Rob Evans offer perspective on Confederate flag

Harry · June 25, 2015

One who knows that all too well is former Arizona State basketball coach Evans, now the associate head coach at the University of North Texas.

As the coach of the University of Mississippi Rebels from 1992-98, he found that other schools often used the flag as a recruiting tool to steer prospects away from his program.

Evans was at a Mississippi football game when a fan dropped a confederate flag. It landed right in front of the African-American basketball recruit he was hosting.

"He picked it up and handed it back to them," he said.

That's an experience not written about in the how-to-recruit coaching manual.

If there was a man to handle the delicate subject, it was Evans.

As a young basketball assistant for New Mexico State, Evans used to recruit Mississippi beginning in the late 1960s. He could stay only at hotels owned by Blacks, and avoided traveling at night to be safe.

Two decades later, he became the school's first African-American basketball coach and turned around the program. It secured its first Associated Press Top 25 ranking under him and landed in the NCAA Tournament twice after having made only one appearance in school history.

During his six seasons, Evans successfully maneuvered the challenging landscape. During recruiting trips, he would bring up the Confederate flag before an athlete's parent had a chance to address it.

When interviewed, he often was asked how he felt about the Confederate flag or "Dixie," a song often considered the anthem of the Confederacy that is played during Mississippi football games. He would express his opinion while acknowledging it meant different things to different people.
His two children attended the university and his son, Damon, who still resides in the Valley, was one of the first African-Americans to be accepted into the school's Sigma Chi fraternity.

Overall, Evans said, he found the Oxford, Miss., community warm and welcoming to his family.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/2015/06/24/confederate-flag-debate-sports-world-andre-ellington-rob-evans/29229417/

Edited June 25, 2015 by Harry

foutsrouts · June 26, 2015

We're getting to the point in our history where only a relatively small number of people really knew/knows anybody that EVEN KNEW anybody who was around during the Civil War. I knew my very lucid great grandmother very well when I was a kid up until her dying age of 103 (born 1876 in Mississippi), so I guess I'm one of those who actually heard stories from around that era up close and personal. I realize that there's still some Civil War bitterness floating around in some white families from the "Old South" to this day, but it's just time for them to let it go. Nothing wrong with regional pride, but it's time to move on and remove the flag from anything that's state sponsored IMO. While it certainly should not be forgotten, it's just time to put some of that history to bed.

GreenMachine · June 26, 2015

We're getting to the point in our history where only a relatively small number of people really knew/knows anybody that EVEN KNEW anybody who was around during the Civil War. I knew my very lucid great grandmother very well when I was a kid up until her dying age of 103 (born 1876 in Mississippi), so I guess I'm one of those who actually heard stories from around that era up close and personal. I realize that there's still some Civil War bitterness floating around in some white families from the "Old South" to this day, but it's just time for them to let it go. Nothing wrong with regional pride, but it's time to move on and remove the flag from anything that's state sponsored IMO. While it certainly should not be forgotten, it's just time to put some of that history to bed.

There is a lot of history that needs to be put in the past and move forward but some just want to hang on forever.

GrandGreen · June 26, 2015

Yes, lets just ignore history because a lot of it is rather unpleasant. I and most have no problem with elimination of the Confederate Battle flag from official government flags and symbols. However, when that extends to the elimination of all artifacts of the Confederacy, things are going too far. The war that killed more Americans than all the others combined should not be ignored in the name of political expediency. The right side won and slavery was ended, but to try to ignore America's darkest period would be as insane as counterproductive.

Rid the country of all tributes of Confederate heroes and I guess next all slave holders which includes a number of presidents and other very historically important persons. It is brutally obvious that very bad things are not only still happening but escalating in the world, we can't wish them away either.

UNTFan23 · June 26, 2015

Yes, lets just ignore history because a lot of it is rather unpleasant. I and most have no problem with elimination of the Confederate Battle flag from official government flags and symbols. However, when that extends to the elimination of all artifacts of the Confederacy, things are going too far. The war that killed more Americans than all the others combined should not be ignored in the name of political expediency. The right side won and slavery was ended, but to try to ignore America's darkest period would be as insane as counterproductive.
Rid the country of all tributes of Confederate heroes and I guess next all slave holders which includes a number of presidents and other very historically important persons. It is brutally obvious that very bad things are not only still happening but escalating in the world, we can't wish them away either.

Removing all reminders of the Confederacy will not fix the problems facing us today. Also, our government can only remove that imagery from public grounds. Private property is a whole different ball of wax (and that pesky first amendment is in the way). This is only a "feel good" action in that it helps people feel like they are making a difference.

So much energy is being wasted on this when that is not the actual problem. If anything, I feel like the fight over the imagery of the Confederacy has only made the country even more divided.

MeanGreenTexan · June 26, 2015

Removing all reminders of the Confederacy will not fix the problems facing us today. Also, our government can only remove that imagery from public grounds. Private property is a whole different ball of wax (and that pesky first amendment is in the way). This is only a "feel good" action in that it helps people feel like they are making a difference.

So much energy is being wasted on this when that is not the actual problem. If anything, I feel like the fight over the imagery of the Confederacy has only made the country even more divided.

Isn't an ice pack the way to fix a torn ACL? I mean, it keeps the swelling down. What else needs to be done?

MeanGreen13 · June 26, 2015

i get what you guys are saying about thinking it is a waste of time to remove these things from public grounds as it does little to address actual racism, but I humbly disagree. As a psychologist in training, I recognize the simple fact that the flag sends a simple implicit message to EVERYONE who sees it. lets not forget that the stars and bars represent an armed insurrection against the united states. the fact that these were still on public ground and part of several states' flags is only a reminder of the failure of the reconstruction era and how ending slavery did nothing to end the subhuman treatment of Black people in the U.S. how can you allow one of the symbols of a dark time. how can you glorify those who led several states astray? it would be comparable to if some Germans regions continued to have the swastika as part of their flags and banners.

back to my original and most important point. never underestimate the power implicit learning. we are all steeped in implied messages about certain people and how to treat or approach them. the confederate flag is part of that and is an inexcusably easy fix. lastly, I want to point out that people (generally Black people) have been calling for the removal of these flags and statues from government property for years and years but it isn't until now (when overt racism has reared its ugly head once again) that anything has been done about it.

so i agree, there is a level of "let's just do this smaller thing to appease ourselves and excuse our inaction for the greater problem" but there is also a lot of weight in such a simple, even if extremely late, action.

*gets off soap box*

MeanGreen13 · June 26, 2015

also, I like the ice pack-acl example so I'm gonna run with it. an ice pack wont fix a torn acl but admitting that there may possibly perhaps be a chance of a slight knee injury (in this case, institutionally reinforced racism) does something to moving closer to healing.

MeanGreenTexan · June 26, 2015

also, I like the ice pack-acl example so I'm gonna run with it. an ice pack wont fix a torn acl but admitting that there may possibly perhaps be a chance of a slight knee injury (in this case, institutionally reinforced racism) does something to moving closer to healing.

I agree. But removing the Confederate battle flag (re: applying the ice pack) from our country's conciousness will not stop that kind of hatred. The problem is internal (the heart), not external (these symbols).

There are no Confederate battle flags or the like flying around in Europe, yet racism is rampant over there as well... perhaps even moreso than in America. See the constant examples of soccer fans throwing bananas at black players & the like.

Harry · June 26, 2015

When the USSR went through the process of de-Stalinization, removing Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb, tearing down statues and murals etc it made total sense. This guy was a murderer of his own people, who tortured many innocents just to further his political aspirations. Removal of any public tie to Stalin was justifiable in my opinion. It allowed them to move forward, sort of a fresh start.

This is different. Yes slavery was a terrible thing, but the soldiers and southern people tied to this war were not murderers. They believed in something that was wrong and fought honorably for it. Hindsight is 20/20 but to try and erase the history aspect of this seems unfair to me.

I tend to agree that you should do away with the public displays of the flag etc but I don't think it is fair to compare the confederacy with Stalin, Nazi's etc...

CMJ · June 26, 2015

I was against the flag being flown, but am a bit concerned with talk of memorial removals. That's a slippery slope, as I've even heard suggested that maybe Founding Fathers who owned slaves, like Jefferson, might should have their stuff removed.

foutsrouts · June 26, 2015

I was against the flag being flown, but am a bit concerned with talk of memorial removals. That's a slippery slope, as I've even heard suggested that maybe Founding Fathers who owned slaves, like Jefferson, might should have their stuff removed.

That kind of stuff would obviously be going WAY too far. If we're going to do things like that, we should replace the US flag, as it not only stood over slavery AND the importation of slaves, but it also stood over the near extermination of Native Americans well after the abolition of slavery. The PC police seem to ignore those facts.

Stix · June 27, 2015

I was against the flag being flown, but am a bit concerned with talk of memorial removals. That's a slippery slope, as I've even heard suggested that maybe Founding Fathers who owned slaves, like Jefferson, might should have their stuff removed.

"Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past."

HoustonEagle · June 27, 2015

When the USSR went through the process of de-Stalinization, removing Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb, tearing down statues and murals etc it made total sense. This guy was a murderer of his own people, who tortured many innocents just to further his political aspirations. Removal of any public tie to Stalin was justifiable in my opinion. It allowed them to move forward, sort of a fresh start.
This is different. Yes slavery was a terrible thing, but the soldiers and southern people tied to this war were not murderers. They believed in something that was wrong and fought honorably for it. Hindsight is 20/20 but to try and erase the history aspect of this seems unfair to me.
I tend to agree that you should do away with the public displays of the flag etc but I don't think it is fair to compare the confederacy with Stalin, Nazi's etc...

Well technically yes they were murderers. They killed their fellow Americans in a armed insurrection because they believed in something that was clearly wrong.

HoustonEagle · June 27, 2015

When the USSR went through the process of de-Stalinization, removing Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb, tearing down statues and murals etc it made total sense. This guy was a murderer of his own people, who tortured many innocents just to further his political aspirations. Removal of any public tie to Stalin was justifiable in my opinion. It allowed them to move forward, sort of a fresh start.
This is different. Yes slavery was a terrible thing, but the soldiers and southern people tied to this war were not murderers. They believed in something that was wrong and fought honorably for it. Hindsight is 20/20 but to try and erase the history aspect of this seems unfair to me.
I tend to agree that you should do away with the public displays of the flag etc but I don't think it is fair to compare the confederacy with Stalin, Nazi's etc...

How many died on the slave ships? How many died from disease once they got here? How many died from abuse?

We are a free country and free people should fly whatever flag they damn well choose on their private property. Government on the other hand represents everyone and should act accordingly.

KRAM1 · June 27, 2015

Well technically yes they were murderers. They killed their fellow Americans in a armed insurrection because they believed in something that was clearly wrong.

In no way we're they murderers...technically or not! If you believe that, then every person who fought in the American Revolution on the side of what is now the United States were also murderers. Every Texan who fought in the war for Texas independence were murders. Wow! Seriously?

HoustonEagle · June 27, 2015

In no way we're they murderers...technically or not! If you believe that, then every person who fought in the American Revolution on the side of what is now the United States were also murderers. Every Texan who fought in the war for Texas independence were murders. Wow! Seriously?

The difference is what they were fighting for…… War is war but when history proves that you were killing for the wrong reasons then you may call it what you want, the results are the same. I wish we as southerners would separate and move on from this dark spot in our history. Would you be ok with Germans flying the nazi flag over their government buildings? Do you think Kim Jong Un is well within his rights to oppress and murder his people? The examples can go on and on. Yet we glorify the Confederacy because it is distincly ours. We look past the atrocities so we can glorify our heritage. To embrace the confederacy is to embrace slavery. You can’t have it both ways. We can be proud Southerners and not embrace this short period in our history.

Mean Green 93-98 · June 27, 2015

We can be proud Southerners and not embrace this short period in our history.

What defines the area known as "the South" and the people known as "Southerners"? Why are New Mexico and Arizona not included in that?

CMJ · June 27, 2015

What defines the area known as "the South" and the people known as "Southerners"? Why are New Mexico and Arizona not included in that?

I've always thought the Confederate states were "the South." Some folks out in CA do not really consider TX in the south though...they lump is more as southwest with NM and AZ. I guess it just depends.

Edited June 28, 2015 by CMJ

MeanGreen13 · June 27, 2015

i think that any rebellion, justified or not, is an act of treason. so when you want to venerate the treason of the south because it is somehow honorable, i can't dig that. yes, feel free to keep the heritage and the flag on private property, but on public property, do not venerate an act of treason. i do not believe the British have a George Washington monument even though he was a part of the french-indian war fighting for the British. I think the history should be taught and artifacts can be commemorated in museums. I walk by a monument on the campus of UofL that is dedicated to people who fought for the confederacy in the civil war and it makes me uncomfortable as hell every time. the Texas war for independence was also treason, and if we are honest, plain old armed robbery. I am not American by birth so I don't have this brain washed patriotism that I see everywhere. we only give a crap about preserving the history of the confederacy because so many people have forefathers who were part of and it helps to have some semblance of pride. it is an ego thing (i mean that in the psychological definition of the word). each war is different but don't deny the simple facts based on your own familial or patriotic leanings.

the problem of racism is of the heart, I absolutely agree with that. but how do you think our hearts are shaped? do you think racist people are born that way? it is a problem of culture. people create culture and that shapes people. we need t change the culture in order to remove racism, that is why so much resistance to changing what we put on our buildings, and the things that are ok to say and do is bewildering to me. do we not realize that the issue of racism is propagated by racist speech? kids learn how to treat people by how their parents and loved ones treat people. they learn to speak the way they were taught. they learn to think they way they were taught. change the things that are socially acceptable, change the way people behave.

i recognize that removing the flag from public spaces doesnt change how people will conduct themselves in their own homes but it does change what is ok to do in public (society). i can't state enough how much of a role socialization plays in every facet of life. we tend to think we are born certain ways in order to give ourselves more credit than we deserve. you aren't who you are just because that's how you are, it is a combination of your innate temperament and the way that has interacted with the people you have been exposed to. this holds for both positive attribute and negative attributes. If you want to change the type of people the next generation grows up to be, change the things we put around them... really is that simple most of the time.

CMJ · June 28, 2015

i do not believe the British have a George Washington monument even though he was a part of the french-indian war fighting for the British.

http://golondon.about.com/od/londonpictures/ig/Less-seen-Sights/George-Washington-Statue.htm

MeanGreen13 · June 28, 2015

http://golondon.about.com/od/londonpictures/ig/Less-seen-Sights/George-Washington-Statue.htm

can't argue with that... that's pretty hilarious though!

KRAM1 · June 28, 2015

The difference is what they were fighting for…… War is war but when history proves that you were killing for the wrong reasons then you may call it what you want, the results are the same. I wish we as southerners would separate and move on from this dark spot in our history. Would you be ok with Germans flying the nazi flag over their government buildings? Do you think Kim Jong Un is well within his rights to oppress and murder his people? The examples can go on and on. Yet we glorify the Confederacy because it is distincly ours. We look past the atrocities so we can glorify our heritage. To embrace the confederacy is to embrace slavery. You can’t have it both ways. We can be proud Southerners and not embrace this short period in our history.

Really? By your definition if you end up on the losing side of a war then you are a murderer. Don't think so, but you are welcome to your thoughts. Me, I do not believe the Texans who fought for independence were murders, nor the American revolutionaries, nor those who fought for the Confederacy. Nor, do I believe that every German or Japenese who fought in WW II were murders.Were some who fought on every side in every armed conflict in history probably guilty of what we today, might consider murder? Sure...if you study military history you know that to be true. Because a few stepped over the line does in no way scar every soldier who fought with that label. I have relatives who have fought in every US conflict since the revolution and who fought on different sides during both the Civil War and the Revolution. None were murders then and none should in any way be considered murders now!

Cerebus · June 28, 2015

As usual both sides are knee jerking.

First, expecting black people to live under a government flying the CBF because you want to honor confederate soldiers would be like expecting Jews to live under the swastika because Germans wanted to honor their WWII soldiers. Germany manages to honor its war dead without flying the swastika over the Reichstag, we can figure it out too.

Second, the noted historian Shelby Foote said it well when he stated that those with no racial animus lost the symbol of the CBF when they allowed it to be dominated first by segregationists and then by racists. There is a reason the crowds who gathered to protest school integration through out the South almost always had the CBF, it's the same reason that it was almost always present at KKK rallies, and it's the same reason neo nazi rallys almost always have it flying high. That reason is because it has become a powerful symbol of white supremacy and racial separation.

Those that are throwing a screaming fit now because they want to see the CBF as a symbol to honor CW soldiers or states rights or the country way of life should of been throwing it for decades at the white supremacists who were using it. They didn't, and now the flags meaning is forever set. It's simply unthinkable to allow that symbol to be part of a representative government.

Now on the other hand the door gooders are over reacting. Apple removing civil war teaching aids from the app store because they have the CBF somewhere in it is sheer idiocy. People wanting to ban the symbol from private life probably need to re-read the Constitution. Re-naming institutions named after Robert E. Lee will be tricky, yes he was a slave owner who lead the forces of armed rebellion against his home country, but so did George Washington.

MeanMag · June 30, 2015

i think that any rebellion, justified or not, is an act of treason. so when you want to venerate the treason of the south because it is somehow honorable, i can't dig that. yes, feel free to keep the heritage and the flag on private property, but on public property, do not venerate an act of treason. i do not believe the British have a George Washington monument even though he was a part of the french-indian war fighting for the British. I think the history should be taught and artifacts can be commemorated in museums. I walk by a monument on the campus of UofL that is dedicated to people who fought for the confederacy in the civil war and it makes me uncomfortable as hell every time. the Texas war for independence was also treason, and if we are honest, plain old armed robbery. I am not American by birth so I don't have this brain washed patriotism that I see everywhere. we only give a crap about preserving the history of the confederacy because so many people have forefathers who were part of and it helps to have some semblance of pride. it is an ego thing (i mean that in the psychological definition of the word). each war is different but don't deny the simple facts based on your own familial or patriotic leanings.

The war for independence was an act of treason. One that all Americans commemorate in every singing of the national anthem before every sporting event. The entire country was born of rebellion. It is in our DNA. That somehow through all of that fighting those two flags could fly on the same pole was a statement to the incredible tenacity to work out differences and hate each other like brothers and still stick together. Perhaps it is tough for a non natural born citizen to understand that.

Cerebus wins this one, and you do not have to read a psych book to know that the symbol has been stolen like so many other things in history.