Date: September 12, 1970
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
Some players change games. Some change seasons. But very few players truly change programs in a lasting and indelible fashion. James “J.T.” Thomas did precisely that at Florida State University.
The 1960s were a time of great civil unrest. Much of this unrest was centered on the stark inequities existing between whites and minorities— particularly blacks. Sports represented a microcosm of these inequities, particularly in the Deep South.
Despite being three decades after Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics and two decades after Jackie Robinson first suited up for the Brooklyn Dodgers, most major universities in the south still featured all white football and basketball teams.