Former University of Arkansas football players Johnnie Meadors (left) and Dennis Winston (right) talk to the Washington County Historical Society on Monday night about their experiences of being among the first black players to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

— Growing up in Bridgeton, N.J., in the 1960s, Brison Manor recalled seeing a team picture of the 1964 Arkansas Razorbacks, who finished 11-0 and won a share of the national championship.

Manor noticed every player in the picture was white.

“I said at the time, ‘I’ll never go to Arkansas, because they don’t have any black ballplayers,’ ” Manor said. “But times changed.”

Manor, a standout defensive lineman from Pratt (Kan.) Community College, helped change the makeup of Arkansas’ football program by being among the first wave of black players to sign with the Razorbacks.

Manor and linebackers Johnny Meadors and Dennis Winston, who were among 13 black players in Arkansas’ 1973 recruiting class, returned to campus Monday night to talk about their experiences during a meeting of the Washington County Historical Society.

There were a few black scholarship players at Arkansas prior to 1973, with Jon Richardson being the first in 1969. But Manor, Meadors and Winston were part of the first class that represented a significant change.

“There’s no question they were trailblazers,” said Harold Horton, the retiring Razorback Foundation executive director who was an Arkansas defensive assistant coach in 1968-1980.

“It was a special class,” said Winston, who played 10 seasons in the NFL with Pittsburgh and New Orleans and is now defensive line coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. “I think all of us knew then we were helping start something here, and now things have changed completely.”

Winston, from Marianna, said the newcomers in 1973 weren’t divided along racial lines.

“Both blacks and whites, we were together,” he said. “We hung out together, did things together.”

Meadors, who owns a construction company in his hometown of Haynesville, La., said he chose Arkansas over offers from LSU and Tulane among several other schools.

“I was asked by a lot of people at home, ‘Why did you choose the University of Arkansas? There aren’t any black players there,’ ” said Meadors, an All-Southwest Conference player in 1975. “My response was, ‘You’re right, there aren’t a lot of black players. But there’s going to be another one — and that’s going to be me.’

“I informed them that sometimes you have to look beyond yourself, because by me accepting this scholarship, it’s going to open up a lot of opportunities for other kids who possibly wouldn’t have that chance. ... I wanted kids to see that you can chose to go anywhere you want to be successful.”

Manor, who played seven seasons in the NFL with Denver and Tampa Bay and is now an investment banker in Little Rock, said many black players who followed him have expressed their thanks.

“They’ve said, ‘If it hadn’t been for guys like y’all, I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to play at Arkansas,’ ” Manor said. “I’m proud of that.”

Winston, a member of Arkansas’ All-Century Team, said there were times he got homesick being so far from Marianna but that he has good memories of his time as a Razorback.

“I didn’t mess with a lot of people, and a lot of people didn’t mess with me,” he said. “If you messed with me, you were in trouble. That was my motto.”

Manor said his focus at Arkansas was playing football and getting an education.

“It was all about us trying to win as a team,” he said. “Once you start playing, you don’t have time to think black and white. If you’re thinking black and white, and the guy on the other side of the line from you and is 6-5 and 280, I think you need to get real focused real quick.”

Manor said having more black players on the team helped attract black students and fans to the games.

“You talk about a way to bring people together,” he said. “Now you’re all cheering for the same team, the whites and the blacks, too.”

Minor, who was inducted into the UA Sports Hall of Honor in 2011, said he remains close to many of his former Arkansas teammates.

“We’re always involved in each other’s lives,” he said. “We’re all like brothers. Our houses are always open to each other. We just have a special bond.”

Sports, Pages 24 on 07/25/2012

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