In the fall of 1946, Wally Triplett of La Mott, and another Black athlete, Dennie Hoggard joined the Penn State football team, writes Andrew Clay for DC News Now.

At the time, the nation remained divided over race. There was a “gentleman’s agreement” at the time, where schools in the north would not bring their Black players when playing a southern team, according to Penn State historian Lou Prato.

This was before Jackie Robinson would become the first Black player in Major League Baseball history on April 15, 1947.

Triplett had originally been accepted to the University of Miami, but when the school learned the color of his skin it revoked the offer.

While the North was a safer place for Triplett at the time than the South, he still faced constant discrimination and there were certain places on campus he couldn’t go to eat and only certain places he could live as a student.

At the end of the football season that year, Penn State was scheduled to play Miami, but the school wouldn’t allow Triplett or Hoggard onto their field.

Penn State had to decide. They could play without two of their players or not play at all. They voted not to play.

Read more about how Penn State’s stand for equality set an important precedent at DC News Now.

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