Jackson Broke Through Line For ‘The Bear,’ Crimson Tide

By Chuck Chandler

Six years after Gov. George C. Wallace made his infamous stand in the schoolhouse door to keep blacks from attending the University of Alabama, Wilbur Jackson received a scholarship to play football with the all-white Crimson Tide.

Nearly a half-century later, Jackson downplays his role in history, preferring to point out the good things that came from his breaking the color barrier. He made lifelong friends in Tuscaloosa and still admires Pat Dye, the former UA assistant coach who recruited him despite Jackson having played just 14 games in high school. And Jackson still reveres Alabama’s legendary head coach.

Please CLICK HERE to finish reading the article on the Alabama NewsCenter website.

Category: ALL POSTS, Partner News Stories