DRC: Unity Plaza dedication brings back memories for Abner Haynes, Leon King

[Brett Vito]

 

[UNTLifer]

This makes me unbelievably proud of my university.  Wish I could have been there for the dedication.

https://dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean_green/unity-plaza-dedication-brings-memories-back-for-trailblazers-in-football-at-unt/article_f4037a85-5cb6-5e04-99fe-085dfcb65117.html

Abner Haynes and Leon King exited a cab back in 1956 and made the slow walk across a gravel parking lot toward a group of white men they’d never met.

King will never forget what happened that day when the pair made college football history. Vernon Cole, his brother Charlie and the rest of the players shook their hands and welcomed the first Black players in North Texas history to the team.

“It meant a lot,” King recalled Saturday. “It made us feel like we were one of them and members of the Mean Green.”

Edited November 7, 2022 by UNTLifer

[greenjoe]

SMU gets credit for enrolling Jerry LeVias in 1965 when North Texas enrolled football players Abner Haynes and Leon King almost 10 years prior.  I’m surprised NT doesn’t get more publicity concerning this than we do.  

[PlummMeanGreen]

Per SUMG the Dallas Morning New’s Kevin Sherrington (their best sportswriter) has a feature on the Unity Plaza, Abner, Leon, Wren, etc in today’s front page of its Sports page. 

[Pellom]

The SID staff needs to be pitching these stories to The Athletic, NYT, ESPN, etc. 

We should display our pride prominently. 

[southsideguy]

Interesting article about their path and the teammates around them.