Even in the early 1970s, many college football teams were still segregated, including the powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide.
However, this took a turn when the USC Trojans – with fullback Sam Cunningham – played the Crimson Tide at Legion Field in Birmingham on September 12, 1970.
For many, the game was a crucial turning point that led to desegregation in college football in the South.
For that legendary game, the Trojans brought a fully integrated roster to Alabama with an all-Black backfield, including quarterback Jimmy Jones, tailback Clarence Davis, and Sam Cunningham.
Cunningham – nicknamed “Bam” for his strong running and playing style – became the unexpected star player of the game, with 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns that resulted in the Trojan’s 42-21 victory over Alabama.
It was Cunningham’s first game for the Trojans, and was certainly a memorable one.
Over the years, the game became the subject of legend and hyperbole. A common narrative recounts Alabama’s head coach at the time – the prolific Bear Bryant – bringing Cunningham into the Crimson Tide’s locker room and saying to his team: “This is what a football player looks like.”
Many also claim that the game singlehandedly convinced Bryant to recruit Black players, but Alabama had already recruited Wilbur Jackson, a Black running back, at the time of the game. However, as a freshman, Jackson was not allowed to play, and instead watched the game from the stands.
Despite this, it is still undoubtedly true that the game brought about change in southern football integration.
Rob Parker, sports anchor for 7 Action News and former member of ESPN’s First Take program, recalled the impact that the game - and Cunningham - had on college football.
Rob Parker: It was huge. I mean, it did change college football. USC had an all black backfield and Cunningham was able to excel. And it was one of those moments where I think, you know, the South Alabama, Bear Bryant, they couldn’t deny it anymore. And if they really wanted to compete and win big, they realized that they wouldn’t be able to do it until they integrated. So I think it changed a lot in sports. It was a big moment.
By 1971, just one year after the Trojans defeated the Crimson Tide in Birmingham, southern college football powerhouses Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Mississippi had Black football players on their team for the first time, and by 1977, Alabama had 17 Black football players on scholarship for the Crimson Tide.
It is for this reason that the fabled 1970 USC and Alabama game, for many, draws a before and after line in terms of segregated college football teams in the south.