Their story is buried deep in the university’s archives, but 40 years ago, a group of Northwestern athletes fought for what they believed in.
There weren’t many places where Black football players felt welcomed on Northwestern’s campus in the 1980s. They had the Black House and their teammate Ben Butler’s basement on the South Side of Chicago, and that was about it.
While football should have provided refuge from the frequent discrimination, isolation and racism they faced, it didn’t. And sometimes — especially during the 1980 season — it only made it worse.
“One of the things that became not only clear but oppressive was how separate the campus at large was,” said Joseph Webb, a sophomore running back on the 1980 team who is now retired from corporate human resources and business consulting.