Champions For Equality
Demonstrating that sport can be a powerful force for social change, Penn State led the way in breaking the color barrier in intercollegiate football in the south. By the players' own decision, the team refused an offer to play a segregated deep south opponent in 1946. The Nittany Lions then became the first team to field African American players in the Cotton Bowl in 1948 and the Gator Bowl in 1961.