Note: IU Athletics is partnering with IU Press to share chapters from some of their recently-published books on IU Sports. The following is a chapter from Dawn Knight's book, Race and Football in America: The Life and Legacy of George Taliaferro, published by IU Press in 2019. The rest of this chapter will appear in the coming days on IUHoosiers.com. Additional details about this book can be found here.
The drive from Gary to Bloomington is a scenic one. Just outside of Gary are miles of flat acres with the occasional white farmhouse scattered amid the countless corn and soybean fields so often associated with Indiana.