Black Student Athletics

Most of the recorded documentation that is accessible from the University of Idaho in regards to Black students is from the athletics program, where many Black students attending the school were student-athletes. This seems to have been a strong reason for the University to recruit Black students in the 1960s and 1970s, as most of the Black students who were admitted were student-athletes. There also exists the notion that Black student-athletes are/were recruited to first generate revenue for their institution and, second, to participate as students. It is also important to note that this timeline coincides with the heightened activity of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, which pushed for greater inclusion of Blacks/African-Americans in tertiary education. With these two factors applied to the context of Black student recruitment at the University of Idaho, it becomes necessary to understand that pressure on the University and an expansion in the athletics program is what fueled the recruitment of Black student-athletes. And, as a precursor to relevant information later in the document, Black student-athletes were the main driving force behind inclusivity in general at universities across the United States, which played a role in the University of Idaho’s Black history.

The University of Idaho’s athletics program has had many successful athletes come through its doors, with several of them being Black. Though there have been many contributions made by Black Athletes at the University of Idaho, the athletes listed below have left a more notable imprint at UI, with their names included in the Vandals Hall of Fame.